Richmond electric bills up 36% since 2022, new data shows
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Most Richmonders are paying about 36% more for their home electric bills than they were four years ago, per a new Axios analysis of data collected and shared by climate newsroom Heatmap News.
Why it matters: Tensions over rising energy bills and power-hungry AI data centers are emerging as a key political issue, and they should be a potent force in this year's midterms.
- Americans are also paying more for other forms of energy, like auto gas, amid the Iran war — though the ceasefire deal could lead to some relief, if it holds.
By the numbers: The average estimated power bill for most Richmonders was $178/month last month, per Heatmap News.
- That's up from the average $156/month Richmonders were paying last year.
- And up 35.7% since March 2022.
Nationwide, Americans spent an average estimated $158/month on their home electric bills last year, up 24% from 2022.
Stunning stat: Nantucket County, Massachusetts ($296); San Francisco County, California ($282) and Nobles County, Minnesota ($273) had the highest estimated average monthly electric bills in the continental U.S. across 2025.
The intrigue: Virginia, including Dominion Energy customers in Richmond, has been insulated from some of the steep electricity spikes that other mid-Atlantic states have seen in recent years, Heatmap News reports.
- That's because Dominion generates more of its own energy than many other states and it relies on a variety of energy sources, especially nuclear and natural gas, to create it.
- That means Dominion doesn't have to rely as much on buying its energy from the region's wholesale electricity market, PJM Interconnection.
For example, Dominion customers' bills went up by about 11.6% this year, per Heatmap.
- Electricity users in Maryland and D.C., meanwhile, saw theirs go up by 21.4% and 25.2%, respectively.
Yes, but: Higher bills are higher bills, and Dominion Energy customers' are hitting the ceiling on what they're willing to tolerate, especially since the most recent rate hike kicked in this year, Heatmap notes.
What we're watching: Whether efforts to contain energy prices — including forcing tech companies to foot the bill for their AI power needs — actually work.
Keep reading for Heatmap's methodology