West Virginia electricity rates & utilities
We track 4 West Virginia utilities and the rate cases at the Public Service Commission of West Virginia. West Virginia has no residential supplier choice — so we focus on tracking rate cases.
West Virginia electricity prices by the numbers
Avg residential price
15.41¢/kWh
2025 · EIA
Change since 2019
+37%
+9% after inflation
Steepest single year
+8.9%
2021→2022
Prices: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Real change uses U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U).
What's driving West Virginia electricity prices
West Virginia has some of the fastest-rising electricity bills in the country — residential prices climbed roughly 34% from 2019 to 2024 — and the main reason is coal: about 86% of the state's power came from coal in 2023, so when coal prices spike, customers feel it directly through the PSC's fuel-cost (ENEC) cases. — Ohio River Valley Institute.
Keeping aging coal plants running adds surcharges too: a 2025 PSC settlement approved a roughly $142 million federal wastewater-compliance (ELG) program at Mon Power's Harrison and Fort Martin plants, recovered as a monthly charge — even as Fort Martin is slated to retire in 2035 and Harrison in 2040. — FirstEnergy / WV Gazette-Mail.
How electricity rates work in West Virginia
West Virginia works like Virginia, not like the shopping states: residential customers do NOT have retail electric choice — you can't pick a competitive supplier. Your utility provides bundled service at a regulated rate.
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) reviews and approves what each utility can charge. When a utility wants more revenue, it files a rate case at the PSC.
Because there's no third-party supplier to compare against, our bill-audit tool doesn't apply in West Virginia. What we do here is track the PSC rate cases so you can see what's proposed and what it means for your bill.
What you can do: There's no supplier to switch in West Virginia — your rate is set by the PSC. Watch the rate cases (and sign up for alerts) so an increase doesn't surprise you, and file a public comment at the PSC if you want your voice heard.
Who's who on your West Virginia electric bill
Four different players decide what you pay. Here's each one, in plain English:
Your utility — the "distributor"
The company that owns the poles and wires and physically delivers power to your home — the name on your bill (in West Virginia, one of the utilities listed below, like Appalachian Power (APCo)). This part is a regulated monopoly: only it delivers in your area, and the WV PSC sets what it can charge for delivery. You can't shop the delivery part.
Generation — the "supply"
The electricity itself (also called supply or generation). In West Virginia you can't shop this part — your utility provides it at a regulated rate the WV PSC approves.
PJM — the "grid operator"
The independent operator that runs the regional high-voltage grid for West Virginia and 12 other states. It's like air-traffic control for electricity — it keeps enough power flowing across the whole region. Its wholesale costs flow through your utility into your bill. (More below.)
The WV PSC — the "regulator"
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is the state agency that reviews and approves utility rate increases. When a utility wants to charge more, it files a "rate case" here — which is exactly what we track.
Putting it together: when you turn on a light in West Virginia, the electricity was produced by power plants, routed across the region by PJM, and delivered to your house over Appalachian Power (APCo)'s wires (your distributor). Your bill charges you for both the supply (the electricity) and the delivery (the wires). The WV PSC approves the whole regulated rate.
What is "PJM" and its "capacity market"? (plain English)
PJM is the independent operator that runs the high-voltage power grid for 13 states and Washington, D.C. — including yours. Think of it as air-traffic control for electricity: it doesn't own power plants or your wires, but it makes sure enough electricity is flowing across the whole region every second of the day. The wholesale costs PJM sets get passed through your utility into your bill.
The capacity market is a separate, once-a-year auction PJM runs. Instead of paying for electricity you use, it pays power plants just to promise they'll be ready on the few hottest or coldest days when demand peaks. That promise is called "capacity." It's like paying a backup generator a retainer to stay on standby — you pay even in months you never need it.
Why it matters now: when PJM expects demand to jump, those standby payments spike. Demand is jumping largely because of data centers, and PJM's recent capacity auctions hit record highs three times in a row. Utilities pass that cost straight to customers — which is a big reason bills across all five states we cover are rising. Sources: PJM; PJM Independent Market Monitor (Monitoring Analytics).
West Virginia electricity prices over time
The average West Virginia residential electricity price went from 11.25¢/kWh in 2019 to 15.41¢/kWh in 2025 — up 37%.
West Virginia utilities we cover
- Appalachian Power (APCo)
regulated rate
- Mon Power
regulated rate
- Potomac Edison (West Virginia)
regulated rate
- Wheeling Power
regulated rate
Coverage note: We track West Virginia's investor-owned utilities — Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power (both AEP), and Mon Power and Potomac Edison (both FirstEnergy). We don't cover the state's rural electric cooperatives or municipal systems, which set rates outside the PSC's standard process.
Rate cases & increases
No active rate cases in our tracker for West Virginia right now. We monitor the WV PSC dockets — get an alert when one is filed.