Unexpectedly high power bills pushing some Lowcountry households to the limit

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — As temperatures begin to warm across the Lowcountry, some residents are still feeling the impact of winter when they open their power bills.

For Eliza Renstrom, a North Charleston mother of two, her most recent statement stood out.

Her bill topped $300, about $70 more than the month before. Copies of her recent statements confirmed the month-to-month increase.

“It’s just been steadily increasing,” Renstrom said. “It was over $300 for the month of February, which is just insane when I compare it to a summer month where it’s 90 degrees outside and we have the AC running all the time.”

Renstrom said she compared this year’s bill to January of last year, when several snow days impacted the area.

“I compared last year when we got three snow days in January to last month when we got half a day of a snow day, and it was nowhere near that type of jump,” she said.

The increase has forced her to reassess parts of her household budget.

“$70 is the difference between my kid going to gymnastics for that month,” Renstrom said.

She added that utilities are not optional expenses families can easily reduce.

“Electricity and water, that’s not a subscription we can just easily cut out of our budget,” she said. “It’s deciding whether or not you have fuel to go to work. It’s deciding whether or not you have extra money to put food on the table.”

Renstrom questioned how much more families can absorb.

“How much bleeding do South Carolina families need to do to have someone say this is enough? Where is the stopping point?” she said.

In a statement, Dominion Energy said seasonal weather is a primary factor behind the higher bills.

“Energy costs vary seasonally and are influenced by changes in weather. With temperatures recently plunging to near-historic lows and heating systems working around the clock to keep homes and businesses warm, some customers are seeing higher-than-typical energy bills following the recent winter storms across our service territory,” the company said.

Dominion said heating systems represent about 50% of a home’s energy costs on average, and that percentage can increase during extreme temperatures.

“Cold weather can increase energy usage even when household routines and thermostat settings have not changed. During periods of extreme cold, the heat pump’s auxiliary or emergency heat may activate more often without anyone changing the thermostat, which means using more energy than standard electric heat,” the company said.

The utility added that the age and condition of a home, insulation levels and the energy efficiency of appliances, particularly heating and cooling systems, can all influence overall consumption.

For customers struggling to pay their bills, Dominion said assistance is available. The company offers payment plans and works with community action agencies to connect eligible customers with financial support. Information about energy-saving programs, bill management tools and assistance options is available here and here.

Relief may not be on the way any time soon; in fact, the opposite may be coming.

This debate over winter bills also comes as Dominion is also seeking approval for a rate increase.

The company has filed a request with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina for an increase of approximately $322 million. Dominion said the request would help recover the $1.4 billion it invested in its electric system since 2023.

That total includes the company’s response to Hurricane Helene in 2024, which triggered what Dominion described as the largest restoration and rebuilding effort in its history.

In a separate statement about the rate request, the company said the following:

Renstrom raised concerns about affordability statewide.

“South Carolina residents aren’t in a place where we’re seeing wages increase in relation to utility and just general affordability increase,” Renstrom said. “If South Carolina lawmakers really want to make affordability in the county and the state a priority, we need to be reviewing these increases across the board, not just with Dominion.”

Renstrom warned the financial strain could extend beyond individual households.

“You’re going to see a lot less spending, which will lead to a worse economy in the area,” she said. “When we have to allocate our funds in order to just meet basic necessities, that’s a lot less money to spend on supporting local businesses, eating out in local restaurants. That’s a lot less money to put in grocery stores for food for the family.”

She said the issue goes beyond a single month’s bill.

“It feels unfair that the brunt of the burden of creating infrastructure for South Carolina falls on ratepayers,” she said.

“It feels like we’re being punished, almost, for living the life that they told us to go live,” she said.

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