Prepare Your Home for the Summer

Now that the gorgeous days of Spring are here, it’s time to prepare your home for Summer.



We all know that preparing your home now will save you money in the long run, especially in Virginia’s hot August days.

For more ideas, check out our Energy Saving Tips and Information page on www.dom.com.

Solar Film

You might remember in 2008 when we did a post on Solar Film.

I wanted to bring the idea back up in time for summer. Solar Film is a layer of plastic-like film that is applied to the inside of your home windows, shielding the hot sun, keeping your home cooler, and saving you money on your electric bill.

Solar film also helps reduce fading of your flooring and furniture, reduces glair, blocks 99% of UV rays, and strengthens the glass.

This is a great weekend DIY project, which will help make your home more comfortable for the upcoming summer.

Here’s a good video giving you the basic steps to apply window film yourself.



Another benefit to installation is that it is a product that qualifies for a tax credit of up to 30% of the cost!

Some Lite Reading, On The Topic Of Energy Efficiency

Over the past few years, I’ve begun a collection of “Green Books”. Some related to my job, others just that I know I need to read to see what others are recommending about going green.

Here is a list of some of the better ones that I’ve picked up:

• “The Green Book” by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas m. Kostigenby. It is coined as the everyday guide to saving the planet one simple step at a time. Celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Cameron Diaz, Tim McGraw and others tell how they are making a difference for the environment.
• “True Green” by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin. This is a great and simple book about 100 ways you can contribute to a healthier planet. There is also a “True Green @ Work” version. This book is where I learned about sleep disorder, or phantom load.
• “Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings” by Amann, Wilson, & Ackerly. I actually bought this book through ACEEE (American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy. It is a great reference book for all the latest SEER levels, insulation ratings, window labels, and much more.
• I recognize there are two sides to every story, which is why I also have read “Cool It” by Bjorn Lomborg which expresses skepticism to global warming. This book explains what resources we should dedicate to first in combating global issues.

There seem to always be daily news articles published in newspapers, magazines or online. Let us know when you run across a good book or news story.

As for blog recommendations, check our blogroll for some of our favorites!

Dominion Virginia Power Is On Twitter

We wanted to let everyone know that we’re officially on Twitter! You can follow us @DomVAPower, tweeting energy conservation tips and other goodies like the latest news and community events like Dominion Riverrock!

It’s a great way to keep up with what’s going on here at Dominion, and can be especially useful during major events – we’ll alert customers about weather, outages, public safety issues and provide updates on any power restoration progress. The best part? It’s free!

If you’re not familiar with Twitter, it’s a social networking and microblogging service that allows users to send and receive short messages (known as Tweets), no longer than 140 characters, to individuals and groups via the Web, cell phones and other personal communications devices.

Here’s a list of some of the Twitter users you might want to consider following:

Dominion
http://twitter.com/DomVAPower
http://twitter.com/VAWindProjects

Other Utilities
http://twitter.com/AEPnews
http://twitter.com/ATCO
http://twitter.com/ConsumersEnergy
http://twitter.com/NEUtilities
http://twitter.com/oncor
http://twitter.com/PECOphila
http://twitter.com/psnh
http://twitter.com/we_energies
http://twitter.com/WestarEnergy
http://twitter.com/MLGW
http://twitter.com/DukeEnergyStorm
http://twitter.com/EONUS
http://twitter.com/NESpower

Industry Leaders
http://twitter.com/E_Source
http://twitter.com/Greenversations
http://twitter.com/energysection
http://twitter.com/SolarPowerX
http://twitter.com/OurEnergyTweet
http://twitter.com/wind4me
http://twitter.com/GreenEnergyNews
http://twitter.com/AWEA
http://twitter.com/RepowerAmerica