Here’s How to Have Your Say (Including a Hearing in Manteo)
Property taxes are up. Insurance premiums are up. Groceries, healthcare, and everyday household costs keep climbing. Now Dominion Energy North Carolina wants to raise electric rates too — and residential customers are being asked to shoulder a bigger increase than anyone else. Here’s what’s happening, the real numbers, and exactly how to weigh in — including a public hearing right here in Dare County.
What’s Happening
On April 30, 2026, Virginia Electric and Power Company, doing business as Dominion Energy North Carolina (DENC), filed an application with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) requesting authority to raise the rates it charges for retail electric service — docketed as Docket No. E-22, Sub 765. Because Dominion operates as a regulated monopoly, it can’t simply set its own prices: it has to prove to the Commission that its requested rates are just, reasonable, and in the public interest.
The Numbers
DENC is seeking a total revenue increase of approximately $37 million, an 11.99% increase over current base rates. But that average hides an important detail: residential customers aren’t being asked to shoulder an average increase — they’re being asked to shoulder the largest one of any customer class.
- Residential customers: a 15.42% increase — $25.87 million of the total $36.8 million requested increase
- Overall system-wide average: 99%
- Outdoor/streetlight customers: 75%, the single largest percentage increase of any class
In other words, households are being asked to absorb a disproportionate share of this increase compared to large commercial and industrial customers. And there’s more to watch for: DENC has indicated it plans a follow-up filing in September 2026 with new expenditures that will likely push the requested rates even higher than what’s reflected here.
What DENC Says the Money Is For
According to the filing, DENC attributes the request to investments made since its last rate case in 2024, including:
- Nuclear fleet investments to maintain safe, reliable, and efficient operation
- Fossil fleet investments for continued reliability and to uprate certain natural gas units
- Renewable energy and battery storage, including hydro, biomass, solar, and offshore wind
- Transmission and distribution infrastructure expansion across North Carolina
DENC is also seeking a separate annual rider to recover costs tied to the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) Commercial Project — a cost that would come in addition to the base rate increase above.
Key Dates to Know
- December 1, 2026: DENC’s proposed rates take effect on a temporary basis, subject to refund, while the Commission investigates.
- January / February 2027: The Commission expects to make its final determination on the requested increase.
- On or around March 1, 2027: Whatever rates the Commission approves are expected to take effect permanently.
In other words, rates don’t change overnight — but the window to be heard is open now, well before the final decision is made.
Why This Matters — Especially for Homeowners
Electricity isn’t a discretionary expense. It’s what keeps the heat and air conditioning running, the refrigerator cold, and the lights on — a basic cost of owning or renting a home, not an optional line item. A 15.42% increase for residential customers, layered on top of already-elevated property taxes, insurance premiums, and everyday household expenses, adds real pressure to family budgets, retirees on fixed incomes, and small businesses alike.
For anyone thinking about buying, monthly utility costs are part of the real, ongoing cost of homeownership — the number that factors into what a family can comfortably afford well after closing day. For current homeowners, it’s one more rising cost stacked on top of several others this year, and residential customers are being asked to absorb more of it than most.
How to Make Your Voice Heard
The Commission has laid out two ways to participate — you don’t have to do both, and neither is required, but either one puts your voice on the record.
Option A: Submit a written comment (about two minutes)
- Go to gov/contactus.html and open the online comment form.
- Copy and paste a consumer statement like the one below into the form, and include the docket number, E-22, Sub 765, at the top.
- Add your name and your city in North Carolina, then submit.
Option B: Testify at a public hearing
Your testimony becomes part of the official evidence the Commission considers. Four hearings are scheduled, all at 7:00 p.m.:
| Date & Time | Location | Town / City |
| Mon, Sept 28, 2026 | Halifax County Courthouse, District Courtroom, 357 Ferrell Lane | Halifax, NC 27839 |
| Mon, Oct 5, 2026 | Remote via WebEx — register by 5:00 p.m., Sept 25, 2026 (first 20 registrants only) | Virtual |
| Tue, Oct 13, 2026 | Dare County Commissioners’ Meeting Room, 962 Marshall C Collins Drive | Manteo, NC 27954 |
| Wed, Oct 14, 2026 | Martin County Courthouse, 305 East Main Street | Williamston, NC 27892 |
For anyone local to the Outer Banks, the Manteo hearing on October 13 is the closest option to home. If you’d rather testify remotely, the WebEx registration deadline is 5:00 p.m. on September 25, 2026 — that hearing is canceled entirely if no one registers by then.
| I respectfully urge the North Carolina Utilities Commission to reject any excessive rate increase requested by Dominion Energy North Carolina in Docket No. E-22, Sub 765. While reliable electric service is essential, any increase must be carefully justified and balanced against the significant financial challenges already facing North Carolina households.
Residents across the state are experiencing continued increases in the cost of living, including higher property taxes, homeowners insurance premiums, food costs, healthcare expenses, housing costs, and other essential household necessities. Electricity is not a discretionary expense; it is a basic necessity that families depend on for heating, cooling, food preservation, medical needs, and daily living. A substantial rate increase would place additional strain on working families, retirees on fixed incomes, low-income households, and small businesses that are already struggling to absorb rising costs. As a regulated monopoly, Dominion Energy North Carolina has an obligation to demonstrate that any requested increase is prudent, necessary, and supported by reasonable cost management efforts. The Commission should carefully scrutinize the application to ensure that customers are not being asked to bear costs that could be reduced through operational efficiencies or other alternatives. At a time when North Carolinians are facing unprecedented increases in property taxes, homeowners insurance, automobile insurance, food, housing, healthcare, and other essential costs, now is not the time to approve a substantial electric rate increase. The Commission should place consumer affordability at the forefront of its decision-making process. Respectfully submitted, [Your Name] [City, North Carolina] |
The Bottom Line
Most rising costs land on your bill with no warning and no way to push back. This one comes with an actual opportunity to be heard before the decision is made. If affordability matters to you — whether you’re a homeowner, a buyer planning ahead, or just someone watching your budget stretch further each year — it’s worth a few minutes to submit a comment or show up in Manteo on October 13.
A quick note if you plan to attend in person: some local courthouses don’t allow electronic devices inside, so bring a printed copy of any prepared statement.
Share this with neighbors, friends, and family across North Carolina. The more voices the Commission hears from, the more it understands what these increases actually mean for the households living with them.
