January 2019
Cleaner Energy
In the past five years, we have grown our solar fleet in Virginia and North Carolina from zero to 1,700 megawatts in operation or development. That puts us fourth in the nation among investor-owned utilities for current or planned solar energy. In August, we launched an offshore wind generation project—only the second of its kind in the country, and the first to be built by an electric utility. In November, our gas infrastructure group announced an innovative partnership with Smithfield Foods to capture methane from hog farms and turn it into a clean, productive fuel for homes and businesses.
And we have much more in the works, including plans to have 3,000 megawatts of new solar and wind (enough to power 750,000 homes) under development or in operation by the beginning of 2022.
Advances such as these, along with conversions of coal-fired power plants to clean-burning natural gas, have helped cut our carbon intensity—the ratio of carbon emissions to energy produced—in half since 2000. That translates to a lower carbon footprint for you.
We are redoubling our efforts across all company lines to reduce both carbon and methane emissions, and to transition to cleaner energy without impacting safety, reliability or affordability.
Smarter, Stronger, Cleaner Grid
We are making big improvements and changing how we operate the power grid—changes that will help keep the lights on in rough weather, keep your power bill low, and pave the way for even more advanced technology. Pending regulatory approval, we will install approximately 2.1 million smart meters in homes and businesses, along with a new customer information platform and other technology upgrades. This will give customers more information and new tools for managing their energy use and bills—and allow us to identify and repair outages more quickly.
These grid transformation investments will help us integrate renewable energy and connect technologies such as private solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations. The aim is to give you more choices about where your energy comes from and how you use it.
Stronger construction standards, substation hardening and other measures, will improve grid defenses against the growing threat of both physical and cyber-attacks. And we are looking forward to future advances in micro grids, energy storage and other energy-efficiency measures.
We also are burying outage-prone lines underground—which not only improves reliability for the customers on those lines when a big storm hits, but also frees up repair crews for restoration efforts elsewhere.
Consistent Value
We are making many of these changes through a reinvestment model that avoids increasing your bill. As a result, you can expect to see more benefits while enjoying the stable, low rates Dominion Energy is known for—in other words, better value for your dollar.
As of December 2018, our residential rates were 18 percent lower than the national average and 24 percent below the East Coast average. Keeping energy affordable for you is one thing we will not change as we move forward.
In addition, we are passing along the full savings from federal tax changes to you in the form of rate reductions. We will continue investing in energy-efficiency programs to help you save energy. We are expanding our bill-payment assistance program for customers facing financial difficulties, and we will continue to provide weatherization services for seniors, veterans, low-income customers and people with disabilities.
Exceeding Expectations
We pay close attention to customer preferences, because we know our success depends on you. As your expectations evolve, we are transforming our business to make sure we not only meet them, but exceed them. Making life brighter and better for our customers and communities is what we aspire to.
December 2018
Power the Future: One Hundred and Twenty Students. Twenty-four Hours. One Dominion Energy.
Recently, Dominion Energy partnered with Virginia Commonwealth University for “Power the Future,” a twenty-four hour design-a-thon. The challenge brought together students from across the country to test their problem solving skills and collaboration while designing an innovative solution.
The students were shown a short video with a simple call to action: Design a technological solution for Dominion Energy. The purpose of the solution was then entirely up to the students to decide, and then create.
Dominion Energy employees – from branding teams to information technology specialists – were available to help the students throughout the challenge. Human Resources was also on hand to locate potential new hires and intern candidates. After twenty-four hours of brainstorming, designing, and building nearly complete prototypes, the teams were then judged by Dominion Energy employees in a science-fair format. To determine the most innovative and valuable solutions, the top teams then went to a second round of “Shark Tank” style judging with Dominion Energy executives.
The winning team created an app that enables customers to report an outage, monitor energy usage and take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
EnergyShare to Weatherize 100 Homes for 100 Veterans
Dominion Energy will provide energy efficiency upgrades to at least 100 homes of Virginia veterans between now and Veterans Day 2019 under a new “100 Homes for 100 Veterans” project.
In partnership with the Department of Veterans Services, the company will offer free upgrades and education to reduce energy usage and save money on energy bills. The projects may also include other home repairs and special needs to improve safety and comfort in the home.
The EnergyShare program was further expanded by the Grid Transformation and Security Act of 2018. The expansion included a $130 million commitment through 2028 to reach and help more Virginians through bill assistance, free weatherization and educational outreach.
