News, Tips and Links · If you don’t live in an area where we perform automated meter reading, be...

Didyouknowyoucandobusinesswithuswheneverit’sconvenientforyou?It’sallonlineatColumbiaGasVA.com.Simplyloginandselectfromthevarietyofoptionstocustomizeyouraccounttomeetyourneedsandlifestyle.Savetime,savemoney,saveenergy!

Go Paperless with Direct e-Bill!StopreceivingyourColumbiaGasbillsinthemailandviewthemonlineatourWebsiteinstead—it’seasy,it’sgreenandit’ssecure. ReducetheclutterofpaperbillsbysigningupforDirecte-Bill,ourfreeelectronicbillingservice.It’snotonlytheperfectwaytosimplyyourlife,it’salsogoodfortheenvironment.We’llsendyoue-mailnotificationwhenyourbillisavailabletoviewthesamedayit’srendered.Thee-mailwillincludealinktoourWebsitewhereyoucanlogintoviewanddownloadPDFsofyourcurrentandpastbills. Whileyou’reloggedin,payyourbillonlinefreeofchargeorsignupforourZipCheckautomaticpaymentservice.Howeasycanitget? It’sallabouthelpingyoumanageyouraccountyourway.VisitColumbiaGasVA.comandclickon“ManageYourAccount”tolearnmoreandenrolltoday!

Know what to expect to pay each month! Althoughthepriceofnaturalgasiscurrentlylowerthanit’sbeenforsometime,othereconomicfactorscouldmakeithardtopayyourheatingbillsthiswinterevenwithnormalweatherconditions. Nextmonth,you’llhavetheopportunitytotakecontrolofyourwinterheatingbillsbyjoiningtheBudgetPaymentPlanatthestartofthebudgetcycle.Theplanhelpstoreducetheimpactofweatherandgaspricesonyourhouseholdbudgetbyspreadingyourtotalannualheatingcostmoreevenlyovertheyear. Bestofall,it’sfree–noenrollmentfee,nopremiums,noservicecharges,nohassle!

take ContRol of WinteR Heating billS WitH tHe budget Payment Plan

Enrollment is easy!Ifyouraccountiscurrent,simplypaythebudgetpaymentamountshownonyourAugustbillandyou’llbeenrolledautomatically.Althoughyoucanjoinanytimeoftheyear,you’llenjoythegreatestbenefitsbysigningupatthestartofthebudgetcyclesoyou’llhavemoretimetospreadyourcosts. Youcanfindoutyourbudgetpaymentamountandenrollonline,too.VisitourWebsiteatColumbiaGasVA.com,clickon“ManageYourAccount”andlogintodeterminewhatyourpersonalbudgetpaymentamountwouldbe.Ifyouraccountiscurrent,youcanenrollwiththeclickofyourmouse.Whileyou’reonline,besuretocheckoutalltheotherconvenientservicesthathelpyoumanageyouraccountyourway.

News, Tips and Links

• YourAccount.YourWay.

• Whypaymore?Evenoutyourpayments.

• PayyourbillonlinewithDirecte-Bill.

• Manageyouraccountonlinewithmanywaystocustomizeyourservice!

Your Account. Your Way.

MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT

Sign up for paperless billing

Pay your bill online or choose from other available payment options

Lower your winter bills with the Budget Payment Plan or learn about other plans you might be eligible to join.

Summer 2009 ColumbiaGasVA.com

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Ifyoudon’tliveinanareawhereweperformautomatedmeterreading,besuretokeepclearaccesstoyourmeterdialsforourmeterreaderstogetanaccuratereading.Whileyou’reworkingonyourlawnthissummer,besuretotrimbushesandtreesaroundtheutilitymeters.Andwhileyou’reshovelingsnowthiswinter,remembertoclearsnowandicefromthemeters,servicelineconnections,andoverhangingeaves.Ifyouhaveanindoormeter,keeptheareaaroundthemeterclearofshelvingorstorage. Whileyou’readdingnewplantstoyourlandscape,beawareoftheirpotentialsizeandgrowthpattern.Newplantsplacedclosetogethermightlookgreatwhenthey’reyoung,butcanbecomeajungleastheygrow.Fencingcanalsomakeanattractiveadditiontoyourproperty,butbecarefultokeepthemeterdialsineasysightifyoutrytocamouflagemetersandpipes. Petscanpreventourmeterreadersfromgettingaccesstothemeter,too.Notethedateofyournextscheduledmeterreadingonyourmonthlybillandbesuretokeeppetsrestrainedawayfromthepathtothemeterthatday,whetherit’sinsideoroutdoors.

Keep clear

access to meters

Check your gas appliance connectorsGasconnectorsarecorrugatedmetaltubesusedtoconnectgasappliancesinyourhometogassupplypipes.Someolderbrassconnectorsmighthaveaflawinthejointtotheendpiecesthatmakesthemmoresusceptibletofailure.Overtime,theendpiecescanseparateandcauseagasleakthatcouldleadtopropertydamageorinjuryifnotreplaced.Uncoatedbrassconnectorshavenotbeenmadeformorethan20years,butmanyofthemarestillinuse. Althoughnotalluncoatedconnectorshavethisflaw,it’shardtotellwhichonesdo.Anyuncoatedbrassconnectorshouldbereplacedwitheitheranewconnectormadeofstainlesssteelorplastic-coatedbrass.Besuretoreplaceconnectorswheneveranapplianceisreplacedormovedfromitslocation.Contactaqualifiedprofessionalappliancerepairservicetocheckyourconnectorsandreplacethemifneeded.

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• Lowerthetemperatureofyourwaterheatertothe“warm”setting(120°F)anddrainanysediment.Yourwaterheateristhesecondlargestenergyuserinyourhome.

• Cleanorreplaceyourfurnacefilterregularlyaccordingtomanufacturer’srecommendations.

Do-it-yourself tips to save energy

• Insulatewaterpipesthatrunthroughunheatedcrawlspaces.

• Installanautomaticsetbackthermostatthatallowsyoutoprogramtemperaturesettingsfordifferenttimesofthedayanddifferentdaysoftheweek.

• Sealairleaksintheatticandbasementceilingandwalls,especiallywhereflues,pipes,andplumbingchasespenetrate.