Our Journey

As part of the Exelon family of companies, Pepco joined Exelon’s ongoing commitment to protect the environment and take action to address climate change, when, in 2018, Exelon announced a goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its internal operations by 15 percent by 2022. This marks the third in a series of GHG commitments Exelon has undertaken, with the first two programs resulting in the avoidance of more than 67.8 million metric tons of GHG emissions -- the equivalent of taking 14.5 million vehicles off the road for a year.

The GHG goal announced in 2018 targeted 1.1 million metric tons of emissions associated with Exelon’s internal operations across its footprint, including the internal operations of Pepco in the District of Columbia. Pepco is on track to meet this GHG reduction target and is doing so by activities such as reducing losses of SF6 from gas-insulated electrical equipment, investing in vehicle electrification and improving the energy efficiency of our buildings and other facilities.

View Pepco's Climate Commitment Fact Sheet (pdf)

In addition, the Exelon Foundation, the company’s nonprofit philanthropic organization, launched in 2019 the Climate Change Investment Initiative, or 2c2i, which will provide $20 million in direct monetary and in-kind support over 10-years to develop new technologies to mitigate GHG emissions and build resiliency to the impacts of climate change. The 2c2i seeks to invest directly in the projects, businesses and people helping to combat the climate crisis within the areas served by Exelon’s utility companies, including Pepco.

Going forward, we know we must and can do more. Combating climate change requires continuous action, investment and improvement, and at Pepco, we are committed to doing our part to further reducing GHG emissions and helping our customers and communities meet their climate change goals.

On July 20 Pepco filed its Climate Solutions Plan (pdf) with the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia (PSC), outlining our proposed high-level approach to advancing a smarter, stronger and cleaner energy system and to help the District achieve its leading climate goals. Learn more here.

Our Commitment

At Pepco DC, we are working to align our operations, grid investments, and customer product offerings and services with the District of Columbia’s climate change and clean energy goals. This means:

• Reducing our own GHG emissions from operations on a trajectory that meets or exceeds the District’s reduction goals and working to inform and advocate for policies and processes that enable further decarbonization and technology deployment, and
• Supporting our customers and the larger community by providing the tools, programs and resources needed to enable the transition to a more equitable and inclusive clean energy future with a lower GHG footprint, improved air quality, and greater resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Scientific studies demonstrate that in order to drive GHG emissions down to the level necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, actions must be taken to “decarbonize” all sectors of the economy. This includes increasing the energy efficiency of the built environment, rapidly driving down GHG emissions in the electric generation sector and using this clean electricity to power as much of the economy as possible – including transportation. It also includes pursuing cost-effective opportunities to reduce the carbon content of liquid and gaseous fuels and taking steps to sequester carbon in the natural environment and through industrial processes.

Pepco’s climate and clean energy strategy is aligned around these “pillars of decarbonization” and supports efforts to decarbonize the economy – including in buildings and homes, electricity generation, and transportation—while advancing efficiency, resilience, equity and innovation.

Our Approach

Pepco’s core business is the safe, reliable, sustainable and affordable delivery of electricity to residents and businesses across the District of Columbia. As an electric distribution company, Pepco does not own power plants to serve customers. Instead, in accordance with the policies of the District of Columbia, Pepco purchases electricity on behalf of its customers from wholesale electricity providers and delivers that electricity to homes, schools, houses of worship, nonprofits and businesses. The electricity the company purchases meets the renewable energy goals and guidelines as established by the District of Columbia, including those as established by CleanEnergy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018, which the company supported, and means that 100% of the electricity delivered to customers in the District will come from eligible renewable energy sources by 2032.

And, while Pepco does not own power plants to serve our customers, we know we can have a major impact on combating climate change, including: being a major employer in the District and the region, a company with a significant operational footprint and community presence, and a provider of products and services to our customers. We recognize that we have a responsibility to take action to help the District of Columbia meet its clean energy and GHG goals, and enable a brighter, cleaner energy future for all our customers and communities.

That is why we have developed a plan that is:

• Action Oriented: Our plan focuses on specific measures that we can take to reduce emissions, enhance resilience and improve local air quality in line with the District’s clean energy goals and objectives
• Focused on Continuous Improvement: We will achieve our current 2022 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goal and are committed to driving down our GHG footprint even further – and helping our customers and communities do the same
• Innovative: We will deliver innovative solutions to serve our customers, reduce GHG emissions economywide, advance equity and opportunity for our communities, and deliver on the District’s vision of being "the healthiest, greenest, most livable city for all residents"
• Replicable and Transparent: We will communicate our efforts so other companies can adopt similar programs and strategies; we will learn from our efforts and inform our public policy development and advocacy, accordingly; and we will be transparent about our progress
• Dynamic: We know that we don’t have all the answers today; our plan is intended to be dynamic. We will review and make adjustments to ensure we continue to make progress toward achieving the GHG reductions necessary to combat climate change and build resilience.
  

Our current plan is focused on Pepco’s operations and customers in the District of Columbia. Going forward, we intend to develop similar commitments for Pepco in Maryland and our sister companies Atlantic City Electric and Delmarva Power and continue to advocate for policies that have a positive impact on combating climate change and building resilience.

Our Progress

See how we're tracking toward our goals.

Return to Pepco Climate Action