CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Has your energy bill gone up? High bills is an issue many of our Hampton Roads neighbors have been dealing with and have been reaching out to News 3 about.
Monday, News 3 visited Chesapeake neighbor Erica Hardy at her home to talk with her about her bill. She had a fridge and freezer full of food, but she didn’t know how long it would last.
Watch: Dominion Energy's price hike was approved for 2026. Here's how much your bill could go up
Shortly before News 3 met with her, her power was shut off because she hadn't paid her bill in full.
"Either I’m going to have to try to get somebody to come and get that or give it away," Hardy said about the food.
Making the matter worse, she’s living paycheck to paycheck. She had just spent all of her most recent paycheck, $502, paying part of her electric bill, so she couldn’t afford to re-buy all that food.
Watch: Dominion Energy leaders address bill concerns amid growing concern from residents
After paying the $502, she still owed about $1100 and didn’t know when she would get power back.
"I’m not using that much electricity because I’m gone most of the time," Hardy said, questioning how her bill could be so high.
Faith Booker was in a similar situation. She had lived in her apartment in Newport News since December 10, 2025 and said she at the time News 3 talked with her she owed Dominion over $1,200.
Watch: Bill pay assistance programs available for neighbors experiencing Dominion Energy price hikes
Her first bill alone was over $600.
"Six hundred and nine dollars for a light bill and I had only been here for 27 days," Booker explained. "That is really, really bothering me.”
She had been reaching out to various organizations to try to get help to cover her expenses but as of Monday hadn’t had any luck.
Watch: What to keep in mind with high energy bills this winter
In a Facebook post Monday, News 3 asked our neighbors if their bill had gone up and, if so, by how much. Within three hours, the post had over 1,000 comments and over 400 reactions.
One person said “My bill was $1046 I had a heart attack it was double last year. I don’t know how they expect people to pay these.”
Another person wrote, “Ours went from 450 to 1,000 killing us."
A protest was scheduled to happen Monday afternoon at Dominion's office in Norfolk.
