RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion Virginia Power has started the enrollment
process for its first of nine energy conservation pilot programs.
The first pilot
to be implemented -- the PowerCost Monitor™ -- will provide eligible
residential customers with a free in-home display that gives real-time
feedback on energy consumption and cost for the entire residence.
Participants will be given a sensor to install on their
home meter. The sensor sends a wireless signal to an in-home display
estimating how much is being spent on electricity at any given time. Customers
will be able to track energy costs by either kilowatts or dollars for
different appliances. As the appliances are turned on and off, customers
will be able to view energy savings in the device display.
The nine pilots are consistent with the new Virginia Energy
Plan and are designed to complement efforts by the Commonwealth to reduce electrical
consumption 10 percent by 2022. The 10 percent target was established by the
Virginia General Assembly in electric utility reregulation legislation adopted
last year.
"These pilots will gather valuable information about
what customers are willing to do and what programs may be most effective in
achieving sustainable energy savings," said Jay L. Johnson, chief executive
officer of Dominion Virginia Power. "They may well signal the need for
additional deployment of new technologies throughout entire communities or regions
of our service area."
The PowerCost Monitor™ pilot will be offered to 1,000 residential
customers selected in Dominion's Central, Eastern and Northern Virginia service
areas. Customers will not be able to volunteer for the pilots or participate
in more than one pilot to help ensure that the results are representative of
the entire population. Customers will be selected randomly from Dominion's
customer database and solicited by mail asking if they would like to participate.
Dominion will continue to offer energy-saving compact fluorescent
light (CFL) bulbs at discounted prices in 2008 and 2009. The discount
program, offered in association with The Home Depot through its numerous
retail stores in Dominion's Virginia service area, has been very successful,
with almost 1 million bulbs sold since Oct. 1, 2007.
Customers seeking additional ways to increase the energy efficiency
of their homes and businesses also have a new tool at their disposal. An
energy calculator recently installed on Dominion's Web site helps customers
determine the amount of energy they are using and explore possible ways to save.
The energy
calculator, available at http://www.dom.com,
allows customers to create a profile of their current household energy usage,
calculate the energy used by a variety of household appliances, and discover
ways to make better energy decisions by reducing consumption and improving efficiency.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy,
with a portfolio of approximately 26,500 megawatts of generation. For
more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.
