CLEVELAND, Feb. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion
Energy Ohio reminds customers that simple, no-cost or low-cost,
conservation tips can help reduce natural gas usage – and monthly
bills – during this winter heating season. Company payment plans
and government energy assistance plans also can help customers cope
with their seasonal heating bills.
Furnaces and boilers account for 65 percent of home natural gas
use. These simple tips can help customers maximize comfort and
minimize monthly bills:
- Save Money by Degrees: Customers can save from 10 to 15
percent on annual heating costs by setting the thermostat at 68
degrees during the day and down to 58 degrees at night, or when the
resident is at work or away for an extended period.
- Clean or Replace Furnace Filters: Check furnace air
filters once a month during the heating season. If they become
clogged, clean or replace with new filters.
- Caulk Around: Use inexpensive caulking around the
fireplace mantle, inside windows and storm windows, electrical
receptacle boxes, exhaust fan openings, pipes leading to bathroom
fixtures, mortar cracks in chimneys, cracks in basement walls. Be
sure to caulk around areas where the foundation meets the first
floor plate and basement windows.
- Seal Off Drafts around Windows: Tape thin sheets of
plastic to inside window frames with masking tape.
- Draft Stoppers: Block off drafts at the bottom of
doors with a rolled up rug or bath towel. You also can make a long,
narrow beanbag to fit against the bottom of the door.
- Switch Off Drafts: To seal off drafts, apply
self-adhesive foam strips to the back of wall plates for electrical
outlets and switches.
- Here's a Card Trick: If a playing card fits in the
crevice of an outside door, you need more weather stripping.
While using these tips can help customers hold down bills,
Dominion Energy Ohio also offers a variety of company payment plans
and government energy assistance programs to help them maintain
service during the winter heating season. Customers who know
they will not be able to maintain regular payments should contact
Dominion East Ohio immediately at 1-800-362-7557 and not wait until
receiving a shutoff notice. For more information about
payment plans and government energy assistance programs, visit
www.dominionenergy.com/home-and-small-business/pay-my-bill/payment-assistance.
Dominion Energy Ohio offers the following payment options to
residential and small commercial customers (using less than 500
thousand cubic feet (MCF) a year):
- Budget Billing allows customers to pay a fixed budget
amount each month, based on annual gas usage. Dominion Energy Ohio
periodically reviews the budget amount and adjusts it, if
necessary, so that the customer will not have a high balance or
large credit at the end of the budget year. Customers should call
the company for more information.
- Current-Plus Plan: Customers with a past-due balance pay
their current monthly bill, plus one-sixth of the total account
balance at the time they enroll in the plan. (more)
- The One-Ninth Plan allows customers to pay one-ninth of
their total account balance each month plus a calculated budget
amount.
- Under the One-Third Winter Heating Plan, customers pay
one-third of their total account balance each month for bills that
include gas used from November 1,
2017, through April 13,
2018.
- Short–Term Extension grants up to five additional days
to pay before the next bill date.
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio Winter Reconnection
Order: All residential customers, regardless of income, may
avoid a shutoff or restore gas service once during the heating
season between now and April 13,
2018, by paying the lesser of: the entire past-due balance
on your gas bill; the past-due payments if you are on a special
payment plan; or $175. If service has
been disconnected, a reconnect fee of $33, plus applicable taxes, will be billed to the
account. Customers will be enrolled automatically in the One-Ninth
Payment Plan when using the Winter Reconnection Order to help pay
off any additional past-due balance. Customers may select a
different plan by calling Dominion Energy Ohio.
Government Assistance Programs: The following programs
are available for income-eligible customers. Customers can apply
for all programs with one application at www.energyhelp.ohio.gov,
which provides income guidelines as well. Applications also are
available at post offices and libraries or by calling the Ohio
Development Services Agency at 1-800-282-0880. Hearing-impaired
customers with Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf can call
711.
- Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus (PIPP Plus): To
qualify for this special payment plan, developed by the Public
Utilities Commission of Ohio, a
customer's yearly gross household income can be up to 150 percent
of federal poverty guidelines. Under PIPP Plus, participating
customers may maintain their natural gas service by paying 6
percent of their total gross monthly household income, or
$10, whichever is greater.
The PIPP Plus maximum yearly household gross income levels for the
2017-2018 heating season are: $18,090
for one person; $24,360 for two
people; $30,630 for three;
$36,900 for four; $43,170 for five; $49,440 for six; $55,710 for seven; and $61,980 for eight. Add $6,270 for each additional person.
- Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) provides a
one-time heating bill credit during the winter heating season. HEAP
is available to customers whose yearly gross household income is up
to 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. To qualify, a
customer's yearly gross household income can be up to $21,105 for one person; $28,420 for two; $35,735 for three; $43,050 for four; $50,365 for five; $57,680 for six; $64,995 for seven; and $72,310 for eight. Add $7,315 for each additional person.
- The Winter Crisis Program (WCP), previously known as
Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (E-HEAP), provides a
one-time grant to help avoid a shutoff or to restore service once
through March 31, 2018. HEAP and WCP
are available to customers whose yearly gross income is up to 175
percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Local community action
agencies can assist with emergency payments to help avoid
disconnection. You can find available resources in your community
-- dial 2-1-1.
- Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP) is a
federally-funded program that provides grants for home
weatherization projects to customers whose incomes are no more than
200 percent of federal poverty guidelines. To qualify, a customer's
yearly gross household income can be up to $24,120 for one person; $32,480 for two; $40,840 for three; $49,200 for four; $57,560 for five; $65,920 for six; $74,280 for seven; and $82,640 for eight. Add $8,360 for each additional person.
Dominion Energy Ohio Assistance/Conservation
Programs:
- Dominion EnergyShare is a last-resort program after all
other state and federal assistance is exhausted. The Salvation Army
administers the Dominion-funded program. It is available to
Dominion Energy Ohio customers with a shut-off notice or who have
been disconnected. Applications can be made on or after
December 1. Customers should contact
their local Salvation Army Corps for more information or to
schedule an appointment.
- Dominion Energy Ohio's Housewarming Program provides
weatherization assistance to help income-eligible customers reduce
their energy usage. For information, call CHN Housing Partners
(formerly Cleveland Housing Network (CHN)), at 1-888-377-3774 or go
to
https://chnhousingpartners.org/housing-and-community-services/weatherize-my-home-and-more/.
Dominion Energy (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest
producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of
approximately 25,700 megawatts of generation, 15,000 miles of
natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,600
miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion Energy operates one
of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 1 trillion
cubic feet of storage capacity and serves more than 6 million
utility and retail energy customers. For more information about
Dominion Energy, visit the company's website
at www.DominionEnergy.com.
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SOURCE Dominion Energy Ohio