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Virginia Electricity Prices

Average retail price by sector.

Residential
17.64¢ /kWh
▲ 11.4%vs. last year
Commercial
11.14¢ /kWh
▲ 17.8%vs. last year
Industrial
9.98¢ /kWh
▲ 6.6%vs. last year

Data current through August 2026 — the latest available from the U.S. EIA, which publishes monthly figures on a roughly two-month delay.

Average monthly bill

Full bill breakdown →
$177per month▲ 12.7% vs. the year before

16.64¢/kWh × 1,066 kWh a month. Residential revenue divided by residential customers, averaged over the 12 months to August 2026 — the 7th highest among the 50 states and DC.

Compared with the U.S. and neighboring states

Average monthly residential electricity bill, in US dollars
Virginia
$177
U.S. average
$158
Maryland
$212
West Virginia
$164
Tennessee
$163
District of Columbia
$155
Kentucky
$155
North Carolina
$154

Virginia is $19 a month above (+12.0%) the U.S. average of $158. Average monthly bill, September 2025 – August 2026.

How Virginia makes its electricity

Fuel mix & trend since 2001 →Power plants →
Renewable
13.9%
Carbon-free
40.7%
Largest source
Natural gas 56%
Virginia electricity generation by source, September 2025 – August 2026
SourceShareGeneration
Natural gas56.2%58,388 GWh
Coal3.6%3,698 GWh
Nuclear26.9%27,910 GWh
Wind0.0%46 GWh
Solar9.4%9,756 GWh
Hydro1.0%1,005 GWh
Other3.0%3,132 GWh

103.9 TWh of net generation over the 12 months to August 2026. Generation, not consumption — power crosses state lines.

Virginia electricity prices in context

Residential electricity in Virginia costs 17.64¢/kWh as of August 2026, ranking it 20th most expensive among the 50 states and DC. This is slightly below the national average of 18.16¢/kWh, a difference of 0.52¢/kWh or 2.9%. Among bordering states, Virginia sits in the middle: more expensive than North Carolina at 14.95¢/kWh, Kentucky at 13.80¢/kWh, and Tennessee at 13.42¢/kWh, but less expensive than West Virginia at 16.31¢/kWh, Maryland at 21.40¢/kWh, and District of Columbia at 25.98¢/kWh. Commercial and industrial rates are 11.14¢/kWh and 9.98¢/kWh respectively.

The residential rate has risen sharply over the past five years, increasing 38.8% since August 2021 when it was 12.71¢/kWh. Over a longer view, the rate has more than doubled since August 2006 at 9.01¢/kWh, an increase of 95.8%, and nearly tripled since records began in January 2001 at 6.84¢/kWh, up 157.9%. The current rate of 17.64¢/kWh is the highest Virginia has ever recorded.

The average Virginia household pays $177 per month for 1,066 kWh, compared with the national average of $158 for 876 kWh. Though Virginia's rate is below average, higher consumption pushes the typical monthly bill above the national figure.

Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.

12-month trend

ResidentialCommercialIndustrial
5¢10¢15¢20¢Sep '25Dec '25Mar '26May '26Aug '26ResidentialCommercialIndustrial

Price history since 2001

ResidentialCommercialIndustrial
0¢5¢10¢15¢20¢Jan '01Jun '07Nov '13Mar '20Aug '26ResidentialCommercialIndustrial

Average retail price in all three sectors, every month since January 2001.

Residential

Jan '01
6.84¢
Now
17.64¢
Change
▲ 157.9%
Range
6.84–17.64¢

Recent months

MonthResidentialCommercialIndustrial
August 202617.6411.149.98
July 202617.5511.6810.07
June 202617.2210.999.34
May 202617.6110.8410.52
April 202617.3810.339.86
March 202617.0510.1610.25
February 202615.9613.019.98
January 202615.8711.4310.59
December 202515.2710.219.35
November 202515.9410.289.92
October 202516.3610.1510.31
September 202516.629.969.69

Prices in ¢/kWh.

Frequently asked questions

›How much does electricity cost in Virginia?
Residential electricity in Virginia costs 17.64¢ per kilowatt-hour as of August 2026, the 20th highest rate among the 50 states and DC. Commercial customers pay 11.14¢ and industrial customers 9.98¢ per kilowatt-hour.
›Why is electricity relatively cheap in Virginia?
Virginia's residential rate of 17.64¢/kWh is -2.4% versus the U.S. average of 18.07¢/kWh. What a household actually pays also depends on how much it uses: the typical Virginia home consumes 1,066 kWh a month against a national average of 876 kWh, which is why its average bill comes to $177.
›Have electricity prices in Virginia gone up?
Residential electricity in Virginia has risen 157.9% since 2001, reaching 17.64¢/kWh in August 2026. Over the last year alone the change was +11.4%.
›Is electricity cheaper in states neighboring Virginia?
Of the states bordering Virginia, North Carolina has the lowest average monthly bill at $154 and Maryland the highest at $212. Virginia averages $177 a month, against a U.S. average of $158.