Oncor Electric is Giving Away Free Trees to Plant in Your Yard, Here’s How to Get Yours
Do you want a free tree in your yard? You could be eligible for up to two.
Oncor, Texas' largest electricity distributor, has teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation to hook you up with a couple of free energy-saving trees. If your electricity is delivered by Oncor, they give you two free trees to plant in your yard. Why would they do that? One, in honor of Arbor Day. Two, the shade from the tree will help save energy and in turn save you money on your electric bill as well. It's a win for everyone.
The plan is to give away 8,000 trees this year. You have until November 2, 2018 to apply, but they are first come, first serve so I wouldn't wait that long. Six different types of trees are being offered: Texas Redbud, Bur Oak, Cedar Elm, Mexican Buckeye, Mexican White Oak, and Pecan. When you select your address on the energy-saving trees website, they also let you know which one they recommend for your home and the best places to plant it to maximize your energy savings. Over the past seven years, more than 43,000 trees have been planted through this program.
You may have a different electric provider you pay each month, but if you live in North Texas and parts of West and Central Texas, then Oncor is most likely your electric distributor. So even if you have a different company on your billing statement, you should still be eligible for these trees as long as Oncor is the company that distributes your electricity, which you should be able to confirm on your bill.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We called the Arbor Day Foundation hotline and they said in order to process your order, you'll need to enter just the first ten digits of your ESI ID number found on your utility bill to get your free trees. Trees will be delivered to the North Texas area between November 5, 2018 and December 10, 2018.
Here is the map of Oncor's territories in Texas:
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