DPA’s Statement on Delmarva Power’s SOS Filing

Posted on April 9, 2026

At a time where utility customers are already paying way too much, Delmarva Power just announced that on June 1st the cost of electricity (the “standard offer service charge” rate on the supply part of a customer’s bill) for Delaware standard offer service (SOS) electric customers is going up by a shocking 19%. Renewable compliance costs will go down, slightly offsetting this increase. Combining the SOS increase and the renewable cost decrease, Delmarva estimates that their typical residential customer (using 811 kWh per month on average) will see a $14.64 (or 9%) overall electric bill increase when averaged throughout the year. During periods of higher use like summer the impact will be higher.

Delmarva procures electricity for SOS customers through competitive auctions and, unlike base rates, does not receive a profit on electricity costs – i.e. supply costs are a pass through. Delmarva has indicated that this increase is “primarily due to higher regional electricity supply costs.”

Here are some details from Delmarva’s filing with the Delaware Public Service Commission:

On Friday, Delmarva filed its annual standard offer service (SOS) rate adjustment (PSC docket 26-0389) indicating that on June 1st:

— Summer electricity rates will increase 19% (from $0.093569/kWh to $0.111063/kWh).

— Winter electricity rates will increase 20% (from $0.094804/kWh to $0.114049/kWh).

Also on Friday, Delmarva filed its annual renewable portfolio standard charge adjustment:

— The cost of complying with the renewable portfolio standard (“Renewable Compliance Charge: Wind & Solar” on your bill) will decrease by 11% (from $0.005797/kWh to $0.005172/kWh). Because this represents a much smaller portion of your bill, it only slightly offsets the increase to the SOS charge.

I am extremely concerned with the collective impact of energy and utility cost increases on Delaware customers. We are seeing these increases in the cost of electricity, the cost of natural gas, regional costs (including the PJM capacity market and transmission costs), and in utility requests to increase base rates. The extreme load growth predicted in the PJM region from hyperscale data centers only compounds these challenges.

Delmarva is also currently seeking an additional $67.8 million annually from Delaware ratepayers through its most recent base rate increase request and an additional $37 million over three years from Delaware ratepayers for its “affordability and load flexibility” portfolio (both filed in December 2025). DPA will rigorously review these proposals and will challenge any unnecessary rate increases.