​Trees planted in the right place can reduce energy bills for customers

BALTIMORE (April 24, 2020) – BGE is providing its customers with 1,000 free trees in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation's Energy-Saving Trees Program, which encourages people to conserve energy and reduce energy bills through strategic tree planting.

The tree varieties—Eastern Redbud, Red Maple, Shadblow Serviceberry, Swamp White Oak, and White Dogwood—are available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be shipped to BGE customers at no cost. Trees are generally between two and four feet high when they arrive. Order limit is one tree per service address, and customers may place orders at arborday.org/bge.

Properly planted trees can help reduce energy use through summer shading and by slowing cold winter winds. When planted properly, a single tree that grows over time can save a homeowner up to 20 percent on energy costs. However, selecting the wrong tree for a site can result in significant pruning or removal, and increases the risk of serious electric service interruptions in the future. Before planting a tree, customers are advised to:

• Check with a Maryland Licensed Professional Forester, Certified Arborist, or nursery expert to better understand a specific tree's maximum height and crown spread;
• Call 811 to schedule a time for a contractor to identify the approximate location of underground utilities;
• Access Arbor Day's interactive online tool that educates customers on where to plant their free tree for maximum energy, air, water, and carbon benefits; and,
• Review BGE's guidance on safety and reliability considerations when planting trees near utility poles, overhead lines, or transformers.
  

BGE's partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation is now in its eighth year. During that time, nearly 17,000 BGE customers have received more than 30,000 trees through the joint effort. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, those trees planted by BGE customers will over 20 years absorb 670,000 pounds of air pollutants, filter one billion gallons of stormwater, provide $22 million in combined energy and community benefits, and save more than 45,000 megawatt hours of electricity. The electricity savings alone equates to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from 7,000 cars driven for one year.

In 2019, BGE's parent company, Exelon, joined the Arbor Day Foundation's Evergreen Alliance, a dedicated group of corporate partners that have made a long-term commitment to helping the Arbor Day Foundation reach its goal of planting 100 million trees and inspiring five million tree planters by 2022. Evergreen Alliance members provide funding and spearhead tree-planting programs and educational campaigns to drive consumer awareness and action, particularly among their own global employees.

Exelon operating companies in collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation have distributed more than 100,000 free trees to homeowners in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, and Pennsylvania through the Energy-Saving Trees Program. These 100,000 trees are projected to bring $65 million in environmental benefits to the communities Exelon serves.

More information about the Energy-Saving Trees Program is available at bge.com.

About the Arbor Day Foundation:
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization of one million members, with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.

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BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility. The company's approximately 3,200 employees are committed to safe and reliable energy delivery to more than 1.3 million electric customers and more than 680,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. In the J.D. Power 2017, 2018, and 2019 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Studies ^SM BGE was ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Business Electric Service in the East among Large Utilities. In the J.D. Power 2018 and 2019 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Studies ^SM BGE was ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Business Natural Gas Service among utilities in the East Region. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Connect with BGE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and engage with the latest BGE stories on bgenow.com. 

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (or "BGE") received the highest score in the East Region of the 2019 Gas Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study and the East Large Segment of the 2019 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study of gas and electric utility customer satisfaction among business customers. Visit jdpower.com/awards.