Starting in late September, the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) will begin holding a series of public hearings regarding Dominion Energy’s request for a rate hike for North Carolina ratepayers.
Dominion Energy, which provides electricity to nearly 130,000 homes and businesses in the eastern part of the state, announced it filed a request with the NCUC on May 1. The proposed rate hike calls for a 15.42% increase for residential customers and an overall increase in base revenue coming out to $36.8 million. Dominion said that the rate increase could result in an average $17 increase for North Carolina residents.
In South Carolina, where Dominion has filed a similar request, residents crowded into a public hearing explaining that an increase in electric costs could be more than they could bear. “Please do not do this right now, it hurts we will be homeless,” one customer said. Another said, “$20 is enough to make us sweat. That should say a lot.”
Here in North Carolina, Democratic State House Representative Rodney D. Pierce has stated his opposition to the rate hike.
“I am vehemently opposed to Dominion Energy’s proposed rate increase,” Pierce stated in a press release. “The people I represent are already being squeezed from every direction. They simply cannot afford another significant increase in their monthly electric bills.”
The NCUC is already hearing a rate hike request from Duke Energy. Along with rising prices in healthcare, gas and groceries, North Carolina families are feeling a financial squeeze.
“People are already paying more for groceries, gasoline, housing and other necessities,” Pierce said. “Reliable electricity is essential, but it also must be affordable. We cannot continue placing higher costs on working families who are already struggling to make ends meet.”
The NCUC will hold a public hearing on the Dominion Energy rate increase on September 28th starting at 7 p.m. The hearing will be held at the Halifax County Courthouse. Citizens can also submit consumer statements to the utilities commission here and should include the docket number: Docket No. E-22, SUB 765.
Following that, a virtual hearing will be held on October 5th. Citizens can register for the WebEx meeting by filling out the Remote Public Witness Registration; however, only the first 20 individuals to register will be allowed to give their testimony at the remote hearing. Citizens must register before September 25th.
Additionally, the NCUC will hold two more hearings after October 5th, both held at 7 p.m:
- October 13th at the Dare County Commissioners meeting room in Manteo
- October 14th at the Martin County Courthouse in Williamston
