Over the last year, we have heard stories from friends and neighbors struggling to afford their electric bills — people who can’t afford to use their air conditioning, people who leave their homes to escape the heat, and older people on fixed incomes with bills well over $300 each month.
This summer, the average household in Virginia will spend about $842 on its electric bills, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. That high number is due to increasing electricity prices, volatile fuel costs, and increasing summer temperatures. Extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer in the U.S. and puts Virginians who can’t afford to keep their homes cool at risk.
As another summer heat wave is upon us, about 25% of Virginia households are energy insecure. This means they must choose between paying for basic necessities or their energy bills; they may keep their homes at unsafe or uncomfortable temperatures; they may not have functioning heating or cooling equipment; or, they may have received a disconnection notice from their utility provider.
Thankfully, state legislation passed in 2024 prohibits utilities from shutting off service during extreme weather, including temperatures at or above 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, some bill assistance to help pay summer cooling bills is available through the Department of Social Services and funded by the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
LIHEAP is a valuable program that helps around 200,000 Virginians pay their energy bills each year. Unfortunately, the federal staff who ran LIHEAP were fired in February, and it is unclear if they will be replaced. The president’s proposed 2026 budget calls for eliminating LIHEAP, and Congress is still developing funding bills. For as long as it exists, the application deadline for LIHEAP summer cooling assistance is August 15.
Other programs are also available to Virginians who need to lower their energy bills. Income-qualifying customers of Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power can enroll in a Percentage of Income Payment Program that limits bills to 10% of household income if they heat with electricity and 6% of household income if they use a different heat source. The program also offers an energy audit that can help households identify ways to make their homes more efficient. Households at or below 60% of the state area median income — roughly $80,000 for a family of four — can receive no-cost weatherization and energy efficiency improvements through the federal Weatherization Assistance Program and other utility-funded programs.
Some homes require repairs before they can be weatherized — such as homes with leaky roofs. Funding for these kinds of repairs was available through the state Weatherization Deferral Repair program funded by Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Unfortunately, the governor removed Virginia from RGGI, cutting off funds for that repair program.
While Virginia was part of the 11-state RGGI program, the commonwealth raised over $827 million for energy efficiency and flood mitigation projects, while air pollution from power plants dropped 22%. If Virginia rejoins RGGI, it could provide hundreds of millions of dollars for these programs going forward. In the meantime, about $80 million remains available for weatherization deferral repairs and energy efficiency improvements.
For households who do not qualify for no-cost improvements, there is still some assistance available. Several electric and gas utilities offer reduced cost energy audits and improvements. A 30% federal energy efficiency tax credit, 25C, can save homeowners up to $3,200 on energy efficiency improvements. But the recently passed megabill pushed up the expiration date for this credit to the end of 2025, so people should take advantage of these tax savings now.
Virginia’s own energy department plans to roll out two rebate programs early next year, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. The HOMES program will provide up to $8,000 in rebates for energy efficiency retrofit projects that result in at least 15% energy savings, such as air sealing, installing insulation and an efficient heat pump.
The High Efficiency and Appliance Rebates program will provide upfront rebates for income-qualifying households — up to $14,000 for high efficiency electric appliances such as heat pumps, electric service upgrades, insulation, and heat pump water heaters. Households that take advantage of these programs when they become available should be able to save significantly on their monthly electric bills. The agency will also soon be offering a service called Virginia Energy Connect where households can receive guidance about how to make use of available home energy efficiency programs.
Despite all these programs intended to keep electric bills affordable, Dominion Energy, the state’s largest electric utility, made over 339,000 disconnections in 2024. Roughly 25% of Virginia households are experiencing an energy affordability crisis.
If you are struggling with your monthly bills, contact your local Department of Social Services office for bill pay assistance through LIHEAP or to enroll in a percentage-of-income payment plan. The Department of Housing and Community Development offers a list of weatherization providers you can contact for weatherization of your home. You should also call your elected officials to let them know how critical funding from the RGGI program was to keeping energy bills manageable for households across Virginia, and ask them to return the state to the program as soon as possible.
Matt Allenbaugh lives in Roanoke and is the Virginia Campaign Coordinator at Appalachian Voices.
Connie Wright-Zink lives in Middlebrook and has been a member of the Waynesboro chapter of Virginia Organizing since 2016. She also serves on Virginia Organizing’s statewide Environmental Justice Strategy Committee and was part of a statewide coalition that helped pass utility shutoff protection legislation in 2024.
