Free trees are still available to Oncor customers in the Irving, Tyler, Waco, Dallas, Forth Worth, Midland, and Odessa areas through the Energy-Saving Trees program, but customers must reserve quickly before the 9,500 trees remaining are claimed.
Launched as a pilot initiative with the Arbor Day Foundation in 2011, the Energy-Saving Trees program conserves energy and reduces household electricity bills through strategic tree planting. This fall, Oncor will give away a total of 12,000 trees.
Oncor customers can reserve their free trees today at www.arborday.org/oncor. Within seconds of accessing the website, an online tool helps Oncor customers find the most strategic location for planting and estimates the annual savings that will result from the tree. Customers can reserve up to three trees per household and the program will continue until the remaining 9,500 trees are reserved.
In exchange for the free trees, customers are expected to care for the trees and plant them in the location provided by the online tool. The two-to-four-foot trees will be delivered directly to the customer at an ideal time for planting.
The Energy-Saving Trees online tool was created by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Davey Institute, a division of the Davey Tree Expert Co., and uses peer-reviewed scientific research from the USDA Forest Service’s i-Tree Software to calculate estimated benefits. In addition to providing approximate energy savings, the tool also estimates the tree’s other benefits, including cleaner air, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and improved storm water management.
About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information about the Foundation and its conservation programs can be found at www.arborday.org.
