Customers Can Round Up Bills to Nearest Dollar to Help Neighbors in Need Pay Home Energy Bills CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On one of the hottest days of the year, Piedmont Natural Gas (NYSE:PNY) executives and employees are joining community leaders in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee as they line up and don orange scarves in support of Piedmont's new Share the Warmth Round Up program. Share the Warmth Round Up offers a simple way for Piedmont customers to round up their monthly natural gas bill to the nearest dollar with the difference going to assist neighbors in their community who need help paying their home energy bills. Share the Warmth funds can be used to pay energy bills throughout the year regardless of the energy source used in the home - including natural gas, propane, oil and electricity. Piedmont Natural Gas is making an initial contribution of $100,000 to Share the Warmth, and as an added incentive, will donate an additional $50,000 if 100,000 customers enroll in Share the Warmth Round Up within the next 60 days. In recognition of the occasion, Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory issued an official proclamation designating July 15 as "Piedmont Natural Gas 'Share the Warmth Day.'" "The need for assistance in the communities we serve has never been greater," said Thomas E. Skains, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Piedmont Natural Gas. "In Charlotte alone, we expect 10,000 families to need energy assistance in the coming year. As a result, we hope as many of our customers who are able will join us in this effort by signing up for Share the Warmth Round Up. The more customers that sign up means the more families that can be helped. This is a simple step each of us can take to support our communities and our neighbors in need and the most it could cost any of us is $12 a year. That's small change to change lives." "On a typical day, we have nearly 150 people in line who need assistance for themselves or their families," said Carol Hardison, executive director, Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte. "Share the Warmth is a godsend for our neighbors who face impossible decisions - food or heat, rent or electricity. Piedmont has made it so easy to help with its Share the Warmth Round Up program." Contributions are tax deductible and 100 percent of every donation goes to assisting families and individuals in need. Share the Warmth partner agencies use donations to provide direct financial assistance to low-income families and individuals using all forms of energy throughout the year. Piedmont's Share the Warmth partner agencies are: North Carolina -- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (All areas with the exception of Mecklenburg County) -- Crisis Assistance Ministry (Charlotte) South Carolina -- South Carolina Governor's Office Tennessee -- Metro Action Commission (Davidson County) -- Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency (Cheatham, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson counties) -- Highland Rim Economic Corporation (Dickson County) There are three ways for Piedmont customers to sign up for Share the Warmth Round Up: 1) complete the enrollment form on the back of their monthly bill and return it with their bill remittance; 2) call 1.800.752.7504; or 3) visit http://www.piedmontng.com/ and click on the Share the Warmth icon on the left-hand side of the page. Non-Piedmont customers may contribute by sending a check made out to Share the Warmth to: Piedmont Natural Gas / Share the Warmth Attn: Treasury Department 4720 Piedmont Row Dr., 8th Floor Charlotte, NC 28210 Those interested in tracking the Share the Warmth Round Up program during the 60-day challenge period can do so by following @sharethewarmth on Twitter or becoming a fan of "Piedmont Natural Gas Share the Warmth Round Up" on Facebook. About Piedmont Natural Gas Piedmont Natural Gas is an energy services company primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to more than one million residential, commercial and industrial energy customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, including 61,000 customers served by municipalities who are wholesale customers. Our subsidiaries are invested in joint venture, energy-related businesses, including unregulated retail natural gas marketing, interstate natural gas storage and intrastate natural gas transportation. Additional information about Piedmont is available on the Internet at http://www.piedmontng.com/. DATASOURCE: Piedmont Natural Gas CONTACT: Media, David Trusty of Piedmont Natural Gas, +1-704-731-4391 (office), ; or Monika Weymouth, LGA, +1-704-552-6565 (office), Web Site: http://www.piedmontng.com/

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