March 11, 2008

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.

View additional energy efficiency information.

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.

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Contacts:

Media -- David Botkins, (804) 771-6115