A PROMINENT utilities company is planning to increase monthly rates for customers next month.
Select families could pay as much as $257 more each year as a result of the spike as energy bill averages remain high nationwide.
Dominion Energy, which offers electricity and gas services in Virginia and several other states on the east coast, confirmed the potential move earlier this month, per ABC affiliate WHSV.
It comes as part of a request during its biennial review with the State Corporation Commission (SCC).
The reasoning behind the rates hike was cited by Dominion Energy for revenue purposes and to increase fuel spending.
A total of a $1.089 billion increase would be made to its revenue base rate, and a $859.9 million increase to fuel costs throughout 2026 and 2027.
Should the SCC approve the request on September 2, it would mean a 15% increase to customers’ electricity bills.
As of April, average monthly electricity costs for Virginia residents was about $153.22.
With the increase, an additional $21.43 per month would be added to bills by 2027.
For the entire year, it would be about a $257 bump in costs.
Seeing as Dominion Energy only offers electricity services in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, customers residing in those states would be the only ones affected.
Natural gas is provided by Dominion Energy in South Carolina as well, along with Ohio, West Virginia, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.
NOT ALONE
Upstate New Yorkers could also pay more for energy soon.
Two major utility companies in the area, National Grid and the New York State Electric and Gas Company (NYSEG), are making requests to the Public Service Commission for rate increases.
In the case of National Grid, customers could pay about $22 more monthly starting in the spring of 2026.
By the end of 2027, it would be around a $600 annual bump, according to Syracuse.com.
Summer Protections by State
In 2025, just 17 states and Washington DC offer Americans protections from having their electricity shut off if they are behind on utility payments:
Arizona Arkansas Colorado Delaware Washington DC Georgia Illinois Louisiana Maryland Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nevada Oklahoma Oregon Texas Washington WisconsinSource: NEADA
For NYSEG, upticks would be on average $34 monthly for gas and $33 for electricity costs, as reported by the Democrat & Chronicle.
AVERAGES UP
The prospective increases in Virginia and New York also come as energy bills have reached a 12-year high for the summer months (June through September).
A report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) cited the nationwide average at $784.
It’s a 6.2% increase from last year, or about 4.3% considering inflation.
Lower-income households face the most issues with the bump, as energy bills account for 8.6% of their total budget.
That’s three times higher than those in other brackets.
Total utility debt in the United States is estimated at over $24 billion, with 36.8% of Americans unable to afford payments between April 2023 and 2024, per the Census Household Pulse.
There are some moves Americans can make to save on bills.
A special thermostat trick could reduce annual energy costs by as much as 30%.
There’s even a “weather strip” tip that works in any season and could bring in about $83 in savings.
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