With temperatures expected to drop across the Southeast next week, Piedmont Natural Gas is advising customers on how to manage higher energy use and costs during colder weather.
The company has released a set of recommendations for saving energy without sacrificing comfort. These include setting thermostats to the lowest comfortable temperature, using smart or programmable thermostats, and making use of sunlight by keeping drapes open during the day and closed at night. Regularly changing air filters and managing water heater temperatures are also suggested. Customers are encouraged to seal cracks and openings in their homes, ensure air ducts are properly sealed, and consider adding insulation.
Piedmont Natural Gas provides online tools for customers to track their gas usage history by month, assess home energy efficiency through its Energy Advisor tool, and estimate annual costs with calculators for water heating, cooking, and clothes drying. The company also offers a video on its website explaining factors that influence natural gas bills.
To help customers budget more effectively, Piedmont’s Equal Payment Plan (EPP) allows participants to pay a consistent monthly amount based on their annual usage. According to the company: “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.”
Financial assistance is available through programs such as Share the Warmth—which supports families with utility bills regardless of energy source—and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). More information about these resources can be found at piedmontng.com/AssistancePrograms or piedmontng.com/WinterBills.
Piedmont Natural Gas serves over 1.2 million residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee as a subsidiary of Duke Energy.
For further details or media inquiries, contact Jason Wheatley at 877-348-3612 or jason.wheatley@duke-energy.com.
