Washington Gas Company
Overview
Attn: Customer Care 6801 Industrial Road Springfield, Virginia 22151WELCOME TO WASHINGTON GAS
For 160 years Washington Gas has been distributing natural gas to customers
in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. We bring natural gas to your home or business safely and reliably.
t: view phone(703) 750-1000
Description
Headquartered in Washington, DC, Washington Gas Light Company (Washington Gas Company) delivers natural gas to more than one million residential, commercial and
industrial customers throughout Washington, DC, and the surrounding region.
Washington Gas is a regulated subsidiary of WGL Holdings, Inc., a public utility
holding company. The unregulated affiliates of WGL Holdings are in energy-related businesses, selling natural gas and electric in competitive markets, and providing
heating, ventilating and air-conditioning products and services.
Washington Gas has a long record of financial strength. As either WGL Holdings or Washington
Gas, the company has paid dividends on common stock for more than 150 years and increased that dividend for the past 33 consecutive years.
Washington Gas is an
active, concerned member of the business community and participates in numerous community service programs, focused on health, education, and the environment.
HISTORY
Washington Gas was founded with the desire of improving the quality of life in the nation’s capital. In 1848, a petition was sent to Congress
requesting incorporation of Washington Gas Light Company. The 30th Congress gave its seal of approval to the incorporation, and the act creating the first gas company
in the United States chartered by Congress was signed into law on July 8, 1848, by President James K. Polk. The new company installed gas lights in the House and
Senate chambers, then in the White House and along Pennsylvania Avenue. By the end of the year, the company had laid mains and erected lamp posts and lanterns in
several parts of the city.
By 1856, Washington Gas had grown to include nearly 1,700 customers, more than 30 miles of gas mains, and about 500 street
lights.
As the 20th century dawned, the population of the District was more than 330,000 residents, and the company had 31,000 meters. Washington Gas expanded
into Virginia and Maryland.
To keep pace with the area’s growth, gas plants were enlarged and mains were extended in all directions. World War II made
Washington the nation’s busiest city. The population of metropolitan Washington increased to more than a million, and the resulting demand for gas service was
successfully met.
In 1951, the company had nearly 180,000 meters. Within five years, the number of meters had rocketed to more than 320,000. For the next 20
years, the company’s history was marked by periods of widespread growth.
A new operations center in Springfield, Va., was completed in 1970. The showpiece of
the operations center was the Total Energy Plant, which uses a cogeneration system to supply all its energy needs. The system burns natural gas to generate
electricity. The waste heat from the combustion process is used to power the facility’s heating, air-conditioning and water-heating systems. The Springfield Operations
Center eventually ushered in the modern era of expanded uses for gas: generation of electricity, air conditioning, water heating, and vehicle fuel.
WGL
Holdings, Inc. was formed in November 2000. The holding company structure provides greater financial and regulatory flexibility, enabling the company to respond more
quickly and effectively given the rapid changes taking place in the industry. Washington Gas, along with the company’s retail businesses, became subsidiaries under the
holding company structure.
In 2003, the company has clarified its vision: “To be the retail energy company of choice by achieving excellence for customers,
investors and employees.”
Today, clean-burning natural gas is the fuel of choice for more than nine out of 10 new home buyers in the Washington metropolitan
area and Washington Gas serves more than one million customers throughout the Washington metropolitan region.
