CenterPoint Energy is providing 1000 free trees to Houston residents through Energy-Saving Trees, an Arbor Day Foundation program that helps conserve energy and reduce energy bills through strategic tree planting.
Beginning on September 6, homeowners can reserve their free trees at arborday.org/CenterPoint. Customers can reserve up to two trees and plant them in the most strategic area as identified by the online mapping tool. The types of trees offered include the following: White Oak, Pecan, American Beautyberry, Buttonbush, Eastern Redbud, Red Maple or American Sycamore.
"Providing free trees to our customers not only benefits the environment and beautifies communities, but it also helps shade homes, which can lead to energy and monetary savings," said Lynnae Wilson, senior vice-president, Houston electric operations at CenterPoint Energy. "Customers are encouraged to plant the right tree in the right place — away from power lines — which helps avoid safety hazards and improves electric service."
The Arbor Day Foundation is the world's largest membership nonprofit dedicated to planting trees. Its Energy Saving Trees program is designed to offer companies, cities, states, and nonprofit organizations an easy solution to providing trees to customers, employees, or their community.
"Through our Energy-Saving Trees program, we aim to provide the tools other organizations need to make a difference in their community," said Kristen Bousquet, program manager, Arbor Day Foundation. "This program not only encourages more trees planted in neighborhoods and communities, but the right trees planted in the right place."
Residents reserve trees using an online mapping tool that takes the guesswork out of where to plant the tree on a specific property to help maximize the trees' air, water, energy and carbon benefits. Energy-Saving Trees allows residents to strategically plant trees to reduce their energy costs. Carefully positioned trees can reduce a household's energy consumption for heating and cooling by up to 25 percent. Computer models devised by the U.S. Department of Energy predict that proper placement of only three trees can save an average household between US$ 100 and US$ 250 in energy costs annually.
