Virginia Natural Gas Issues Alert to Disconnected Customers Some disconnected customers may face holidays without heat due to backlog.

December 13, 2001

Virginia Natural Gas (VNG) today issued an alert to customers who have natural gas service disconnected for non-payment to settle bills and schedule restoration of service now if they hope to have service restored prior to the onset of colder weather.

“With winter weather bearing down on the area, we anticipate increased demand for restoration of natural gas service over the next week,” said Ralph Cleveland, vice president of operations. “If disconnected customers don’t act now, they run the risk of not having service restored when truly cold weather sets in. That could mean a holiday season without heat for some.”

Currently, there are approximately 3,000 customers disconnected for lack of payment. VNG can reconnect approximately 300 customers in one day, meaning it would take approximately 10 working days to connect those without service. Only seven working days remain until Christmas. VNG plans to have field personnel available to take care of the additional demand for service.

Once VNG receives payment, a qualified representative is dispatched to the customer’s home to conduct a safety inspection, restore service and re-light all natural gas appliances in the home. Because the visit requires entering a residence, an appointment must be scheduled in advance and the onsite process can take up to 45 minutes to complete.

To settle past due bills and to schedule the restoration of natural gas service with Virginia Natural Gas, call toll-free 1-866-229-3578.