RICHMOND, Va. – Appalachian Electric Power (AEP) has responded to a bill introduced in the 2025 session of the Virginia General Assembly that could give Virginia AEP customers an option to find another electricity provider.
The AEP Accountability Act was filed by state Sen. Travis Hackworth, R-Tazewell County, and, if passed, will allow residential customers whose electric bills are more than 25 percent above the statewide average to start the process of choosing a different provider.
Hackworth said AEP rates have increased more than 100 percent over the past four years and he has met with AEP officials but his pleas for cooperation have fallen on deaf ears.
However, George Porter, AEP Communications Director in Virginia, said rates have not increased that much over the last four years and Virginia has the 14th lowest rates in the nation.
“It is difficult to respond to a bill we haven’t seen yet and contains ideas that the Senators have never discussed with us. We do not doubt that the Senators share our commitment to reliable service at affordable rates and hope we can work toward realistic solutions that can help meet these goals,” Porter said in the response.
But Hackworth said the AEP response is “more of the same” and he said the company is tone deaf to the suffering of customers.
Hackworth also said the State Corporation Commission provided him with data that shows in 2024 AEP customers paid approximately $40 more per month than Dominion Energy customers per 1,000 kWh used.
“I met with AEP as recently as this week to discuss potential legislation that I was filing to remedy this issue for my region of the state, so the bill is not a shock to them. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the General Assembly this session to bring AEP to the table to address this top priority and provide much needed relief for Southwest Virginians,” Hackworth said.
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