NORFOLK, Va. — News 3 last visited Gwendolyn Bailey in August, when she discussed her struggles with paying her energy bill over the past few years.
“During the wintertime, I had heaters, […] I turned the oven on,” Bailey said. “I closed doors, [and] I tried to put tape around the doors to keep the air from coming in.”
She said she also used several space heaters throughout the home.
“The heaters that I was using was burning the sockets, so that kind of scared me,” she said. “It had been over a year, and I just kept trying to fix things—to be the fixer-upper. And I was just like, something has to give, because this bill is just rising and rising and rising.”
Bailey knew her heating methods were dangerous, but she thought she could manage.
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At one point, Bailey's energy bill was more than $300, forcing her to pick-and-choose between the other bills she could pay. She said it was a really stressful time. On occasion she received help from her church and friends, but knew she needed a more sustainable plan.
Rappers and Hampton Roads natives Pusha T and Fam Lay, along with Dominion Energy, came together to give her 1977 home much needed upgrades.
They gave her a new roof, installed new doors and windows, and overall just made the home more energy efficient.
Watch related coverage: How to prevent frozen pipes in your home this winter
Now that we are heading into the colder, winter months, News 3 wanted to check back to see how Bailey and her home are doing.
Bailey told News 3 exactly how she feels: safe, comfortable, and grateful.
“I've been sitting in here burning up with the heat,” she said with a laugh.
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While not every customer will get celebrity assistance like Bailey, you can see if you qualify for Dominion’s weatherization program for small home upgrades. Other help includes PIPP, the Percentage of Income Payment Program, which Bailey is enrolled in.
According to Dominion, “the PIPP program is for low-income customers, and they pay a percentage of their bill based on their current income. Each month that the customer pays their PIPP amount due on-time and in-full, a portion of their account balance is removed through incentive credits applied to the account balance. The credit is 1/12 of the past due amount.”
“The smile on Ms. Gwen's face is a reminder of why EnergyShare is such an important program, it provides electricity but more importantly it provides comfort and safety,” said Cherise Newsome with Dominion Energy.
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Bailey encourages anyone in the community to ask for help and not feel ashamed.
“I just want everybody to know that is help out there for just about anything, you just have to ask, call different places and ask,” Bailey said.
