Virginia ranked #6 nationally for most electricity disconnections

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — New data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that Virginia is one of the top ten states with the most electricity disconnections at just over 460,000 in 2024.

Most of the states in the top 10 are located in the southern part of the U.S., which is where Shelby Green, Research and Communications Manager of the Energy and Policy Institute, cites there is a lack of protection from shutoffs.

“If you are behind on your utility bill, whether you owe five cents or $100, you could be at risk of losing your utility service because we do not have strong protections in place,” Green said.

While Virginia has implemented laws banning disconnections during extreme weather events like extreme heat, customers could still be disconnected from their services with unpaid utility balances.

“During the period when it’s 80 degrees, and customers still have unpaid balances, that means they could still be disconnected for service as we’ve seen that Virginia utilities disconnect electricity nearly half a million times in 2024,” Green said.

Click here to read the full Residential Utility Disconnections report from the USEIA.