How the Dominion Energy South Carolina Settlement Affects Bills

The Dominion Energy South Carolina rate increase now before state regulators would raise a typical residential customer’s monthly electric bill by about $12, or 7.62%, if the Public Service Commission approves the May 2026 settlement. The average residential bill would move from roughly $157 to $169, with new rates taking effect July 1, 2026.¹²

What the Change Looks Like on Your Bill

The $12 figure is based on a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month. Your actual increase will scale with how much electricity you use. Commercial and industrial customers see different percentages under the utility’s rate structure; the original filing proposed a 5.9% commercial increase and 14.9% industrial increase, though the settlement reduced the overall revenue requirement across all classes.³

If the commission signs off, the new rates begin July 1, 2026. Under South Carolina law, the utility cannot start charging the higher amount until the commission issues a formal approval order.⁴

How the Increase Shrank From $20 a Month

Dominion filed its application on January 2, 2026, asking for $322 million in additional annual revenue. That request would have added about $20 a month, or 12.73%, to a typical residential bill. The company said the money was needed for grid upgrades, infrastructure maintenance, projected demand growth of 25% by 2044, and about $120 million in Hurricane Helene recovery costs, part of roughly $1.4 billion invested in its South Carolina system since March 2024.³⁵⁶

On May 8, 2026, Dominion and nearly every intervening party in the case, including the Office of Regulatory Staff, the Department of Consumer Affairs, AARP, the Sierra Club, and large customers such as Walmart and Google, filed a settlement that cut the revenue increase to $207 million, about 36% below the original ask. The approved return on equity dropped to 9.99% from the 10.5% the company requested.⁷¹

What Else the Settlement Does for Customers

Beyond the smaller base increase, the deal commits $6 million in shareholder-funded assistance. Residential customers would receive a one-time $3 million bill credit, and another $1 million per year for three years would go to low-income assistance and weatherization programs.¹

Solar customers get specific protection: the settlement improves “time of use” period restrictions so that households with rooftop solar can still lower their bills through self-generation.⁷ A separate stipulation addresses how the utility should set rates for very large users such as data centers, which could shift more of future infrastructure costs onto those customers rather than ordinary households.⁸

Is It Final Yet?

Not as of mid-June 2026. The docket remains open. The Office of Regulatory Staff filed a joint proposed order along with the revenue requirement stipulation and the large load stipulation on June 8, 2026, and a commission directive issued three days later scheduled the case for final disposition. The commission continues to accept letters of protest and public comments.⁸

Until the commission issues a final order, your current rates remain in place.⁴

The V.C. Summer Charge Is Separate

The 7.62% increase sits on top of a surcharge Dominion customers already pay for the abandoned V.C. Summer nuclear project. That surcharge equals roughly 5.6% of the monthly bill and services approximately $2.3 billion in remaining project debt. Payments are expected to continue for about 15 more years. Nothing in the current settlement changes that charge, and several customers raised it during public testimony on the 2026 case.⁹¹⁰

1
Dominion Energy. Dominion Energy South Carolina Files Comprehensive Settlements of General Electric Rate Case
2
Financial Times Markets. Dominion Energy South Carolina Settlement Press Release
3
WIS-TV. Dominion Energy Files to Increase Electric Rates for SC Customers
4
SC Office of Regulatory Staff. How the Rate Case Process Works
5
Live 5 News. Public Hearings Start as SC Residents Weigh Dominion Rate Hike Request
6
SC Daily Gazette. Dominion Energy Settles on Proposed 7% Electricity Rate Hike in SC
7
Southern Environmental Law Center. Groups Reach Settlement With Dominion Energy That Lowers Rate Increase
8
SC Public Service Commission. Docket No. 2025-325-E
9
SC Daily Gazette. How Much SC Power Customers Are Still Paying for a Failed Nuclear Project
10
South Carolina Public Radio. Dominion Energy Customers Speak on Proposed Rate Increase Ahead of Potential July Adoption