Virginia electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Virginia is 17.61 cents per kilowatt-hour, 4.5% below the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 21st highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +15.4% from 15.26¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- -4.5% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #21 of 51 · #31 cheapest
- Supply market
- PJM Retail choice limited
Why Virginia pays what it pays
Northern Virginia carries more data-centre capacity than any other region in the world, and the growth has not slowed. Serving it requires enormous transmission investment, new generation and reserve capacity, and Virginia sits inside PJM, where the resulting scarcity has repriced the whole regional capacity market.
The central regulatory question in Virginia is who pays. Utilities and data-centre operators negotiate large-load tariffs, and the state's regulator has been working through whether those rates fully cover the cost of the infrastructure built to serve them. To the extent they do not, the difference lands on other customers.
Virginia is also mid-way through implementing the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which mandates a carbon-free fleet on a fixed schedule and places substantial offshore wind and solar investment into rate base.
The state's rate remains below the national average, but it rose faster than the national average. The trajectory is the story here, not the level.
Where Virginia power comes from
Virginia generated 106 TWh in 2025, the 14th largest output of any state. Natural gas supplied 57.3% of it, enough that the price of that fuel largely sets the price of electricity here. Renewables accounted for 12.4%, against 23.8% nationally, which ranks Virginia #36 of 51.
- Natural gas 57.3% 61 TWh
- Nuclear 26.6% 28 TWh
- Solar 8.6% 9 TWh
- Coal 3.4% 4 TWh
- Wood and biomass 2.6% 3 TWh
- Hydroelectric 1.2% 1 TWh
- Petroleum 0.5% 500 GWh
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Operational Data, net generation, all sectors. Net generation across all sectors. Nuclear counts as carbon-free but not renewable, so the two shares differ.
How Virginia compares
Virginia ranks #21 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 31st cheapest. Within the South Atlantic division, 5 of 8 neighbouring states are cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 15.09 | +5.4% | #35 |
| Florida | 15.17 | +1.3% | #33 |
| Georgia | 15.84 | +5.7% | #30 |
| South Carolina | 16.18 | +5.0% | #27 |
| West Virginia | 16.80 | +3.8% | #23 |
| Virginia | 17.61 | +15.4% | #21 |
| Delaware | 19.38 | +6.9% | #19 |
| Maryland | 21.77 | +14.6% | #15 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40 | +24.3% | #10 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State. Data period May 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
What Virginia households actually pay
Virginia looks cheaper on paper than it is in practice. It has the 31st cheapest rate in the country but only the 8th highest bill from the bottom, because households there use 1,063 kWh a month against a national average of 871. See how every state compares on bills.
Estimate your Virginia bill
Multiply your own usage by the May 2026 state average. Enter the kilowatt-hours from your last statement. This is a supply-and-delivery blended average, not a utility quote.
Rate used: …. U.S. average 18.44¢/kWh, May 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
Heating in Virginia: gas, heat pump or resistance
Residential natural gas in Virginia averaged $15.40 per thousand cubic feet in 2024, about $1.49 per therm, against a national average of $14.50. Put on the same scale as the state's electricity rate, the cost of delivering one million BTU of heat works out as follows.
In Virginia, gas remains cheaper to run than a heat pump by about $0.70 per million BTU at these assumptions, roughly $42 over a 60 million BTU season. A heat pump can still be the better purchase once cooling, equipment age and incentives are counted, but not on heating cost alone.
Gas price: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Prices, price delivered to residential consumers, 2024. Assumptions are adjustable in the heating cost guide, and every state is compared on the gas price page.
What each Virginia utility charges
The statewide average hides a wide spread. Across the 19 Virginia utilities reporting to the EIA, rates run from 10.99¢ at Bristol Virginia Utilities to 17.18¢ at Virginia Tech Electric Service . Together they serve 3.6 million residential customers.
| Utility | ¢/kWh | Bill | kWh | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | 14.09 | $142 | 1,005 | 2.4 million |
| Appalachian Power Co | 17.02 | $178 | 1,048 | 465,283 |
| Rappahannock Electric Coop | 14.89 | $170 | 1,145 | 169,489 |
| Northern Virginia Elec Coop | 11.57 | $132 | 1,144 | 167,274 |
| Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop | 13.81 | $161 | 1,166 | 85,281 |
| Southside Electric Coop, Inc | 15.48 | $171 | 1,108 | 56,846 |
| City of Danville | 15.01 | $149 | 994 | 37,781 |
| Central Virginia Electric Coop | 16.14 | $191 | 1,184 | 34,893 |
| A & N Electric Coop | 13.02 | $121 | 927 | 33,096 |
| Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative | 14.50 | $141 | 973 | 30,016 |
| Kentucky Utilities Co | 14.28 | $171 | 1,196 | 22,669 |
| City of Harrisonburg | 11.36 | $107 | 938 | 18,089 |
| Northern Neck Elec Coop, Inc | 16.12 | $182 | 1,127 | 17,991 |
| City of Manassas | 11.63 | $115 | 993 | 13,947 |
| Bristol Virginia Utilities | 10.99 | $132 | 1,197 | 13,633 |
| City of Salem | 15.11 | $139 | 920 | 11,298 |
| Prince George Electric Coop | 13.05 | $170 | 1,300 | 10,954 |
| Powell Valley Electric Coop | 11.42 | $125 | 1,095 | 6,589 |
| Virginia Tech Electric Service | 17.18 | $135 | 787 | 5,660 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024.
Who sells electricity in Virginia
Dominion Energy Virginia serves roughly two-thirds of the state including the northern Virginia data-centre corridor. Appalachian Power, an AEP company, serves the southwest, and electric co-operatives serve much of rural Virginia.
Virginia has only limited retail choice. Residential customers can generally switch only to a supplier offering one hundred per cent renewable power, and only where the incumbent utility does not offer an approved equivalent tariff. In practice most households cannot shop.
Virginia sits in The PJM region. The wholesale market whose capacity auction repriced and pushed residential rates up across nine jurisdictions in a single year. Read the regional analysis.
What you can actually do about it
Watch the State Corporation Commission's large-load tariff proceedings. They will determine more about Virginia residential rates over the next decade than any efficiency programme.
Dominion's time-of-use and EV rate schedules are optional and materially different from the standard schedule. Households with an electric vehicle are frequently on the wrong one by default.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Virginia, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Virginia electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Virginia?
The average residential electricity rate in Virginia is 17.61 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is -4.5% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is the average monthly electric bill in Virginia?
The average Virginia household paid $171 a month across the twelve months to May 2026, using an average of 1,063 kWh. That is +10.2% against the U.S. average bill of $155, and it ranks 8th highest of the 51 jurisdictions. Your own bill depends on the size of your home, your heating and cooling equipment and your rate schedule.
Why is the Virginia bill ranking different from its rate ranking?
A bill is the rate multiplied by usage, and usage varies between states more than price does. Virginia ranks #21 of 51 on price but 8th on the actual bill, because households there use about 1,063 kWh a month against a national average of 871. Climate and heating fuel drive most of that difference.
Have electricity rates in Virginia gone up?
Virginia rates rose 15.4% over the year to May 2026, from 15.26¢ in May 2025 to 17.61¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Virginia?
Retail choice limited. Choice in Virginia is restricted. Availability depends on your utility, your location and in some cases a programme cap.