RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- October is National Energy Awareness month and the approach of colder weather means it's a good time to think about how to conserve energy and save money. Dominion Virginia Power stands ready to help. 

"If you haven't already, now is the time to sign up for Manage Your Account (https://www.dom.com/manage-your-account-registration.jsp) and begin finding personalized information on how to save energy" said Ken Barker, vice president – Customer Solutions and Energy Conservation.  "Winter is just around the corner.  Make sure your energy saving plan gets here first."

At www.dom.com, customers can find a wealth of information about company conservation programs and easy-to-follow tips on how to use energy more efficiently. This comprehensive website includes simple conservation tips, 10 ways to save on winter heating bills and a full list of available conservation programs and rebates. It also provides links to websites that offer energy calculators.

For example, customers can improve home comfort and save energy and money by enrolling in the company's Heat Pump Tune-Up program, which pays a $90 rebate after completing the tune-up using one of the company's approved independent heating and air conditioning contractors.

One of the best ways to stay up-to-date about personal energy usage is to sign up to Manage Your Account online. Being aware of energy usage is the first step to making adjustments that save energy and money.

When signing up for access, don't forget to enroll in eBill, Dominion's paperless billing program. With eBill, customers receive an email notification when a bill is ready to view, a payment reminder email, and the ability to view and print a detailed bill online anytime, anywhere. It can make life a little easier and simpler and it helps the environment, too.

Customers can sign up for online access in the Manage Your Account box on the home page at www.dom.com.  All that is needed is an email address, the Dominion Virginia Power account number (included on the Dominion bill) and the last four digits of the Social Security number or Federal Tax ID associated with the account.

Once signed in, the first page will show the account information, current bill and last payment, and a chart showing the pattern of energy usage for the past 12 months.  Seeing that pattern can help demonstrate how closely the weather and energy consumption are linked.

While much of this energy-saving information is on the company's website, Dominion has also posted a number of videos on YouTube to talk about its energy conservation programs, rebates and more.

Here are just a few:

• Duct testing and sealing program http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GN9kNAT_m4
• Home energy check-up program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqQbfyGnPMc
• Heat pump tune up program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evGiKiWZVNU

Keep in mind that October is National Energy Awareness Month. Virginia's seventh Energy Star and WaterSense Sales Tax Holiday returns Friday, Oct. 11, and lasts through Monday, Oct. 14. Each qualifying product must cost $2,500 or less, have either an Energy Star or WaterSense label affixed, and be purchased for personal or noncommercial use. Details are available at www.tax.virginia.gov.  

In addition, the government websites sites below are a great source for energy-saving information.

• A home energy checklist: https://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/services/energy_aware_hec.html  
• General information about energy and energy tips from the Virginia State Corporation Commission: http://www.virginiaenergysense.org/

Dominion (NYSE:D) is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,500 megawatts of generation, 11,000 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 retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com. 

www.dom.com | dominionvirginiapower | @DomVAPower | DomCorpComm

SOURCE Dominion