Time to Get Your House Ready for Winter's Chill

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Remember how cold it got last winter in Virginia? Now is the time to start getting your heating system and your home ready so you can stay comfortable and save money when Old Man Winter returns.

Dominion Virginia Power offers energy conservation programs and expert information to help you prepare. A good starting place is www.dom.com/ecprograms.                       

The website includes information on programs and tools such as home energy audits, heat pump tune- ups and upgrades, duct sealing, energy calculators and more. Many programs include rebates and incentives for qualifying customers. You could save 5 to 30 percent on your energy bill by making efficiency upgrades identified in your home energy audit.

No matter what type of heating system you have, now is a great time to have it checked and tuned-up by a qualified contractor. This will help ensure the system is running efficiently and safely and reduce the possibility of a breakdown when it's really cold.

Here are a few low- or no-cost tips to stay comfortable and save energy in the winter months:

• Set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature. Wear layers indoors.
• If you have a forced-air system, change your filters regularly. Most experts recommend monthly for standard filters. This improves efficiency by increasing air circulation.
• On sunny days, open your blinds and shades to let the sunlight in and close them at night to help keep out the cold.
• Use weather stripping around doors and windows.
• Lower the water heater temperature to around 120-125 degrees.
• Switch to more efficient light bulbs, including compact fluorescents and LEDs.

For details on these tips, visit: https://www.dom.com/about/conservation/winter-tips.jsp.

Additional energy-saving tips and information are available from the U.S. Department of Energy at http://energy.gov/energysaver/energy-saver.

One of the best ways to keep your home or business energy efficient is to understand your own electricity usage. If you haven't already, sign up at www.dom.com to manage your account online. You will be able see your usage history, pay your bill and enroll in eBill, Dominion's paperless billing program.

After making sure you'll be warm this winter, Dominion also asks everyone to consider helping others stay warm during the cold winter months. A contribution to EnergyShare helps those in need keep their homes warm after all other forms of assistance have been exhausted.

Customers can contribute to EnergyShare by adding an extra $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $25 or $35 monthly to their Dominion Virginia Power bill payments or by including a separate check for any amount with their payments. All contributions are tax deductible in accordance with Internal Revenue Service regulations and can be mailed to EnergyShare, P.O. Box 11186, Richmond, VA 23230-1186.

About Dominion
Dominion (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,600 megawatts of generation, 10,900 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves utility and retail energy customers in 10 states. For more information about Dominion, visit www.dom.com.

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SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power