RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 20,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers now are signed up for the Dominion Green Power® program. These residential and business customers are supporting renewable energy produced in Virginia and the surrounding region to match some or all of their energy needs. This year also marks the 5^th anniversary of the program.

"The Dominion Green Power program receives strong support in all of our regions," said Ken Barker, vice president of Customer Solutions. "We applaud the more than 20,000 customers who choose to go above and beyond in their support of clean energy. Participating in the Dominion Green Power program is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to reduce your carbon footprint."  

Since the program started in 2009, participants have supported more than 650,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy. The generation of this green power has prevented the same amount of carbon dioxide from entering the air as removing more than 95,000 average cars from the road for one year, or the equivalent environmental impact of planting 11.7 million trees that grow to maturity, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Participation in the program has grown substantially after hitting the 15,000 participation mark last year at this same time, representing a growth of 33 percent in one year. In September 2013, Dominion Virginia Power was named a 2013 "Green Power Supplier of the Year" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The award recognizes green power suppliers that are leaders in offering voluntary renewable energy to their customers.

The top five cities with the strongest customer participation are Richmond, Alexandria, Arlington, Virginia Beach and Charlottesville.

The Dominion Green Power Program offers customers the option to match their home electricity use with renewable energy by either usage or in fixed monthly amounts. The fixed option starts at $2 and can be increased in $2 increments. Each $2 block supports 154 kilowatt-hours of green power. The option based on usage adds 1.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, with a typical household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours paying an additional $13 per month on their bill.

"As a Certified B Corporation that uses eco-friendly materials to produce our products, it makes sense to support renewable energy," said Crystal Mario, owner of Rivanna Natural Designs, a small business in Charlottesville that makes environmentally friendly awards and gifts. "It's a way for us to demonstrate to our customers that we're committed to sustaining the environment. Dominion's program is easy and affordable."

The Dominion Green Power program is certified by the nonprofit, third-party organization Green-e® Energy, which ensures product quality and customer protection. Renewable energy is purchased in the form of Renewable Energy Certificates from recently built wind, solar and biomass facilities in Virginia and the surrounding region.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,600 megawatts of generation, 10,900 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 www.dom.com.

SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power