Utilities

So you've finally found a place to live. Congratulations! Take a deep breath and go out to celebrate. When you're finished celebrating, you can start attending to details such as utilities, driver's licenses, and a whole range of other items that need to be taken care of, especially if you are moving from outside Virginia.

• Electricity
• Gas and Water
  
• Local Telephone Service
• Local Cell Phone Stores
  
• Trash and Recycling
• Cable
• Internet Service

Electricity

Dominion Power
www.dom.com
888-667-3000
Phone Center Hours: Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Once you have your new address and know when you are moving in, call Virginia Power to apply for service. They generally request at least a 24-hour notice, and the connection date must be Monday through Friday. Keep in mind that they may run a little behind schedule when students start to arrive in town. If you call, they may ask whether you want to set up or transfer phone or cable service and newspaper service, which can save time, but some students have reported getting more favorable rates when dealing with the other companies directly. Utility accounts may also be set up online.

Deposit: You may be requested to pay a $90 or $180 deposit, depending on the type of heating and/or air conditioning at your address. Customers who have had previous good credit with Virginia Power or another electric company may not need to pay the deposit. When calling to set up an account, Virginia Power will run a credit check through Equifax (with your permission only) to determine if a deposit is needed. Deposits earn 4.7 percent simple interest and are refundable after 12 months of good credit. A $15 nonrefundable connection fee is also charged to all customers. If you move before 12 months are up, your deposit is applied to your final bill and any remainder is refunded.

Gas and Water

City of Charlottesville
www.charlottesville.org
City Hall, Utility Billing, Corner of 7th and E. Main St.
Gas and water service: 970-3211

A municipal gas and water system services most of Charlottesville and the surrounding area. Requests for service can be made over the phone or through the Internet. Accounts can also be set up online.

Gas Service: The city usually provides next-day gas service, if the request is made before noon. Deposit: The refundable deposits can be waived with a letter of credit. The deposit required for first-time customers using gas to heat their homes is $250. If gas is used only for cooking or for hot water heaters, the deposit is only $75. All customers must pay a $30 connection fee.
Water Service: Even if the $75 deposit is waived with your letter of credit, all customers must pay a $30 connection charge.

Albemarle County Service Authority
www.acsanet.com
977-4511
168 Spotnap Rd. (off South Pantops Dr.)
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

The county provides water only. A $6 connection fee is charged. Accounts can be set up by e-mail at custserv@acasnet.com. (Provide name, address, and date to be connected/disconnected). Be sure to coordinate your billing changeover date with the previous owner or your landlord; it is usually not possible to resume service on the same day once it has been cut off.

Local Telephone Service

CenturyLink (formerly Embarq)
www.centurylink.com
1-800-366-8201

CenturyLink provides local telephone service, high-speed DSL and digital TV service via fiber optics for Charlottesville and most surrounding counties. Bundles are available. Stand-alone internet is also available. Requests for service can be made by phone or online. Allow one or two days for a new connection.

Deposit: A deposit is usually not necessary.

nTelos offers service only in Waynesboro and Botetourt County.

Local Cell Phone Service
The quality of cell phone service in the Charlottesville/Albemarle County area varies from company to company and place to place within the area. Below are the local addresses and phone numbers for the retail stores of companies providing cell phone service in the area (numbers listed are all 434 area code except where noted).

Alltel
874 Rio East Court 973-8531 payment kiosk, Alltel phone repair
209 South Conner Drive 973-2039 (Route 29 N. near Target)
100 Albemarle Square (Circuit City) 973-0163

nTelos
2126 Barracks Road (north wing Barracks Road Shopping Center) 979-5200
1600 Rio Road East (Fashion Square Mall) 760-0141
1962 Abbey Road (Pantops) 760-0141
220 Shopper's World Court (on 29 North across from Fashion Square Mall) 760-0141

Sprint/Nextel
1807 Seminole Trail (29 North) 973-6322 Sprint/Nextel sales, payments and returns
979 Seminole Trail 975-3555 Sprint/Nextel sales, authorized Sprint/Nextel repair center
Fashion Square Mall Kiosk 973-5491 Sprint sales only, Sprint/Nextel payments

T-Mobile
1615 Emmet Street N. (Best Buy) 977-1578
312 Connor Drive (near Target) 964-0231
970 Hilton Heights Road (Sams Club next to Walmart off 29 North) 973-4741

U.S. Cellular
1962 Rio Hill Shopping Center 973-1674 sales, payments, repair, prepaid refills
302 Pantops Center 971-7691 sales, prepaid refills
1600 Rio Road East 973-9674 sales, prepaid refills

Verizon Wireless
Nearest Authorized Store (26 miles west)
Wireless Zone
3278 Stuarts Draft Highway Suite 1 
Waynesboro, VA 22980
(540) 949-7592

Wireless AT&T (formerly Cingular Wireless)
1252 Emmett Street 242-8900 sales, prepaid refills, payments, equipment recycling
1607 Rio Road East 242-8900 sales, prepaid refills

Trash and Recycling

City of Charlottesville
970-3830

City residents must pay for city trash pick-up, which includes curbside recycling pick-up, by affixing stickers (like using a stamp) on trash bags. You may purchase individual trash stickers ($1.05 for a 13-gallon bag that contains no more than 25 pounds of trash or $2.10 for a 32-gallon bag that contains no more than 50 pounds) or annual decals at local grocery stores. For prices and purchase sites, see  www.charlottesville.org. Your trash collection may be included in your rent; ask your landlord.

Albemarle County

Albemarle County does not provide trash collection. Each county resident must dispose of their waste themselves, or contract with a private disposal hauler of their choice. Haulers serving Albemarle County are required to offer curbside pick-up of recyclables. If you rent, trash service is normally included in your rent, but ask your landlord before you sign your lease.

McIntire Road Recycling Center
McIntire Road (by baseball diamond next to County Office Building)
Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.-5:20 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.-5:20 p.m., Sun 12:30-5:20 p.m.

Recycles newspaper, paper products, corrugated cardboard, milk jugs, glass, aluminum, and clothes. There is a also a little shed where you can put books you no longer want, and look around for any of your neighbors' old books or magazines to take home. You are asked to take no more than 10 books. Between the romance novels and old computer manuals, you may find a few gems. Used books can also be donated to the Jefferson Madison Regional Library's annual sale by dropping them off at the JMLR's Gordon Avenue branch.

UVA Recycling
website
P.O. Box 400726
575 Alderman Rd.
Charlottesville, Va. 22904-4726

UVA's recycling center is handy for items the city won't take, such as cardboard. It's off Alderman Road across from Slaughter Gym.

Rivanna Solid Waste Authority
website

Check this website for more information about recycling in the area and how to dispose of household hazardous wastes.