A warming climate in Hampton Roads means longer and hotter summers, and for many, this could mean higher energy bills.
Some areas of Hampton Roads struggle with unaffordable energy bills more than others. Data from the Virginia Poverty Law Center shows ZIP codes with lower median incomes, including parts of Norfolk and Portsmouth, faced heavier burdens than in higher earning ZIP codes in Virginia Beach.
Affordable Energy Coalition, a group of environmental and consumer-advocate nonprofits that advocate for energy policy, defines unaffordable as a household that pays 6% or more of its income on monthly energy bills.
The 23607 ZIP code, which includes downtown Newport News and Marshall Ridley, had the highest rate of electricity burden on the Peninsula, spending 5.8% of the household median income on electricity costs. In the Norfolk ZIP code of 23523, which includes Berkley and Campostella, households spend an average of 6.1% of their median income on electricity bills.
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Excessive heat is a health issue as well as an environmental and economic concern. The number of heat-related illness emergency visits in Virginia was up this summer. From May 1 to September 1, the Virginia Department of Health documented 3,832 heat-related illness cases across the state. That marks a roughly 50% increase from the average, which is 2,548 visits by this time each year.
To combat this, energy groups are encouraging households to invest in energy efficient upgrades and mindful usage habits. At the same time, new housing stock is being built to proactively reduce energy usage.
Virginia Interfaith Power and Light is one group that works with faith leaders and congregations to find ways to upgrade their buildings and homes for energy efficiency. Spokesperson Connor Eppley said this summer, the group received more than the usual number of inquiries about the resources it can provide.
For many buildings, Eppley said solar panels could be a cost-effect improvement. But that isn’t typically an option for renters living in older, less energy efficient homes.
“Especially for renters, too, there’s an even higher energy burden there,” he said. “Oftentimes, if you own a home, you have an incentive to install energy efficiency upgrades to lower your energy bills. But if you are a landlord and you’re renting out to people who pay their own utility bills, there isn’t that same incentive.”
Data from the National Weather Service in Wakefield shows that this year, high temperatures in the Norfolk area reached 90 degrees or higher starting in April, and even in September, temperatures reached 95 degrees. In June and July, cities across the region opened cooling centers to support residents on days with heat advisories.
“Our fall sometimes feels like it’s no longer fall, because it’s in the 90s and 80s in certain parts of the state,” Eppley said.
Coupled with climate shifts, Virginians could also see the cost of electricity climb. The State Corporation Commission is currently reviewing a rate increase request by Dominion Energy that could raise customers’ bills by $21 a month over the next two years.
Cherise Newsome, a spokesperson for Dominion, said there are several strategies residents can use to help bring energy costs down. One strategy is to stay weather aware and know when temperatures might swing into the extremes, whether there’s a heat advisory or a cold snap coming. Another is to adjust thermostats slightly warmer during hotter months and slightly lower during colder months.
Customers can enroll to get alerts for “peak time rebates,” or annual bill credits earned by reducing energy use for just a few hours when demand is high. Customers can also save by upgrading to more efficient appliances and monitoring their usage with alerts.
Newsome said that across Dominion’s customer base, peak energy usage is early in the mornings and between 4 and 7 p.m. —corresponding to times many residents are home from work. Especially in more extreme weather conditions, this can cause a “spike in demand” on the grid, which is going to cause appliances to work harder to draw the energy they need, and this can drive up usage and bill costs.
“When they’re home during those extreme temperatures, they’re running their AC or their heating systems,” Newsome said. “You might be gone from your home for a significant portion of the day, but the time when you are home, you are typically using more of the energy.”
Some Dominion customers may also qualify for assistance programs.
Laura Kelly, marketing and communications director for the Dragas Companies, a homebuilder in Hampton Roads, said builders are also looking at energy efficiency when designing new homes.
Some of those features include efficient windows, enhanced air-sealing, high-efficiency heat pumps and furnaces, insulated garage doors, low-flow plumbing fixtures, high-efficacy lamps, and more efficient appliances.
“Most buyers don’t come in with energy efficiency top of mind — they’re often focused on floorplans and features that new homes offer compared to resales,” Kelly said. “But once we highlight the energy-efficient features built into our homes, buyers get excited and quickly see the value. For many, it’s the savings they’ll see on utility bills; for others, it’s the positive impact on the environment. Either way, the conversation shifts, and energy efficiency becomes a real selling point.”
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
