Residential customers of Dominion East Ohio, whose gas service has been disconnected,
or is in danger of loss of service because of nonpayment, may restore service
or avoid disconnection under special winter heating reconnection procedures
in effect now through April 15, 2008.
In accordance with a Public Utilities
Commission of Ohio order, Dominion East Ohio customers can maintain gas service,
or have it restored, by choosing the lowest cost of the following options:
Pay
the entire past-due balance shown on the bill;
Pay past-due default amount if
a customer is on a special payment plan;
Pay $175. If a customer’s service
has already been disconnected, the customer must pay the $175, and an applicable
reconnection fee to restore service.
There is no income eligibility requirement
to use this program, but customers will be enrolled in a payment plan to help
pay off any past-due balance. The reconnection procedure can only be used once
between now and April 15, 2008.
To take advantage of the reconnection procedure,
customers should call Dominion East Ohio at 1-800-950-7989.
Dominion’s Budget
Billing Plan enables customers to
pay a fixed budget amount each month. Dominion East Ohio will review the budget
amount periodically, and adjust it, if necessary,
so that the customer won’t have a high bill or large credit at the end
of the budget year. Customers must be current with their bill to be eligible
for the budget billing option. To sign up, customers should call Dominion East
Ohio at 1-800-362-7557.
Dominion East Ohio also offers to eligible customers
the Current-Plus
Plan to help better manage gas bills. First, the customer decides
how many months—up to six—it will take to pay off their balance.
Then the company divides the total account balance by the number of months
the customer selected, and adds that amount to the customer’s current
monthly bill. The Current-Plus Plan is available to all residential customers
who are not enrolled in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP). With
the One-Third Payment Option, a payment of one-third of
the total account balance is accepted to reconnect or prevent disconnection
from November 1, 2007, to April 15, 2008. To learn more about these payment
options, call Dominion East Ohio at 1-800-362-7557.
Dominion East Ohio reminds
all of its customers of the availability of various energy assistance programs
and payment options to help with upcoming winter heating bills, or past-due
balances. Income-eligible customers also may use a variety of energy assistance
programs to help pay for natural gas service this winter:
Home Energy
Assistance Program (HEAP): State officials
again have allocated additional Temporary Aid for Needy Families funds to
make HEAP assistance available for a greater number of Ohioans. Typically,
HEAP is open to customers whose income is at or below 150 percent of the
federal poverty level. But, in Ohio again this winter, HEAP will be available
to customers with incomes at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty
level, so more households will be able to participate. Under these expanded
Ohio HEAP guidelines, yearly gross household income can be for a household
of one person, up to $17,867.50; two, up to $23,957.50; three: up to $30,047.50;
four: up to $36,137.50; five: up to $42,227.50; six: up to $48,317.50; seven:
up to $54,407.50; eight: up to $60,497.50. For households with more than
eight members, add $6,090 per additional member.
Percentage of Income
Payment Plan (PIPP): Under PIPP,
customers may maintain their natural gas service by paying 10 percent of
their monthly gross household income. Here are this year’s income eligibility
guidelines, which are up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level. For
a household of one person, up to $15,315; two, up to $20,535; three: up to
$25,755; four: up to $30,975; five: up to $36,195; six: up to $41,415; seven:
up to $46,635; eight: up to $51,855. For households with more than eight
members, add $5,220 per additional member. Customers seeking
HEAP or PIPP information should call the Office of Community Services at 1-800-282-0880.
EnergyShare: This
program, supported by donations from Dominion customers and its employees,
is designed to help those in need heat their homes after all other assistance
has been exhausted. To qualify
for EnergyShare assistance, a person must live in Dominion’s service
area and be in danger of losing an important heat source. The recipient
must have a household income no more than one-half of the local median income
level, be unemployed, or demonstrate a personal or family crisis. For information
on the nearest screening agency, call 1-888-667-3000. The program has raised
more than $22 million in its 24-year history. EnergyShare donations can be
sent to P.O. Box 11186, Richmond, Va. 23230. All contributions are tax-deductible.
Dominion
is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of more
than 26,500 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves retail energy
customers in 11 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's
Web site at http://www.dom.com.
