GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. — Stephanie Marcus was in disbelief after opening her recent Dominion Energy bills for her Goochland County home.
Her January bill was abnormally high, which she chalked up to cold weather and Christmas lights. But February's bill shocked her even more.
“I was floored. I thought something must be wrong," Marcus said. “I’m the only one living here, and I don't understand because the previous years, I don't remember it being that high.”
Her February bill amounted to $444. In the same month last year, she was charged $396 and actually used more electricity.
“Gosh, I was like, this is not sustainable. I'm happy that I can pay this month, but I don't want to move forward every month like this," Marcus said.
According to her bills, Marcus used about 2,800 kilowatt hours in February 2025 and about 2,600 kilowatt hours in February 2026.
So even though her usage decreased by 8%, her bill increased by 12% — a nearly $50 increase.
"I hope that something can be done to either bring it down or meet somewhere in the middle," she said.
Dominion Energy declined an interview for this story, but spokesperson Craig Carper provided written statements.
He explained the reason some customers' bills are higher, even though their usage may be lower, is because of rate hikes recently requested by the company and partially approved by its regulator, the State Corporation Commission (SCC).
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Rate Hike: Dominion Energy points to inflation while others blame data centers
The first increase was to what's known as the fuel factor and took effect in July 2025. This charge appears next to the "fuel" item on your bill. For Marcus, her fuel charge went from $58 in February 2025 to $76 in February 2026.
The second increase was to what's known as the base rate and took effect in January 2026. These charges appear next to the "distribution service" and "generation" items on your bill. For Marcus, her distribution charge went up by about $5 from $94 in February 2025 to $99 in February 2026. Her "generation" charge went from $142 to $165.
Dominion provides a breakdown of the charges that appear on customers' bills on its website.
“I’d like to find out more about why they feel the need to increase the pricing. Is it the data centers? Is it something else?” Marcus said.
Carper attributed the rate hikes to the “increasing cost of fuel for power plants and grid equipment like utility poles, wires and cable, and transformers.”
The SCC acknowledged in case filings that Dominion was not immune from inflationary and economic impacts and added the rate hikes came at a time of historic load growth stemming from the expansion of data centers.
Altogether, the recent rate changes reflect a roughly $20 increase for every 1,000 kilowatt hours a household uses. Carper noted that rider updates can also impact bills. Riders are extra charges that cover the costs associated with projects such as clean energy initiatives. Those charges appear on the "Distribution Service Charges" or "Electricity Supply Charges" of your bill.
Marcus said, "other than the price hike," she is satisfied with Dominion's reliability and service delivery, but she's concerned about her budget moving forward.
“We want affordability, and we want to be able to take care of our families and be very basic to have electricity," Marcus said.
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