BRIDGEPORT — Kim Conrad sat at a table on her porch in Harrison County, flipping through electric bills she could no longer keep up with.
One was for more than $320. Another topped $469 after a missed payment rolled to the next month.
Conrad, who lives on disability income after leaving her full-time job, said the bills compete with groceries, medical costs and the medication she needs after being diagnosed with lung cancer last year.
“It takes food out of my mouth,” she said. “It’s really hard.”
In the midst of an election year, residents across the state continue to point to rising electricity costs as a major challenge. Power bills, they say, are becoming harder to absorb as rates climb faster than household incomes.
Over the past few years, West Virginians repeatedly told lawmakers they were struggling to afford their power bills and wanted relief from increasing utility costs.
Rate increases in West Virginia stem from the state’s continued reliance on coal, lower electricity generation and infrastructure costs to keep old coal-fired power plants online, according to energy policy experts.
But during this year’s legislative session, Republican leadership failed to put bills to freeze or study rates on their committee agendas. They instead opted to prop up the coal industry through tax cuts and mandates to use more coal for electricity generation.
Conrad said she wants power companies and lawmakers to do more to help low-income families, especially those living with disabilities and medical debt.
“For people who are living on a fixed income, they should be able to be on a certain plan that aligns with their income,” she said.
Electric bills are rising across West Virginia
Over the past several years, electric rates for customers of Appalachian Power and FirstEnergy have steadily climbed as utilities sought approval for higher rates tied to coal costs, infrastructure upgrades and the maintenance of aging power plants.
A spokesperson for FirstEnergy said its West Virginia electric rates remain lower than those of other utilities in the state and below rates in neighboring states.
Data shows that residential electric rates have increased by 53% over the past 10 years, much more than in neighboring states such as Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania. And the average West Virginia family spends more than $185 a month on electricity.
A spokesperson for ApCo said the company is actively looking to find ways to control costs while limiting the amount of rate increases it requests.
Both companies pointed to budget billing programs to help customers manage seasonal spikes in their electricity costs.
In some neighboring states, regulators have forced utilities to lower customers’ bills, and other lawmakers have invested in other forms of energy, including natural gas and solar, lowering fuel costs for the companies.
At the same time, West Virginia lawmakers have increasingly pushed to attract large-scale data centers to the state, despite concerns from experts about the strain on the regional electric grid and residents footing the bill to run them.
Lawmakers debated rate relief while investing in coal
During the legislative session, several proposals were introduced to help curb, freeze or study rates.
Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, proposed temporarily freezing electric rates for residential customers for two years. He said it was an issue he heard the most from his constituents.
But House Energy and Public Works Committee Chair Del. Bill Anderson, R-Wood, never placed the bill on his agenda.
Anderson said he believed the proposal conflicted with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows utilities to recover their costs and earn a reasonable return on investments.
To help keep rates stable, he said he refused to put legislation on his agenda that would’ve forced coal-fired power plants to operate at a higher capacity regardless of market demand.
Sen. Laura Chapman, R-Ohio, proposed a bill that would’ve required the Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator, to study ways to lower costs while also temporarily freezing rates.
But Senate Energy, Industry and Mining Chair Sen. Chris Rose, R-Monongalia, never put the bill on his agenda. Rose did not respond to questions about the bill.
A PSC spokesperson said the commission was “always cognizant and concerned about issues impacting consumers,” but declined to weigh in on whether lawmakers should adopt more affordability protections.
The Republican supermajority instead voted to continue propping up the state’s coal industry.
Stephanie Tomana, a Marion County teacher, said rising utility costs have become another financial strain for her family.
Tomana said she remembers when her husband lost his job several years ago while their oldest daughter was preparing to start college. At times, she said, the family had to weigh paying utility bills against other necessities.
“What’s the end game?” she said. “How many jobs do people have to work so they can pay their electric bill?”
She wants lawmakers to hold state regulators accountable at the PSC for continuing to approve rate hikes despite the cost of electric bills. And the best way to do that, she said, was to pass a law that makes PSC positions elected instead of appointed.
Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, introduced legislation this year to make PSC positions elected. Senate Government Organization Committee Chair Sen. Robbie Morris, R-Randolph, didn’t put it on his committee’s agenda. Morris did not respond to questions.
Woelfel said he wanted voters to elect officials at the PSC because his constituents didn’t feel like they were being heard.
“What we’re looking for is transparency and accountability,” he said. “Rates have skyrocketed.”
Some voters are looking for alternatives
Emily Potesta, who lives in Harrison County, said the increases have slowly reshaped her household budget, and she wants lawmakers and utility regulators to do more to examine why rates continue increasing year after year.
Her electric bill averaged around $80 a month when she bought her home eight years ago. Now, even on a budget payment plan designed to smooth out seasonal spikes, she pays about $150 monthly.
Some of her yearly “catch-up” bills have climbed above $400.
“There’s definitely ramen noodle weeks in the house,” she said.
After years of watching utility bills climb, some West Virginians are trying to find ways to lower their monthly costs on their own.
Some residents have tried to make their homes more energy efficient, while others have had to sell their belongings or cut back on groceries.
In Fairmont, Elizabeth Opyoke said she turned to solar panels after becoming frustrated with steadily increasing electric bills. Five years later, Opyoke said her monthly electric bill is usually about $6, which is the cost of remaining connected to the power grid.
“Our electric rates just kept going up and up and up,” she said.
She said she wants lawmakers to make it easier for residents to access energy options that could lower monthly utility costs, like solar or wind.
“Why can’t we give the people in our state a little breathing room in their electric bills?” she said.
Instead, lawmakers removed solar and wind energy from the state Office of Energy’s comprehensive energy plan while advancing policies to support coal production and expanding power generation for future data center development.
Conrad said she would also like to install solar panels someday after seeing neighbors dramatically reduce their monthly bills.
But first, she needs a new roof.
Replacement siding still sits stacked in her garage while she saves for insulation she hopes will help keep her house cooler during the summer, when her electric bills spike the most.
Until then, she said, every monthly bill forces another calculation about what she can afford to put off.
“Give us a break.”