Electricity rates for people across the country are rapidly increasing, especially in West Virginia, as the state has one of the fastest-rising residential power rates in the country.
In West Virginia, the average price of electricity for residential ratepayers increased by nearly 34% between 2019 and 2024, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
A variety of factors have contributed to the soaring electricity prices facing West Virginians, including the state’s continued reliance on coal even as cheaper alternative energy sources have emerged. The growing number of data centers in the region has also played a part in the higher power bills. And West Virginia’s declining population has exacerbated those increased costs.
But this could get worse as lawmakers continue to seek ways to double down on coal.
In West Virginia, 37% of households are considered energy-burdened, meaning they spend more than 6% of their household income on electricity and other power-related costs, according to the recent Statewide Housing Needs Assessment by the state Housing Development Fund.
The report also found that out of the roughly 266,000 burdened households, 20% of them are low-income and have among the highest energy costs in West Virginia.
She is delaying car repairs and selling possessions to pay her bills
Last fall, Dwan Marcum had to decide whether or not to sign her seven-year-old daughter up for cheerleading. She opted not to.
“I was afraid to take that $75 and pay that fee for her to play, because that $75, that can go toward my electric bill,” she said.
But that is only one of the many sacrifices Marcum and her family have had to make this year to help manage their family’s growing power costs.
Marcum lives in Genoa with her husband and kids. Between the two of them, they have eight children, spanning in ages from 21 to seven. The stay-at-home mom has considered taking on a job to supplement her husband’s income and to cover their family’s rising power bill, but decided against it because that would ultimately cost them more in child care.
In December, Marcum sold off a few of her rings, a pair of earrings and a bracelet to pay her family’s electric bill. But the $450 she got in return wasn’t enough to cover her $610 bill, once a fraction of what it is now.
“When your electric bill is higher than your house payment, there’s something wrong,” she said.
Before that, she sold off a few family collectibles to help cover another electric bill. Her family has exhausted the one-time payment plan option. She’s also borrowed money from one of the “buy now, pay later” services to pay off power costs.
And now, she’s continuing to push off buying necessary car repairs just in case she needs that money to cover a future bill.
“We shouldn’t have to be having payment assistance for something that is a necessity,” Marcum said.
She also worries for her family, adding that she’s “not the only one that’s had to do these things.”
Earlier in the year, her in-laws held a yard sale, selling their things in order to pay off their electricity bill. A few months later, her mother-in-law went without her blood pressure medicine for two weeks, so they could use that money to cover their power costs.
Marcum’s next power bill is forecasted to be more than $700, which will leave them with roughly $100 of one of her husband’s paychecks.
“It shouldn’t take a whole check or more to pay an electric bill,” she said.
She bought energy-saving appliances, but they didn’t help with her bill
Sixty-two-year-old Debbie Allen was on her way back from a surgery to get a defibrillator implant when she got her power bill for December. It was for $980, nearly five times higher than her November bill.
A higher power bill in the winter isn’t completely unusual for the Wayne County resident, whose power costs often range between $400 to $500. But it’s never been as high as it was in December.
Allen, a widow, lives alone most of the year while her 21-year-old daughter is away at school. She leaves most things unplugged and keeps her furnace turned down. Allen has also replaced her old appliances with new, energy-efficient ones to help save on her power bill.
“It’s supposed to be energy saving,” she said. “That doesn’t sound like I saved any energy.”
Two years ago, without her husband and reliant on her Social Security payments, Allen began looking at ways to lower her power bills. The average winter power bills felt excessive for one person. After people she knew mentioned that aging appliances in her home of 41 years could be a power drain, she began replacing them.
Allen began with her furnace, then a new breaker box. She later replaced her refrigerator, then a stove, washer and dryer.
But, even then, “Nothing’s helping,” Allen said. “Nothing’s helping the bill.”
When she tried to find out what led to the exorbitant December bill, she didn’t get an answer. After multiple calls, Allen was told it was due to power surges, but she hasn’t been able to find anyone who can help stop them from running up her power costs.
In the meantime, Allen is left to figure out how to cover the nearly $1,000 bill.
“If every month it’s like that, how do you keep paying that?” she said.
The unexpected bill left her skimping on Christmas this year. She didn’t buy anything for her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews because she couldn’t afford it.
“We just decided not to buy for each other because it was just too hard on me,” Allen said.
He dipped into the grocery money to cover his electricity bill
Brandon Cannon’s power bill has been incrementally growing over the past few years, but a power bill for $745 last January caught him by surprise.
Cannon shares a townhouse in Martinsburg with three roommates and his two boa constrictors. He’s aware that his pets can be a drain on his power costs because they need specific heating and lighting. But his power bill has never been as high as it was last January.
And while the power bill is split four ways, he pays half of it — covering both his and his girlfriend’s portions. So the bill, more than double what he and his roommates typically pay, left Cannon scrambling.
The 23-year-old began wrapping his windows with cling wrap to retain the heat in his home. He and his roommates stopped using their central heating system to save on their power costs. Instead, Cannon used the oven as a heating source. He also used ceramic candles to heat smaller rooms in his home.
Cannon went without hot water, using only cold water for everything, including to shower and do his dishes and laundry. He also dried his clothes with his oven or over the same candles he used for heat.
“It was awful,” he said.
His roommates also had to make do. They fell behind on their car maintenance and stopped going to the gym.
To pay off his portion of the $700 power bill, Cannon dipped into the money he would have otherwise used for food.
“I didn’t have the money for it,” he said. “I had to forgo getting proper groceries. Instead, eating ramen for a while, actually.”