National Grid : Wednesday, January 13, 2016 - National Grid, HeartShare and Dominion Transmission Help Customers in Need Stay Warm this Winter

News Releases

Janunary 13, 2016

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Dominion Transmission is helping to reduce heating expenses this winter for National Grid's upstate New York customers in need with a $10,000 donation to the Care & Share Energy Fund, a low-income heating fund established by National Grid in 1981. Dominion Transmission, a provider of gas transportation and storage services, has offered a similar donation for the last three years for a total of $30,000 for National Grid's customers.

'The timing of Dominion Transmission's donation is ideal,' said Melanie Littlejohn, National Grid's upstate New York executive director. 'After a relatively mild start, winter's cold temperatures are upon us and that means increased customer energy usage. We appreciate Dominion Transmission's continued generosity and are grateful to accept this donation on behalf of our customers who need assistance the most.'

The Care & Share Energy Fund, administered by National Grid's long-standing partner HeartShare Human Services of New York, provides grants of up to $200 a year to eligible low-income families who need assistance paying their winter heating bills. In 2014, the fund helped approximately 5,600 National Grid upstate New York customers stay warm during the winter months.

Additionally, to further help customers, National Grid will continue to host Customer Assistance Expos in communities across upstate New York. Since the first-of-their-kind expos were launched in 2014, thousands of National Grid's most vulnerable customers have attended, learned about company-sponsored bill management solutions and connected with hundreds of community assistance groups and social service agencies. The expos represent a common mission National Grid shares with low-income partners, including state, county and local organizations, who are dedicated to helping households in crisis by providing food, rental assistance, fuel assistance and other support.

'This check presentation not only means that we can extend heating aid further to New Yorkers in need, but also affords us the opportunity to celebrate the partnerships that make these services possible,' said Joseph Guarinello, vice president of energy programs, HeartShare. 'It takes an interwoven, communicative and dedicated state-wide network of community organizations, elected officials, utility companies, like National Grid, and generous benefactors, like Dominion Transmission, to keep low-income families warm, safe and healthy.'

'Dominion Transmission is proud to have the opportunity to partner with National Grid and HeartShare Human Services of New York to help support National Grid's upstate New York customers in need,' Stanley Ossowski, manager, northern area, Dominion Transmission.' As an organization, we are committed to supporting meaningful projects like the Care & Share Energy Fund program that encourage energy efficiency and provide customer assistance.'

National Grid customers can apply for Care & Share funds by visiting intake centers across upstate New York. A full listing of centers can be found by calling HeartShare at 855-852-2736. To apply for Care & Share by telephone, in an area where there is no local agency accepting applications, customers can contact 718-422-4207 or 718-422-3297 and a HeartShare representative will take the application over the phone. Care & Share information can also be found at http://www.heartshare.org/care. National'>www.heartshare.org/care.

National

Grid also partners with HeartShare to administer grants for its Neighborhood Heating Fund, which is a similar program that services approximately 1,200 households in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

Dominion Transmission's parent company, Dominion, has also developed its own energy assistance program. Since the program's inception in 1982, the program has helped more than half a million people facing financial hardships stay comfortable in their own homes.

About Dominion Transmission

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 23,600 megawatts of generation, 10,900 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,400 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit http://www.nationalgridus.com/http://www.dom.com. About'>www.dom.com.

About

National Grid

National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an electricity and natural gas delivery company that connects nearly 7 million customers to vital energy sources through its networks in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates the systems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain.

Through its U.S. Connect21 strategy, National Grid is transforming its electricity and natural gas networks to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions. Connect21 is vital to our communities' long-term economic and environmental health and aligns with regulatory initiatives in New York (REV: Reforming the Energy Vision) and Massachusetts (Grid Modernization).

For more information please visit our website, or our Connecting website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, friend us on Facebook, find our photos on Instagram

HeartShare Human Services of New York nurtures and empowers children and adults diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, through educational, life skills and vocational training, residential, case management, recreational, family support and health care services. The agency's affiliates include The HeartShare School, which offers quality education and therapies to children with autism, HeartShare Wellness, which provides critical health services to those with developmental disabilities, and HeartShare St. Vincent's Services (HSVS), which supports children, adults and families living in crisis due to experiences with poverty. Since its founding in 1914, HeartShare has expanded its reach to over 100 program sites in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, as well as to 60 of the 62 New York counties through energy grants to low-income families. HeartShare is proud that 90% of all revenue goes directly to its programs and services. HeartShare is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children and is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. For more information, visit http://www.heartshare.org/. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @heartshare and like us on Facebook.