To kick off “100 Homes for 100 Veterans,” Dominion Energy volunteers recently joined experts from project:Homes to weatherize the home of a Chesterfield County Navy veteran. The weatherization efforts by the volunteers included: sealing air leaks in the attic, ductwork, walls, windows and adding insulation, new outlets, CO2 and smoke detectors and more.
Small Changes, Big Difference: Prepping Your Home for the Cold Winter Ahead
Take these 10 simple steps now to make your home more comfortable, all while saving energy and money.
- Lower your thermostat to 68 degrees.
- Seal all holes from pipes and wires that enter/exit the living space including entrances, pull-downs and attic stair openings, light fixtures, pipes and wires.
- Make sure that all duct work is sealed at joints and intersections with duct sealer or silicone caulk. Ducts can be sealed using foil-backed tape or silicon caulking.
- Lower your water heater to 120-125 degrees to reduce the amount of fuel needed to heat the water.
- Change your furnace filters every month to prevent furnace breakdowns. Have a professional check and clean furnaces once a year.
- Inspect windows and doors for air leaks. Use weatherstripping or caulking to seal air leaks.
- Insulate the first 3- to 6-feet of cold and hot water pipes near the water heater.
- Wrap your water heater with an insulation blanket to slow the drop in temperature from the hot water tank as it sits unused.
- Add insulation to your attic.
Decorating your house for the holidays? Use light-emitting diode (LED) holiday lights to cut down on the cost of energy usage. LED lights not only save energy but also last longer, and are more durable than other types of bulbs. View our holiday lighting calculator to see how much energy you’re using for your holiday lighting.
November 2018
Tropical Storm Michael: Dominion Energy's 6th Largest Outage Event
Tropical Storm Michael hit last month, producing tornadic winds, torrential rain and at least seven confirmed tornadoes. The storm knocked power out to more than 600,000 customers and caused the sixth-largest outage in Dominion Energy’s History. Our crews worked 24/7 to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Over 6,000 people assisted in the restoration effort, including mutual aid crews from other states.
We thank our customers for their patience during this multi-day outage event. We’re always working to serve customers better in every storm, and we appreciate your assistance in quickly reporting outages and providing locations of downed power lines.
The safety of our customers and crews is always our top concern. For any future storms, here are some tips to help you prepare and stay safe. Also, connect with us for the latest news and information:
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
- Sign up for text alerts by texting DOM to 898366
- Keep your phone number up to date with us for easy outage reporting
Enroll in eBill for a Chance to Win a $500 Shopping Spree
With the holidays approaching, many people find themselves doing more online shopping. Instead of fighting the crowds at the mall, you can order gifts from your computer, smartphone or tablet. Why not receive your electric bill the same way?
When you enroll in eBill, Dominion Energy’s paperless billing program, before November 30, you’ll be entered for a chance to win one of two $500 online shopping gift cards!
With eBill, you’ll:
- Never forget to pay your bill
Get an email reminder when your bill is ready to view online, and also three days before payment is due.
- Have the option to receive text alerts
Sign up for eBill text alerts for an additional reminder
- Choose the way you pay
Choose between free, same-day payments from your bank account, scheduled payments, or automatic bank draft – just sign in to your online profile at DominionEnergy.com .
- Have immediate access to your bill
eBill gives you 24/7 online access to view, pay or print your Dominion Energy bill from your desktop, smartphone or tablet.
Start enjoying the benefits of eBill and be entered for a chance to win! It's easy to enroll. You can sign up here or enroll at participating bank's online bill payment site. If you are already enrolled, just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re automatically entered for a chance to win!
Cooking up Energy Savings this Holiday Season
The holidays are right around the corner and during this time of the year, many of us find ourselves spending more time in the kitchen. Whether it’s preparing for a big family meal or bringing a dish to a holiday party, all of that cooking can really crank up your energy use and even your monthly bill. Follow these simple tips to help shrink your energy use in the kitchen:
- Light your kitchen with LED bulbs. They use up to 80 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and are more durable and longer lasting.
- Use up to 80 percent less energy by re-heating leftovers using the microwave instead of the oven. You can also use the toaster oven.
- If you need to check on a dish, use the oven window. Opening the oven door wastes energy and lowers the temperature as much as 25°F.
- To save energy and water, don’t run the dishwasher until you have a full load. Be sure to scrape, not rinse, your dishes before loading them.
- Faucet leaks waste gallons of water. Hot water leaking at a rate of one drip per second can waste up to 1,660 gallons of water over a year.
- Covered pots and pans cook more efficiently and keep the kitchen cooler.
- A 6" pot on an 8" burner wastes over 40 percent of the burner's heat. Using the right-sized pot on stove burners can save energy and money.
Learn more energy savings tips here.
