Do the Green Math
Determine the potential financial and
environmental impacts of implementing a pole
maintenance program at your utility
Being Green is Easy with Osmose
®
The Financial Impact of Effective Pole Maintenance
The calculations below are based on assumed reject rates of 10% for utilities without a pole
maintenance program and 4% for utilities with a pole maintenance program. Actual reject rates for
utilities vary based on a several factors. This exercise is designed to illustrate the potential benefits
derived from preservation of in-service poles and conservation of trees and natural resources.
Step 1: Calculate the estimated number of reject poles you have without a maintenance program.
Number of poles in your network
X
10% (0.10)
Reject rate
=
VALUE 1
Step 2: Calculate the estimated number of reject poles you could potentially have with an effective
maintenance program in place.
Number of poles in your network
X
4% (0.04)
Reject rate
=
VALUE 2
Step 3: Calculate the number of poles you could potentially save with a maintenance program.
(VALUE 1)
-
(VALUE 2)
=
Poles Saved = Trees Saved
VALUE 3
Step 4: Calculate the estimated expense of replacing those rejected poles.
(VALUE 3)
X
$3,000
Average replacement cost
(If you know your average replacement
cost, please use that number here)
= $
Replacement Costs Avoided
VALUE 4
Saving Poles means Saving Money & Saving Trees
The Environmental Impact of Effective Pole Mainenance
An effective maintenance program decreases the demand for replacement poles, helping you save
money and poles. Saving poles means saving trees and the fuel oil used in the pole manufacturing
process. Avoiding the unnecessary harvest of trees leaves this precious natural resource in our
forests, absorbing carbon dioxide or makes them available for other uses.
Step 5
A: Calculate the number of homes that could be built with the trees (poles) you saved.
poles/trees
(VALUE 3)
_
41 trees
(Number of trees to build one house)
=
Homes built
B: Calculate the number of cars whose annual carbon emissions could be offset by the trees you saved.
poles/trees
(VALUE 3)
lbs annually
X
_
48 lbs
(Pounds of C02 sequestered
annually by a single tree)
10,534 lbs
(Pounds of C02 emitted annually
by a single car)
(VALUE 5)
=
lbs annually
C0 sequestered by your saved trees
2
VALUE 5
=
Cars’ emissions offset annually
C: Calculate the tons of coal whose carbon emissions could be offset annually by the trees you saved.
lbs annually
(VALUE 5)
_
4,931 lbs per ton
(Pounds of C02 emitted by burning
one ton of coal)
=
tons of coal
Amount of coal whose carbon
emissions would be offset annually
Did you know? One ton of bituminous coal can produce 7.03 MWh of energy;
enough to power the average American home for more than 7 months.
D: Calculate the gallons of fuel oil you could save by preventing the replacement of those poles.
poles/trees
(VALUE 3)
lbs
X
128 lbs
(Pounds of fuel oil in a new pole)
=
lbs
Pounds of fuel oil saved
VALUE 6
_
7.3 lbs
=
Gallons of fuel oil saved
(Weight of one gallon of fuel oil/diesel)
(VALUE 6)
gallons
VALUE 7
E: Calculate how many miles you could drive a diesel-powered line truck with the oil you saved.
gallons
(VALUE 7)
_
mpg
(ENTER the average fuel efficiency in
MPG for your line trucks)
=
Miles you could drive a
diesel-powered line truck
This mathmatical exercise is intended to provide an estimate based on industry averages, approximations, and environmental statistics.
Osmose makes no guarantee that a cyclical pole maintenance program will generate the above listed results.
A. Building a 2,000 square foot home requires approximately 11,120 board feet of lumber according to Penn State’s Sustainable Forestry Department. A 42’ X 20” tree can produce
274 board feet of lumber. Therefore, you would need 41trees to build that home. B. A single large tree absorbs approximately 48 lbs of carbon dioxide each year. According to figures
obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the average automobile (mid-size sedan) emits 10,534 lbs of carbon each
year. C. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), one ton (2,000 lbs) of bituminous coal produces 4,931 lbs of carbon. The average energy content of one ton
of coal is 24 million Btu or 7,033.71 kWh (7.03MWh). According to a report published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in 2008, the average annual electricity
consumption for a U.S. residential utility customer was 11,040 kWh per year (920 kWh per month). D. The typical distribution pole contains 128 pounds of fuel oil. This fuel oil is
very similar to diesel fuel. Therefore, we have based our assumptions and calculations on the statistics of diesel fuel. A gallon of diesel fuel weighs approximately 7.3 pounds.
The Osmose Environmental Commitment
Osmose Utilities Services, Inc. is dedicated to the conservation of utility resources
and strives to create a culture of environmental awareness both as a manufacturer
and as a contractor. We will continue to support the research and development of
products and services that extend the safe and reliable service lives of structural
T&D assets for many years beyond what is typically expected.
Saving Our Nation’s Trees, One Pole at a Time
Working for utility companies across America, Osmose treats, restores, and
upgrades millions of wood utility poles, prolonging their useful service life and
needless harvest of additional trees and the subsequent environmental effects
associated with the manufacture of new poles.
© 2010 Osmose Utilities Services, Inc.