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When people have to pay too much of their income for their electricity and heat, we call that energy burden. Read more about the devastating effect of energy burden in a case study of Southside Virginia here.

We support efforts to protect families from utility shutoffs and lower the costs of electricity.

We want the General Assembly to pass:

• Prohibition of utility shutoffs during extreme weather, including extreme heat and cold.
• The Affordable Energy Act, which restores the historic regulatory authority of the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to adjust investor-owned utilities’ electricity rates.

On January 6, members of the New River Valley Chapter met with Senator John Edwards to talk about our legislative priorities. Members asked him to sponsor a Senate version of a bill that Delegate Irene Shin has written to protect people from utility shutoffs during extreme weather. Senator Edwards agreed to co-sponsor the bill, so now it will be considered in both houses.

We will be following the progress of this bill over the next few weeks, and we’ll keep you updated.