Virginia

Why is it like this in Virginia?

Virginia's electricity rate of about 14.2¢/kWh currently favors electric driving for a PHEV, but by a narrowing margin. The State Corporation Commission approved Dominion Energy's first base-rate increase since 1992 — $11.24/month for the average residential customer starting January 2026 — after Dominion's initial 15% request. The SCC also created a new rate class for data center loads to shield residential customers from the costs of Virginia's massive data center cluster, the largest in the world. Whether that structural protection holds will largely determine Virginia's long-term PHEV charging economics.

In the news · Virginia

• Dominion Energy Virginia proposes 15% base rate increase

  VPM News (Virginia Public Media) · Apr 4, 2025

  Dominion's first base-rate increase request since 1992 — a 15% average bill hike driven by fuel costs, data center infrastructure, and grid upgrades — set up the rate case that ultimately approved ~$11.24/month more for Virginia PHEV drivers starting January 2026.

• SCC approves Chesterfield gas plant and Dominion rate hike, creates new rate class for data centers

  Virginia Mercury · Nov 25, 2025

  The Virginia SCC approved an $11.24/month residential bill increase for 2026 and created a new large-load rate class to shield residential customers from data center costs — directly setting the electricity cost floor for Virginia PHEV drivers.

• Will special rate classes protect Va. residents from the costs of serving data centers?

  Virginia Mercury · Apr 25, 2025

  Whether separating data center costs into their own rate class can prevent residential electricity rates from rising further is a structural question that will determine whether Virginia PHEV electric costs keep climbing — Virginia hosts the world's largest data center cluster.

Curated coverage of Virginia's EV/PHEV cost, policy, and infrastructure story. External links open in a new tab.

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