‘Out of control’: Dominion Energy customers speak out about rising energy bills in the Valley

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) — For the past few months, Dominion Energy customers across the Valley have seen a jump in their monthly electric bills, and some say the increase is putting a real strain on their budgets.

Four Dominion Energy customers and Staunton residents spoke with WHSV, saying they’ve seen their energy bills spike since December. Some said they’re at risk of no longer being able to afford their energy costs.

For customer Brittany Fix, she said her bill rose from $142 to $402 — a 183% increase. Fix said she’s going to have to reduce other important costs as well.

“We’re gonna have to cut back on a lot because I’m a single parent, and it’s very hard with three kids,” Fix said. “When I got this, I was really in shock. So we are cutting back on groceries. We’re gonna have to cut back on everything. … This is out of control. Nobody’s gonna be able to afford this and, as you can tell, everybody has a problem with it.”

Fix is not the only one facing hefty bills. Wendy Wood, another Dominion Energy customer in Staunton, said she noticed her bill start to increase in December — $300 more than she was originally paying to Dominion Energy.

Wood said that as a single parent with two kids, it feels impossible to afford the new bills.

“I just don’t understand why. Why? Why is it going up so much? I mean, it’s just ridiculous,” Wood said. “How am I supposed to afford something that goes up at $300 from what I’m used to, and then not offer me payment arrangement? I mean, that’s just absurd to me.”

Cherise Newsome, spokesperson for Dominion Energy, said the recent uptick in bills is due to a cold snap.

“It’s Old Man Winter. Old Man Winter came in with a bit of a bang, starting back in December, which was the coldest December on record since 2010,” Newsome said. “We are expecting continued freezing and below‑freezing temperatures, so that’s going to impact energy use, and that’s going to impact customer bills.”

However, Fix disagrees.

“They said it’s the cold snap that happened … It’s been cold here before,” Fix said. “I don’t believe that much can take that much in the bill and rise it, but that’s the only thing that they’re saying is wrong, because I talked to [Dominion] the other day.”

Another customer, Marie Mason, said she has had to cut back on spending elsewhere as well.

“It does cut back on getting things like medicine supplies, household goods — just day-to-day kind of stuff that we use up all the time, so it eats into our grocery bill,“ Mason said. ”Having higher power bills means even another bill might have to be only paid partial amount, because it’s very difficult in this day and age to have high bills.”

Mason added that she fears she will not be able to afford her payments if this continues.

“It’s definitely a concern of being able to afford to pay the bills, especially if they continue to increase,” she said. “If they find a way to decrease it, that would be helpful.”

Mason said she wishes the energy company would consider where certain areas are located geographically before increasing rates.

“We’re not a big city like Richmond, where we have a little more wealth going around in those cities, and for the outlying cities, we need to have a lower rate because we don’t use quite as much power than the other bigger cities do,” Mason said. “It would be helpful to the residents if we would have a lower rate based on our geographical area. …I’m hopeful that maybe we could find some kind of resolution for this.”

Thomas Culligan, another customer, said he too has experienced an increase in his energy bill but has taken action by reaching out to state officials.

“I‘ve reached out to Congressman Ben Cline and Senator Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, as a lot of this is based off of federal policy,” Culligan said. “The representatives at the federal level, they’re always pretty responsive of constituent matters, but at the end of the day … they have the opportunity to vote on bills, and two out of the three of them voted to not pass the Big Beautiful Bill that was going to get clean energy, and Congressman Cline did.”

Culligan said he’s also been thinking of an effective solution, noting that more access to residential solar energy could be a benefit, or using current infrastructure.

“I know there’s the balance of we have to keep the forested land forested for environmental purposes … but if you allow a farmer to put some solar panels on his barn, that’s not only going to generate energy for me and you and our community, that might give him or her a lifeline to keep their family farm alive,” Culligan said.

Dominion Energy’s solutions

Newsome said the cooler weather isn’t finished yet, and Dominion Energy expects continued increases in customer bills.

Dominion Energy has a few possible solutions as well, including a new online hub to help customers find the best options for their needs at dominionenergy.com/savemore. Newsome said the hub provides tools to help customers monitor and manage their energy use, including programs for customers who need help after the higher energy costs during the winer.

She said there is also an EnergyShare program through which customers facing financial hardship can receive up to $600 in bill‑payment assistance in the winter. Newsome said this is not an income‑based program, so anyone in need of assistance can apply.

“By participating in this program, customers also become eligible to participate in our home weatherization program, which provides energy efficiency upgrades at no cost,” she said. “We also offer extended payment plans and budget billing, which provide customers with a predictable monthly bill amount.”

Newsome said there are a few things you can do to help reduce your bill in the meantime, like unplugging applicants that aren’t bein used.

“We call that phantom load or phantom energy, because it’s like a ghost, an invisible draw of energy. If you don’t need that microwave or TV or gaming system plugged in, unplug it,” she said. “Turn off light switches when they’re not in use. If you have outdated light bulbs, consider switching to LED, which are more efficient and give you the light you need at a fraction of the cost,” she said.

What’s driving rate increases?

Electric rates are determined by the amount of energy a household uses and a rate determined by the State Corporation Commission, a nonpartisan group that oversees any changes to rates, according to the Dominion Energy website. Typical residential customers will see an $11.24 average increase on bills in 2026, the website added.

Newsome said rates are reviewed every two years by the SCC, which did approve an increase that went into effect in January 2026. However, Newsome said the rise customers are noticing in their recent bill is separate from the SCC rate adjustment.

“What customers are experiencing right now, though, is related to winter, and whenever we experience severe weather, then customers will likely notice a change in their energy use and their energy bills,” Newsome said. “At the start of every winter season, we send out a lot of messaging and alerts to our customers to encourage them to remain alert and to take precautions.”

She said another thing that might help customers prepare for winter and extreme weather is providing energy audits.

“We call them virtual energy audits. They’re more of a do‑it‑yourself approach that customers can answer a few questions about their home online and then [the company] will send them a kit of supplies at no cost to help them make weatherization updates to their home,” she said. “It’ll include items like caulking to seal up cracks around windows and doors, as well as smart switches and plugs that help to reduce phantom load, and it’ll also include things like light bulbs to help you reduce your energy usage as it relates to lighting.”

More details about payment plans and payment extensions are available on Dominion’s website.

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