‘I can’t afford what I pay now’: Dominion Energy customers face higher bills starting in January

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Dominion Energy customers will see their monthly bills increase by an average of $11.24 starting in January, with another $2.36 increase planned for 2027.

The rate hikes were approved by the State Corporation Commission in November.

Craig Carper with Dominion Energy said the increase was necessary to keep up with rising costs to deliver services to millions of customers.

“That includes costs of wires, utility polls, transformers, all of these inputs that go into making sure the lights come on when you flip the switch,” Carper said.

Customers have expressed frustration with the increases through social media.

One person wrote in all caps that they are already paying more. Another said they have tried energy conservation methods but their bill is still close to $200.

“It’s too much money, it’s too high now. I can’t afford what I pay now,” one customer. “I don’t think its fair for nobody really.”

One customer blamed data centers for rising costs.

Carper said the utility has adopted policies to protect regular customers from data center usage by creating a new rate class for high-usage customers like data center companies.

These customers would be required to make a 14-year commitment to pay for their requested power even if they use less.

“Putting these protections in place is a very important step to making sure that data centers continue to pay their fair share going forward,” Carper said.

The company is launching a new webpage to help customers find tools and programs to reduce their bills. This includes peak time rebates, virtual energy audits and bill assistance programs.

“You have some control over what you ultimately pay at the end of the month for your utility usage,” Carper said.

To learn more about Dominion Energy’s energy saving tools and programs, click here.