Virginia business electricity choice

Virginia expanded this market on 1 July 2026: any nonresidential Dominion or Appalachian Power customer with more than 5 MW of peak demand — alone or aggregated with others — can now petition the SCC to buy from a competitive supplier, with no cap on how many can do so. It's a genuinely new opportunity for large commercial accounts.

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At a glance

Virginia in the national picture.

Regulator: Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC)
Benchmark rate is called: The SCC-approved competitive supply
Open to supplier choice: Electricity only
Who can switch: Business and industrial accounts only — no residential choice

This state We compare rates here Not open to supplier choice

Your utility

Rates are set territory by territory.

Whoever sends your bill today keeps delivering your energy after a switch. What changes is who supplies it. Find yours below — the benchmark you are comparing against is theirs, not the state's.

Electric utilities

Dominion Energy
Appalachian Power

Reading an offer

What to check before signing anything in Virginia.

HB 921 changed this

Signed April 2026 and effective 1 July 2026, this law removed the old aggregate cap on competitive supply for large accounts.

The 5 MW threshold

Aggregation is allowed — several smaller accounts can combine to clear the 5 MW bar together.

Shorter exit notice

The required notice to return to your utility dropped from five years to eighteen months, which lowers the risk of trying competitive supply.

Still SCC-supervised

The State Corporation Commission approves supplier licenses and resolves disputes — this isn't an unregulated free-for-all.

Your fixed contract rate Utility default rate Where the fixed rate is ahead

Illustrative. It shows how the two rate types behave — the default rate resets on a schedule, a fixed rate does not — rather than any specific quote. Note the first six months: locking in is not always cheaper on day one. The case for it is the resets you avoid later.

Fixed vs. variable

Why the reset schedule matters here.

Virginia expanded this market on 1 July 2026: any nonresidential Dominion or Appalachian Power customer with more than 5 MW of peak demand — alone or aggregated with others — can now petition the SCC to buy from a competitive supplier, with no cap on how many can do so. It's a genuinely new opportunity for large commercial accounts.

A fixed contract holds one number straight through those resets. That is what you are actually buying — not a lower rate on day one, but the resets you never feel.

How this works

How to use Virginia's new competitive market.

01

Check the 5 MW threshold

Eligibility is based on peak demand over 5 MW, alone or aggregated across two or more accounts. We calculate this from your load data.
02

Petition the SCC

Dominion and Appalachian Power customers file for approval through the State Corporation Commission. As of July 2026 there's no cap on how many accounts can do this.
03

Contract with a competitive supplier

Once approved, you can buy from a licensed retail supplier instead of your utility's default service.

Other markets we cover

Find out if Virginia's market works for your account.

Send one recent bill and we will come back with what your account qualifies for today. No cost, and no obligation to switch.

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