Program promotes energy efficiency at home
C
olumbia Gas of Virginia customers are learning how to reduce energy usage and save money with a convenient online assessment tool.
The WarmWise Web-Based Home Audit Program allows customers to go online to www.WarmWiseVA.com to complete their Home Savings Evaluation and receive a personalized report with tips to start saving. A phone survey can be completed by customers who do not have internet access.
For completing the evaluation and returning later to update their home profile, they receive up to two free energy efficiency kits that include items such as high-efficiency showerheads and aerators (for customers with natural gas water heating) and door sweeps and weather stripping (for customers with natural gas space heating).
“The Web-Based Home Audit program is the customers’ first step in understanding energy efficiency and the opportunities to save on energy use,” Carla Dix, WarmWise administrator for Columbia Gas of Virginia, told American Gas. “It allows customers to answer simple questions about their home and usage and places them in control of achieving energy efficiency in their homes.”
The utility began the program in response to customer preference for utilities that proactively offer information on energy efficiency, Dix said.
“We have learned through customer surveys and focus groups that our customers appreciate their gas utility offering conservation tools that allow them to manage their energy use,” she said. “Feedback indicates customers appreciate the Home Savings Evaluation tool and the opportunity to learn about ways they can save on their natural gas bills.”
The Greater Richmond ARC, which provides life-fulfilling opportunities and employment for individuals with disabilities, is a key partner for Columbia’s program. On a weekly basis, the utility gets a download of customers who have completed their Home Savings Evaluation and/or updated their profile. From there, the list is validated and provided to Richmond ARC, whose workers package and ship the energy efficiency kits. Through 2015, some 25,000 kits were distributed for a customer savings of more than $4 million, Dix said.
Columbia Gas of Virginia and Richmond ARC were recently honored for the program by the first-ever Virginia Energy Efficiency Leadership Awards in the residential category. The Virginia Energy Efficiency Council honored winners in six categories, drawn from a pool of more than 50 nominations, at an event attended by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.