October 31, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion Virginia Power has partnered with EarthCraft House™ Virginia to deliver a voluntary green building program to serve as a blueprint for healthy, comfortable homes that reduce energy consumption and protect the environment in the Commonwealth.

“The EarthCraft Houses voluntary green builder program is an excellent fit with Dominion’s commitment to energy conservation and environmental stewardship,” said David A. Heacock, president of Dominion Virginia Power.

Homes built to EarthCraft standards are more energy efficient and have less environmental impact than non-certified homes. For the consumer, it means lower utility bills and for Dominion it means reduced energy demand.

“Dominion’s support will enable us to expand our administration, inspection, training and quality control capacity to achieve meaningful energy efficiency improvements in the Commonwealth,” said Karl Bren, EarthCraft director of external affairs. Dominion’s sponsorship will be used to expand the EarthCraft House training program for residential builders and the inspectors who evaluate buildings that are submitted for EarthCraft House certification.

“This likely is the first time that a utility has teamed with a green building organization to promote energy-efficient residential home building,” said Bren. “This remarkable collaboration brings together Dominion Virginia Power customers who seek the next level of green homes and the EarthCraft certified builders who can provide healthy, comfortable homes that reduce energy consumption and protect the environment.”

Dominion’s Web site will provide links to the EarthCraft House Web page where customers will find contact information for certified builders and information on the benefits of building energy-efficient homes and using "green" building products and practices.

Any size and type of home can be certified EarthCraft House by following the technical guidelines of the program. The guidelines are flexible and allow for a variety of approaches to environmental construction. The technical guidelines can be applied to all new construction, including single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses, low-rise apartments and condominiums. EarthCraft House designs are based upon ENERGY STAR standards for energy efficiency.

Both ENERGY STAR and EarthCraft meet strict guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. These homes save money on utility bills, provide a more comfortable living environment with better indoor air quality, and help protect the environment.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.

EarthCraft House is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit program that was created in 1999 as a partnership between the Greater Atlanta Homebuilder Association and Southface Energy Institute. Thousands of homes and apartments have been certified under the program in Virginia and the Southeast. For more information on EarthCraft House, visit the company’s Web site at http://www.ecvirginia.org.
 

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