There is a wonderful Charlottesville Albemarle initiative called LEAP which is encouraging homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient resulting in significant savings.  You can find out more about this effort by visiting their website at http://www.leap-va.org

LEAP's proactive programs has resulted in Dominion Power making Charlottesville its 1st partner with their Smart Grid Technology.  One graph was particlularly interesting.  It showed that the money a home owner invests vs the money saved long term is better than most other investment opportunities.

Check out the link to learn more about you can get an Energy Audit for your home.