Long days of overtime, second jobs and scrimping and saving to pay monthly electrical bills quickly mean nothing when South Carolina experiences the kind of weather it saw this winter.

Cold weather almost always means higher bills, sometimes much higher.

Now, Dominion Energy, which provides power to much of the state, filed a request on Jan 2. to increase electric rates for customers by 12.7%. Dominion said it needs more money to continue providing good service.

Residents have already seen increases in their bills over the past six months, and it is getting harder to afford, West Columbia resident Nichael Lessey said. Lessey spoke to a reporter because the bills are an issue that directly affect her and she knows she has to save energy now to prepare for the more-expensive winter months.

“If I sit there and think, ‘Oh, how am I going to pay this bill,’ it will make me frustrated and get stressed out,” Lessey said.

Lessey tries to limit the amount of things being used to keep her bill down. Small things such as opening the windows and keeping the lights off help.

As a single mother, she has to remind her son to turn off the lights, unplug ports and be mindful of what he is doing.

Thermostats are everything. 

“I have to literally limit the usage of my unit so my rates won’t go high,” Lessey said. “The air could go on, but I will not do that because my rate will go up.”

Cold weather increases energy usage without people changing their thermostats, said Ashley Cunningham, senior communications specialist for Dominion Energy. Heating systems make up about 50% of energy bills and can cause bills to rise, she said.

“Recent winter storms caused temperatures to plunge to near-historic lows, and heating systems worked around the clock to keep homes and businesses warm,” Cunningham said. “Some customers are seeing higher-than-typical energy bills as a result.”

The Public Service Commission of South Carolina receives requests to approve rate increases. Dominion Energy’s last approval started in May 2025 for commercial electronic rates. The PSC is holding in-person and virtual public hearings around the state starting March 31.

Payment arrangements help keep appliances on so Lessey and her son can have fresh food. Having food spoil can be an extra cost that could be avoided, Lessey said.

“You have to somewhat maintain whatever payment arrangements you have to make in order to keep up so you can have electricity,” Lessey said.

The rate increases are not necessary and will make things harder, Lessey said.

There are people who already struggle with the current rates, and if there’s another increase, it will only get worse, she said.

“I just wish they would understand that, or get to the place where they could come and actually see how people are living and understand that they’re struggling,” Lessey said.