Punxsutawney Phil (and Potomac Phil) both predicted an early spring, but Alexandria is expecting a dusting of snow both Monday and Tuesday nights.
That means temperatures are still wintry and heating bills are still high for residents in the area.
Dominion Virginia Power is reminding customers that assistance is available for high heating bills this winter through the utility company’s Energy Share grants.
Eligible customers may get a one-time payout of up to $600 to offset heating costs this winter. More than 12,000 customers received assistance in 2012.
To quality, customers must live in Dominion’s service area and meeting one of these criteria:
- have a disconnection notice or be in danger of losing their primary heating source;
- meet income-based eligibility requirements as determined by screening agencies;
- be unemployed, or demonstrate a personal or family crisis.
Customers can call Dominion's customer service center at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) for more information about the assistance program, visit www.dom.com/about/community/heating-and-cooling-assistance.jsp, or call one of these places in Alexandria for more information:
- City of Alexandria Dept. of Human Services, 703-746-5901
- Alexandria Salvation Army, 703-548-0579
- United Community Ministries, 703-768-7106 ext 300 or 308
To donate to Energy Share, you may fill out the relevant information on your next heating bill or send a separate check for any amount with your next Dominion bill payment. Contribution checks are included with your February bill.
For the quickest updates on Del Ray, "like" Del Ray Patch on Facebook and follow @delraypatch on Twitter.