Electricity Rate in Virginia (2026): 17.61c/kWh Average

Virginia electricity averages 17.61 cents per kWh for residential customers as of May 2026, according to the EIA Electric Power Monthly. This is 0.83c below the US average of 18.44c/kWh. The average monthly bill for Virginia households is $162 based on typical usage of 1061 kWh.

Virginia's 17.61c/kWh residential rate (May 2026) sits below the US average of 18.44c, and it has been climbing fast - up about 15.4% year over year. The dominant story is data centers. Northern Virginia's Loudoun County, anchored by Ashburn, is the largest concentration of data centers on earth - known as "Data Center Alley" - with roughly 200 facilities operating and over 100 more in development, and statewide commercial electricity sales have soared as AI and cloud build-out accelerates. Dominion Energy serves about two-thirds of the state as a regulated monopoly overseen by the State Corporation Commission (SCC), while Appalachian Power serves the southwest. In late 2025 the SCC approved a Dominion rate increase adding roughly $11 a month to the typical residential bill in 2026 (well below what Dominion requested), and it created a new large-load rate class - effective January 2027 - requiring data centers and other very large customers to pay for at least 85% of their contracted transmission and distribution demand and 60% of generation demand, a structure designed to keep the cost of grid expansion from landing on households. Virginia's generation leans on natural gas and a large nuclear fleet (the North Anna and Surry stations).

Generation mix: Natural gas 45%, nuclear 35%, renewables 15%, coal 5%. The fuel mix is a primary driver of electricity rates - states with abundant hydro or nuclear tend to have lower rates, while states dependent on imported petroleum (Hawaii) or natural gas pay more.

Year-over-year change: Virginia rates rose 15.4% year-over-year as of May 2026. This compares to the US average increase of 6.2% over the same period.