Heating Assistance Still Available for Dominion Customers

Punxsutawney Phil and Potomac Phil predicted an early spring, but it's still cold for many struggling to pay for heat in Alexandria.

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: Customers can call Dominion's customer service center at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) for…

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Dominion Virginia Power Warns Customers to Beware of Phone Scam

Callers are demanding immediate payment, usually by prepaid debit card.

Dominion Power is warning customers of a scam where a person on the phone claims to be a company employee and demands immediate payment of a bill.  The caller tells customers their electric service will be cut off if the bill isn't paid within a few hours and usually requests payment by prepaid debit card. The caller migh falsely claim there's a problem with the customer's electric meter, which could lead to a fire if it isn't replaced immediately. They say Dominion will reimburse them later if they pay for it right away. Dominion says while they do call customers who have delinquent bills to remind them their payment is due, they never ask for specific payment information. Instead they direct customers on how they can make their payments…

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Dominion Announces Work Crew Locations

Dominion Virginia Power is working at these spots today in the city of Alexandria.

Dominion Virginia Power crews are working today in the city of Alexandria to restore power to the 1,725 city residents left in the dark. Crews will be at the following locations:

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Alexandria Offices, Facilities to Reopen Wednesday

More than 5,800 city residents remain without power following Hurricane Sandy.

City of Alexandria government offices and facilities, including courts, will open on time on Wednesday as the city continues to recover from Hurricane Sandy. A Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect through 8 a.m. Wednesday. Any flooding is “expected to be minor,” according to a release from the city. Forecasts call for potential flooding in the 100 block of King Street early Thursday morning, but no flooding is expected in the city’s streams.  More than 5,800 Alexandria residents were without power shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to Dominion Virginia Power. Crews were focusing their efforts at 16 work sites in the city on Tuesday. While city announced its offices would reopen Wednesday, the status of Alexandria City Public …

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Officials Laud GenOn's Last Gasp

Coal-fired power plant ceased operations Oct. 1.

Alexandria officials lauded the closure of the Potomac River Generating Station on Monday, saying the plant’s retirement will bring an end to decades of harmful air pollution and health problems to the region. “Today is a great day,” said Mayor Bill Euille, calling the closure of the plant, which opened in 1949, “a community success” and a good example of how citizens and the city can work together. Democratic Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia, who was instrumental in championing the plant closure along with many Alexandrians, called the closure a “hard fought but well-won victory” that wouldn’t have happened without citizen engagement. He said the plant emitted 72 lbs. of mercury in a year and data showed that it was the catalyst for at least 3,…

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City Temporarily Relaxes Tree Debris Removal Rules

The rules have been relaxed through Sept. 21 due to the Sept. 8 storm.

The city is temporarily relaxing some of its normal requirements for removal of tree debris on private property through Sept. 21 due to the Sept. 8 storm. Residents removing tree debris on their property should place tree limbs and debris at the curb, and if possible, cut them down to pieces that the homeowner can safely take to the curb for collection. Residents are encouraged to use care when removing large trees that have fallen on their property. Items should be no larger than 2 to 3 inches in diameter; no longer than 4 feet in length, be bundled and weigh no more than 75 pounds per bundle. The city reminds residents to stay away from tree limbs that may be leaning on power lines and to steer clear of downed wires; to report these, …

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Village Sprouts

Moving Beyond Derecho

There will always be more storms. Will you be prepared?

Congratulations! If you are reading this, it means that—hopefully—your power is up and running. Per Dominion Power website’s “Storm Center,” all of Northern Virginia’s storm related outages should have been repaired by Friday night. The recent “derecho” storm was completely unexpected and hammered communities throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. As a result, utility companies were caught off guard and not able to rely on the support of neighboring states. Repair crews came from as far as Florida, Oklahoma and Quebec to facilitate tree removal and power line restoration. But what about the next crisis? Year after year, our area faces events that damage homes and businesses, cause power outages and affect transportation. Our power grid is old…

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Updated: Verizon Mobile Unit Offering Services to City Residents Without Power

Mobile unit stationed at T.C. Williams High School will be open until 6 p.m. Thursday.

1:55 p.m. update — Verizon has parked its mobile unit behind Chinquapin Recreation Center, located at 3210 King St. The mobile unit will also be stationed there from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  — — — — Verizon is providing free Internet and telephone services to Alexandria residents who continue to experience power and service outages as a result of last week’s storm. Verizon is stationing an air-conditioned mobile unit at T.C. Williams High School from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday for city residents to escape the heat, charge their devices, connect to the Internet and make telephone calls. Dominion Power told city officials it expects 90 to 95 percent of its Alexandria customers will have power restored by Thursday evening. Virtually all remaining …

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Rec Centers Will Open as Cooling Stations on Wednesday

By Tuesday night, 85 percent of the Dominion customers in Alexandria should have power restored.

Alexandria will open its recreation centers as cooling stations from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday as the city continues to recover from Friday’s major storm. Thousands in Alexandria remain without power, including several blocks in the Del Ray and Potomac Greens neighborhoods. Dominion Virginia Power has told Alexandria that 85 percent of its customers should have power restored by Tuesday evening, and 90 to 95 percent of its customers should have power restored by Thursday evening. Dominion told the city that virtually every remaining customer should have power by Saturday night. Areas with the most severe damage may not have power restored until Sunday. City officials met with state and local Dominion representatives on Monday afternoon to…

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Poll: When the Power Goes Out—What Do You Miss Most?

Sudden wind storm Friday night was one of the worst to hit Northern Virginia, leaving thousands without power.

In the aftermath of the powerful derecho storm that hit Northern Virginia Friday night, thousands are still without power three days later, suffering through high temperatures with no air-conditioning, watching food spoil and feeling disconnected without TV, Internet and in some cases phone service. On Monday afternoon, Dominion Power reported that about 160,000 in Northern Virginia were still without power. Many local residents checked into local hotels to escape the heat or found local coffee shops to charge up phones. Were you without power or are you still waiting for the lights to come back on? What do you miss most when the power goes out? Take our poll and feel free to add your comments about what you miss most when the power goes …

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Mike Petrucci

10:28 am on Friday, July 27, 2012

It's funny because I could TOTALLY go without A/C as long as I have Internet. Wow. I've really become that connected. I need to go outside for a run now, hahah   more ›