The short answer
If you’re on Dominion in Northern Virginia, the same 1,000 kilowatt hours costs about $19.21 more each month than it did in mid-2025. $11.24 of that is the base rate increase the State Corporation Commission approved for 2026, and $7.97 is the fuel charge that went up on July 1. Another $2.36 lands in 2027. You can’t change the rate. You can change how many kilowatt hours your house burns, and in winter most of them go to heat and hot water.
What actually changed
Dominion asks the SCC to reset its base rates every two years. In this round it asked for $14.73 more on a typical 1,000 kWh bill in 2026 and $4.84 more in 2027. The commission cut that to $11.24 and $2.36, Cardinal News reported. Before any of it, a typical 1,000 kWh home paid $149.92.
The fuel charge is a separate line. It passes through what Dominion pays for natural gas and the power it buys, and it resets every July. This year it went to about 3.76 cents per kilowatt hour on an interim basis, which is $7.97 more on a 1,000 kWh bill (WAVY).
Swipe to see all columns →
Swipe to see all columns →
| What moved | When | On a 1,000 kWh bill |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate, first step | 2026 | +$11.24 |
| Fuel charge (interim) | July 1, 2026 | +$7.97 |
| Base rate, second step | 2027 | +$2.36 |
The $67 Heating Check
We check your furnace, heat pump or boiler before winter. Through December 31. See the offer
The one to watch: deferred fuel
Fuel costs ran ahead of what Dominion billed, and it projected about $1.1 billion it hadn’t collected by the end of June. Collected over one year through the fuel charge, that’s about $21.79 more on a 1,000 kWh bill. Dominion asked the SCC to spread it over 10 years with bonds instead, about $1.75 on the same bill (case PUR-2026-00078). Whichever way it goes, it shows up as its own line, so check your bill insert.
Your house uses more than 1,000 kWh in January
Every one of those numbers is for 1,000 kilowatt hours, which is an average month. An all-electric Northern Virginia house with a heat pump can use twice that in a cold January. Every increase scales with your usage, so the house that uses 2,000 kWh feels it twice. That’s why the heating system matters more than the rate.
Where the kilowatt hours go in winter
- Heat strips. Most heat pumps here have electric backup heat in the air handler, often around 10 kilowatts. That’s about $1.50 an hour at 15 cents when it runs. It’s supposed to help on the coldest mornings and during defrost. If your thermostat says AUX or EM HEAT a lot on a 35 degree day, the strips are doing the heat pump’s job, and that’s the fastest way we know to double a bill.
- The heat pump itself. Working right, it moves two to three units of heat for every unit of electricity. Short on refrigerant, iced over, or choking on a dirty coil or filter, it moves less and the strips kick in to make up the difference.
- An electric water heater. A standard electric tank is one of the bigger loads in the house all year. A heat pump water heater does the same job on less than half the electricity, and there’s a Dominion rebate on them.
- Space heaters. Cheap for one room for an evening, expensive as a plan. We ran the space heater numbers separately.
What to do this week
- Watch the thermostat for AUX. A little on a cold morning is normal. Hours of it at 40 degrees isn’t. AUX vs EM HEAT, explained.
- Don’t swing the setting. With a heat pump, a big jump in the morning is what calls the strips. Pick a setting and leave it, or drop it only 2 to 3 degrees at night. More in the best thermostat setting for winter.
- Change the filter. A clogged filter cuts airflow, the heat pump runs longer, and the strips come on sooner.
- Clear the outdoor unit. Leaves, snow drifts and a bush grown into the coil all cost you.
If the bill already jumped more than the rate explains, read what a doubled heating bill usually means. And our heating check is $67 per system, through December 31: we check the refrigerant, the coil, the airflow, and whether the heat strips are coming on when they shouldn’t. Every bill you pay after that is cheaper for it.
Call us
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Questions people ask
How much did Dominion’s rates go up in 2026?
The SCC approved a base rate increase of $11.24 on a 1,000 kWh residential bill for 2026, and another $2.36 for 2027. Separately, the fuel charge went up about $7.97 on the same bill on July 1, 2026.
Why is my Dominion bill so high this winter?
Higher rates are part of it, but usage is most of it. In an electric house the heat pump and its backup heat strips use the most. If the thermostat shows AUX or EM HEAT for hours on a mild day, the strips are doing the heating, and that can double a bill.
Does a heat pump still save money with Dominion’s higher rates?
Yes. A working heat pump moves two to three units of heat for each unit of electricity, so every rate increase hits electric strip heat and space heaters harder than it hits a heat pump.
What is the deferred fuel charge?
Fuel costs Dominion paid but hadn’t billed, about $1.1 billion by mid-2026. Over one year it would add about $21.79 on a 1,000 kWh bill; spread over 10 years with bonds, about $1.75.
