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Utilities

Electricity

The region is served by reliable Mid-Atlantic electric provider Dominion Virginia Power, as well as local electric cooperatives Prince George Electric Cooperative and Southside Electric Cooperative offering more personalized service in particular parts of the region, at rates often lower than the national average. Many local industrial sites have redundancy or redundancy potential, accommodating near-100% uptime for modern production and operational requirements.


Average Monthly Electric Rates in Virginia

User Type Number of Customers Average Monthly Consumption (kWh) Average Price (cents/kWh) Average Monthly Bill (Dollars and Cents)
Residential 3,431,574 1,165 11.73 136.59
Commercial 431,058 10,105 8.32 840.34
Industrial 3,709 398,967 6.86 27,368.11

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2018 annual data (released in October 2019).


Water & Wastewater

Communities work with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to ensure adequate resources are available to local industry. Water and wastewater is generally provided by its corresponding local government authority. Already serving major water users, parts of the region are equipped to handle special industrial needs such as reclaimed water, spring quality, no pre-treatment, and more.

Average service rates differ depending on the locality.

Community/Provider Residential Bill Business Bill
Dinwiddie County Water Authority $24.32 $3,902.00
Dinwiddie County Water Authority (WW) $32.82 $5,805.00
Sussex Service Authority $28.00 $7000.00
Sussex Service Authority (WW) $42.50 $10,000.00
Median Water Rate in Virginia $36.06 $5,954.00
Median Wastewater Rate in Virginia $45.50 $7,427.00

Note: residential bill for 5,000 gallons/month, business for 1 million gallons/month, not all communities participate in the survey. Source: Draper Aden Associates, 2018 annual report.


Natural Gas

Columbia Gas of Virginia serves the region with natural gas, drawing from a major distribution pipeline running through the region, with another pipeline project in the works by Dominion to supplement existing capacity.

Typical Natural Gas Rates for Virginia

Year Residential Commercial Industrial
2017 $12.34 $7.99 $5.04
2018 $11.67 $8.14 $5.14

Note: Prices per 1,000 cf, prices are in nominal dollars. Source: Energy Information Administration, 2017 and 2018 annual data.


Telecommunications & Data

  • Virginia enjoys the fastest Internet speed in the U.S. according to data providers
  • Telephone service providers: AT&T, Cavalier, nTelos, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon
  • Internet Service Providers: Comcast and Verizon are the largest; also Earthlink, Cavalier, Cox and a host of smaller providers
  • Fiber optic network: MBC, Verizon and Windstream. Digital switching and Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) self-healing fiber optic rings ensure uninterrupted and maximum-speed service.