Duke Energy Corporation

12/11/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/11/2023 08:43

Mayors in the Carolinas, Tennessee proclaim Dec. 12 ‘Share the Warmth Day’

Proclamations encourage support for Piedmont Natural Gas program that keeps neighbors warm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - To encourage the act of giving and sharing warmth with neighbors, the mayors of Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greensboro and Wilmington, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; and Nashville, Tenn., have proclaimed Dec. 12, 2023, as "Share the Warmth Day" in their respective cities.

Share the Warmth is a long-running program sponsored by Piedmont Natural Gas that provides emergency funding for neighbors who need help paying their energy bills, regardless of the energy source they use. Money is collected from Piedmont customers through the company's Round Up program, as well as from community donations and a direct contribution from Piedmont itself.

"Piedmont's Share the Warmth program has been helping keep our neighbors warm since 2003," said Sasha Weintraub, senior vice president and president of Piedmont Natural Gas. "December 12, or 12/12, is 'Share the Warmth Day' because it's an easy way to remind customers of the huge difference they can make in the lives of our neighbors in need for no more than $12 a year. When a customer joins our Round Up program, we round up their monthly natural gas bill to the next dollar, with 100% of the difference going to Share the Warmth.

"There's no better time to consider this easy way to help those in our community who may be having difficulty making ends meet. While we expect the average natural gas bill to be lower this winter heating season, many customers experience higher-than-normal energy bills at this time of year due to lower temperatures, and Share the Warmth funds are here to help," Weintraub said.

To shine a light on the importance of Share the Warmth's mission, Piedmont Natural Gas has teamed up with mayors throughout its three-state service territory in hopes of encouraging Piedmont customers and the community at large to support the program and help keep our neighbors warm this winter.

Piedmont customers can enroll easily in Share the Warmth through one of the following methods:

  • Visiting piedmontng.com/ShareTheWarmth
  • Filling out the form on the back of their bill
  • Calling Piedmont at 800.752.7504
  • Texting SHARE to 21209 (message and data rates may apply)

Non-customers also can visit piedmontng.com/ShareTheWarmth to learn more about how to contribute to the program by mailing a check to Piedmont.

All funds collected through Share the Warmth go to help neighbors in the community where the money is donated, and 100% of contributions are distributed through local nonprofit partners directly to those in need. Assistance from Share the Warmth is available year-round to eligible neighbors who are struggling to pay their energy bills, regardless of the source of energy they use, including propane, electricity and natural gas.

Read more about how Share the Warmth and nonprofit agency Crisis Assistance Ministry have made a difference in the lives of others at Duke Energy's illumination website.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, distributes natural gas to more than 1.1 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Piedmont Natural Gas earned the No. 1 spot in customer satisfaction with residential natural gas service in the South among large utilities for the second year in a row, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, and has been named by Cogent Reports as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S. More information: piedmontng.com. Follow Piedmont Natural Gas: Twitter, Facebook.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2023 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Contact: Jason Wheatley
Piedmont Natural Gas
704.731.4034
[email protected]
Twitter: @PNG_JasonW