Ask a Virginia restaurant owner how business is going or a local family about their monthly bills, and the answer is becoming more consistent: energy costs are putting real pressure on already tight budgets. At the Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce, we hear it every day. Our membership spans over 1,000 Black-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, corporate partners and community leaders across the commonwealth. From retail stores to salons to logistics companies, rising energy costs are showing up in operating expenses, hiring decisions and long-term sustainability.
This isn’t a new issue, but it is becoming a more urgent one. Across Virginia, hundreds of thousands of households are considered energy burdened, meaning a significant portion of their income goes toward keeping the lights on. For many families, that creates difficult tradeoffs between utilities and other essential needs. For small business owners, it shows up differently, but just as critically. When overhead increases, margins shrink. When margins shrink, growth slows.
For many of the entrepreneurs we serve, especially those who are under-resourced, this becomes more than a cost issue. It becomes a barrier to entry and a barrier to scale. At the same time, Virginia’s energy demand continues to grow. As the commonwealth expands its position as a hub for innovation, technology and infrastructure, that growth brings opportunity. It also brings increased demand on the energy system that powers it all.
The conversation we need to be having is not about choosing one path over another. It is about alignment. Through our Expanding Business Ecosystems Business Accelerator, we work directly with entrepreneurs building real businesses in real time. We see how operational costs, including energy, impact their ability to hire, invest and compete. Affordable and reliable energy is not a secondary issue. It is foundational to economic growth. Virginia has made progress in advancing energy efficiency and consumer-focused policies. That matters. At the same time, business owners and families are still feeling the pressure. That tells us there is more work to do.
What we are hearing consistently across our network is a desire for a balanced approach. One that prioritizes reliability, affordability and long-term sustainability. One that considers the full energy ecosystem, including renewables, traditional sources and emerging technologies, while also continuing to modernize the grid and improve efficiency. This is not about politics. It is about practicality. If Virginia is going to continue to grow, attract industry and support small businesses at scale, our energy strategy has to keep pace with demand. That requires thoughtful collaboration between policymakers, energy providers and the business community.
As we look ahead to the next General Assembly session, there is a real opportunity to align around solutions that support both economic growth and energy stability. Small businesses are not asking for perfection. They are asking for predictability. They are asking for affordability. And most importantly, they are asking to be part of the conversation. Because when small businesses can grow, Virginia grows with them.
Ernisha Hall serves as president and CEO of the Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce. Beyond her work with the chamber, Ernisha serves on the Virginia African American Advisory Board to the Governor of Virginia.
