power you can afford
Building an affordable and fair energy future for every Virginian
Virginia’s energy system is rigged against us. Families and small businesses pay the price while monopoly utilities and wealthy corporations rake in record profits. Dominion Energy, Appalachian Power, and Big Tech have turned Virginia’s energy laws into tools for their own gain, driving up bills, blocking competition, and polluting our communities.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We can build a fair, affordable energy future where the rules work for people, not corporate monopolies. The Power You Can Afford platform lays out five pillars of reform to lower bills, hold utilities accountable, and make sure every Virginian has access to reliable, clean power.
Add your name to demand real change. Together, we can take back control from monopoly utilities and create an energy system that puts people first.
fairness
Require utility planning that centers energy efficiency, demand response and least-cost new technologies.
Set profit levels fairly to ensure customers are not charged more simply to inflate utility earnings beyond those of comparable private businesses. Electricity is an essential service, and utilities must not exploit their monopoly position to earn excessive profits.
Remove political costs (lobbying, advertising, donations) from customer bills.
Limit rate adjustment clauses (RACs) and return most costs to base rates to ensure transparency and sufficient oversight over how utilities spend customer money.
Extend the time between utility rate reviews to keep costs in check and facilitate better utility budgeting while lowering regulatory expenses.
Break the link between electricity sales and profits (“decoupling”) so that utilities are not incentivized to spend more than necessary just to increase their profits.
Instead, incentivize utilities to advance goals in the public interest like efficiency and distributed clean energy.
Virginians shouldn’t have to pay more because utilities rig the rules.
2. responsibility
Make data centers pay their fair share of the costs for grid upgrades and energy generation.
Tie any incentives for data centers to strong efficiency standards.
Require data centers to fund clean energy generation and build battery storage and solar on-site.
Give the state more oversight over new data center energy use to facilitate holistic planning and manage regional impacts.
Expand battery storage, efficiency and carbon-free demand response requirements for data centers to reduce strain on the power grid.
Wealthy data center corporations should carry their fair share.
3. Protection
Virginians should be shielded from the rising costs of fossil fuels.
Share fuel cost risks between utility customers and shareholders to reduce bill spikes and encourage utilities to better manage costs. Right now, customers bear the full risk of high fuel costs.
Stop utilities from overcharging customers for fossil fuels when cheaper energy is available.
Expand rooftop and parking lot solar and local renewable energy.
Speed up approvals for renewable projects.
Allow local governments and other large customers to shop for clean energy.
4. relief
Families need help now.
Strengthen low-income energy assistance programs (LIHEAP and WAP).
Establish a data center tax to fund household energy relief, new clean energy and grid improvements.
Allow on-bill financing so families can access energy efficiency upgrades with no upfront costs.
5. Accountability
State government should answer to people’s needs before corporate profits.
Ban corporate political contributions.
Enact contribution limits for individuals, political parties and PACs.
Pass comprehensive reform to promote transparent political spending and effective campaign finance enforcement.