Piedmont Natural Gas offers programs and tips to help customers save on energy bills as colder temps hit the Southeast next week

Piedmont offers a number of tools that can help customers identify ways to save energy and money:

• Gas usage history: Customers can create or sign in to their online account to view their usage history by month to help them recognize usage trends and savings opportunities.
• Energy Advisor: Customers can learn how energy efficient their home is and spot areas to improve, based on their home's personalized data.
• Water heater, cooking, and clothes dryer calculators: Customers can estimate the annual costs of their water heating, cooking and clothes drying energy use.
• A video explaining the factors that contribute to customers' natural gas bills is available on Piedmont's website.

Tips to save energy and money without compromising comfort

• Set your thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting to help save. Installing a smart or programmable thermostat will reduce energy use while you are asleep or away.
• Take advantage of sunny days. Leave drapes or blinds open during sunny winter days to allow the sun to warm the house. Close drapes and blinds at night to help insulate your home, as windows can allow heat to escape.
• Change air filters regularly. A dirty air filter makes a heating system work harder, which uses more energy.
• Manage your water heating temperature. Set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or consider installing an on-demand or tankless water heater that only heats water when you need it.
• Seal your home. One of the quickest energy-saving tasks you can do is caulk, seal and weatherstrip all seams, cracks and openings to the outside. This can save 10% to 20% on your heating and cooling bills.
• Seal air ducts. Make sure the air ducts from your home's furnace and central air conditioner are properly sealed. Ducts that leak into the attic or crawl space can substantially increase your heating and cooling bills.
• Consider insulation. Consider whether you need to add insulation to your ceilings, floors and walls. Insulation between the indoors and outdoors reduces energy demand, saving you money while improving the comfort of your home.
• B-roll of energy efficiency measures is available here.

Level out monthly bills with the Equal Payment Plan (EPP) program

Piedmont's free EPP program helps customers manage their budgets by leveling out a customer's natural gas bills, allowing them to pay a predictable, equal monthly amount to help avoid billing surprises. Piedmont determines this payment by adding up a customer's annual natural gas usage and then dividing it into the same payment amount each month. Learn more about the EPP program here.

Financial assistance for customers

Share the Warmth provides funds to local agencies to assist families with their utility bills, no matter the source of energy they use. Contact information for approved assistance agencies across Piedmont's service area is available at piedmontng.com/ShareTheWarmth.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides assistance to pay for natural gas, electric and other energy sources customers use in their homes.

Piedmont says anyone in need can apply for this and other newly available programs to see if they qualify. For more information, go to piedmontng.com/AssistancePrograms. For detailed federal and state-specific information, go to piedmontng.com/WinterBills and click on your state.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), distributes natural gas to more than 1.2 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. More information: piedmontng.com. Follow Piedmont Natural Gas: X, Facebook.

Media contact: Jason Wheatley
Media line: 877.348.3612
jason.wheatley@duke-energy.com
X: @PNG_JasonW

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SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas