Planting shade trees can save you up to $50 on your annual energy bill

Grab a shovel and save up to $50 a year on your energy bill by participating in the SRP Shade Tree Program. By planting desert-adapted trees in energy-saving locations, you can reduce cooling costs, improve air quality and lower the urban heat effect without having to use a lot of water.

The SRP Shade Tree Program provides up to three desert-adapted shade trees for homes built before 1980 and up to two for all other homes. The trees come in 5-gallon containers and range in height from 4 to 6 feet. You simply need to attend an SRP workshop about how to best select, plant and care for your trees.

Not only do shade trees block the sun's rays to provide natural, "low-tech" cooling, they also:

• Renew our air supply by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen
• Produce nearly 260 pounds of oxygen per tree each year
• Remove up to 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide each year per acre of trees
• Can make buildings up to 20° cooler in the summer
• Lower the air temperature by evaporating water from their leaves
• Stabilize soil and prevent erosion
• Can improve home values

To participate in the program, you must:

• Be a current residential electric customer
• Have the legal right to plant trees on the property
• Attend an SRP Shade Tree workshop
• Plant trees on the south, west and east sides of your home within 15 feet of exposed exterior walls and windows
• Have the ability to care for the tree, as needed

SRP reserves the right to change or terminate this program without prior notice.