South Carolina Dominion Energy customers testified Tuesday in a set of Columbia public hearings related to the utility provider's application for a rate increase. Some 35 people, most of who were in opposition to a potential 7.6% hike in electric rates, spoke at the hearings held by the Public Service Commission of South Carolina.
Whether a university instructor, government employee or retired veteran, those who spoke simply felt as though a more expensive bill would strongly impact their financial stability and that of their neighbors.
University of South Carolina Senior Instructor Alanna Breen testified before the commission Tuesday. She said despite her best efforts to stay energy efficient and financially responsible, a single emergency car expense left her financials in question.
"I was down to $28 at one point in my checking account before I got my next paycheck," she said.
Breen, too, said her energy bills "vary wildly" each month. The proposed rate increase would leave her finances — and ability to pay a utility bill — in question.
Dominion offers various rebate and energy financial assistance programs for customers to use. Breen said she appreciated the available programs but would rather not guess on if she could afford her next bill.
"I would like to acknowledge that I now know I can reach out to Dominion to lower my rates or to find assistance, but I prefer to be able to pay my bills," Breen said.
Commission members heard testimony from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and again from 5 p.m. to about 7 p.m. The two hearings came days after Dominion announced a new proposal Friday that altered its rate change plan.
The new request
The changes came from a settlement with groups who had pushed back on the company's original ask.
Initially, the utility provider had requested a rate increase that would have left South Carolina customers paying about $20 more a month based on 1,000 kilowatt-hours of use. Residential customers' average bill would instead increase by about $12 in the revised proposal under consideration by commissioners.
The plan would use $6 million funded by shareholders to "directly assist customers." The figure would be broken down into a one-time allotment of $3 million put toward a bill credit applied this year for residential customers.
An additional $3 million would funnel to payment assistance programs and weatherization projects to assist low-income customers. The $3 million would be divided into $1 million annual funds.
Authorized return on equity, or essentially how efficiently shareholders' equity is used to return profit, decreased from 10.5% in the original proposal to 9.9% in the revised version. Still, the company's revenue would projectedly increase by $207 million a year; Dominion's revenue was set to increase by $322 million annually in its original proposal.
30-year-old Cora Webb — like numerous other speakers — was not aware of the updated proposal when she testified. She came partly to speak on behalf of her siblings and mother who were unaware of the potential rate increase.
She said during testimony that her home's electricity bill has peaked at upwards of $600.
The Columbia resident told South Carolina Public Radio after her testimony that customers should not have to rely on assistance programs or maximum cost-savings to afford electricity.
"Everyone always wants you to look inward. 'What else could you have done better with your life to afford being alive right now?'" she said. "And I just don't think that's fair."
Dominion has said it needs more in revenue to accommodate its growing clientele, update existing infrastructure and recover from ever-present reminders of Hurricane Helene's impact.
The company has added about 23,000 new South Carolina electric customers and invested $1.4 billion into its electric system since 2023, according to a press release regarding the settlement.
Attorney Chad Burgess represents Dominion in the proceedings. He said the public's concerns are not lost on the provider.
"I wanted you to know that it is not lost on the company that a rate request increase is never popular. We certainly — we get it," he said. "I know at least in my own household we watch the budget every month, and the cost of everything is going up."
Burgess, too, said the new rates will not go toward powering data centers or an announced gas plant in Colleton County's Canadys.
In an emailed statement, Dominion's South Carolina Media Relations Director Rhonda O'Banion said the revised proposal stemmed from the company listening to customers.
"Dominion Energy's customers and other stakeholders voiced their concerns, and we listened. The Public Service Commission's approval of the settlement agreements would solidify an accomplishment that all parties can be proud of as we maintain excellent operation performance customers county on every day, keep our rates in South Carolina below the national average and provide even more financial assistance for customers," she said.
Beyond the rate increase
Webb, who spoke at the evening hearing, said she and her neighbors already lived through the burden of Hurricane Helene. She didn't think hurricane-related costs should fall onto customers.
"I had neighbors whose roofs were knocked off, right. And so, who's going through a worse process, the people who have to replace their roof — and figure out and toggle with their insurance company — or Dominion Energy?" she said. "Who can eat that better, a regular person or a corporation?"
Beyond the proposed rate increase, customers expressed frustration with other existing utility-based costs. Electricity price increases are expected to outpace inflation through 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And specific to South Carolina, speakers mentioned that Dominion Energy customers still pay for the V.C. Summer nuclear plant in Jenkinsville after the joint project with Santee Cooper was shut down. The nuclear project is in somewhat of a resurgence as a third party seeks to finish the reactors.
Customers also voiced concern with Dominion CEO Robert Blue's reported $16 million salary. They felt as though the money could be better allocated to support the public.
Enid Campbell was the final speaker of the night. She said the executive pay compensation and request for a rate increase felt oxymoronic.
The commission thanked each customer for their testimony, whether it was delivered in-person or virtually. If approved, the rate increase would begin in July.
Public hearings had also been hosted in North Charleston, Aiken and Bluffton.
