Dems’ new energy bill could lower costs for American households. Here’s how it works

March 23, 2026

By Jessica F. Simmons

From rising bills to growing demand, lawmakers say this proposal could reshape how energy works for Virginians.

In Virginia, the pressure on the power grid isn’t theoretical. It shows up in consumers’ monthly utility bills, summer heat and winter freeze waves, and a surge of energy-hungry data centers reshaping entire communities.

As the grid strains to keep up, so do household budgets. A new federal bill is aimed to tackle both at once. For many Virginians, that raises a simple question: Will this make my bill cheaper or more expensive?

The Energy Bills Relief Act (EBRA), was introduced last week in Congress by 122 House Democrats led by House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Sean Casten (IL-06) and Mike Levin (C-49).

A debate over what the energy policy should actually deliver

The Energy Bills Relief Act, which acts as a “consumer-first energy policy,” arrives amid the constant fight over the direction of federal energy policy. The Trump administration has pushed to expand fossil fuel production while cutting federal support for clean energy, dismissing those investments as part of what he has called a “Green New Deal scam” and arguing that reducing regulation and government spending will bring prices down.

Levin said that approach isn’t delivering for the everyday consumer.

“The president declared that America is in a ‘Golden Age,’” said Levin during a Congressional floor speech, referencing Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address. “I agree that every one of us should want America to be strong, prosperous and secure, but the real test of any energy policy is not what sounds good in a televised address. It’s whether working families feel relief when they open their utility statements.”

What the Energy Bills Relief Act would do

The EBRA is built around three main goals: expand the nation’s power supply, lower energy costs for consumers, and strengthen protections for households struggling to pay their utility bills.

“Families across America are struggling with ever-increasing energy prices,” Casten said in a press release, noting electricity rates have risen sharply in the past year.

In fact, electricity bills have increased by as much as 13% since Trump took office, according to Climate Power, a climate advocacy organization that analyzed data from the US Energy Information Administration.

“We can point to any number of things that have driven those increases, but at the center of it is that our current energy policy prioritizes the interests of energy producers over the interests of energy consumers,” said Casten. “It’s time to change that…[to help] provide a livable planet we can pass to our children and grandchildren.”

Building more power and fixing delays

One of the bill’s biggest goals is to increase the amount of energy available on the grid.

That includes speeding up how quickly new energy projects, especially solar and wind, can be built and connected. Right now, many projects face long delays before they can plug into the grid.

For Virginia, that matters. The state’s growing energy demand, driven in part by being home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world (worth over $1 billion), is putting pressure on existing infrastructure.

Data centers, also known as massive server farms, run 24/7 and require enormous amounts of electricity. They often resemble windowless warehouses and process everything from online shopping orders to artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

More supply, lawmakers say, could help prevent shortages and stabilize prices.

Lowering costs and shifting who pays

The bill also takes aim at how energy costs are distributed.

Right now, the cost of building and maintaining energy infrastructure can be passed down to consumers through higher utility bills.

The EBRA would shift more of those costs onto large energy users including data centers, rather than households and small businesses.

“American families were promised lower energy costs,” Levin said. “Instead, this administration canceled clean energy projects that would have helped to meet rising demand, repealed the tax credits that were actually keeping costs down, and left families holding the bill. The Energy Bills Relief Act changes that equation entirely and delivers the real, comprehensive relief that families across this country deserve.”

The bill also includes measures aimed at increasing transparency in how utilities set rates and tying profits more closely to benefits for customers.

Expanding protections for families

Beyond infrastructure and pricing, the bill includes direct support for households fighting with energy costs. That means increasing funding for programs that help families pay heating and cooling bills, especially during extreme weather.

It would also limit shutoffs and late fees for households receiving assistance and invest in home upgrades like insulation and energy efficiency improvements to lower monthly costs over time. That’s especially important after Dominion Energy received approval from the state for another rate increase that adds a little more than $11 a month to the average household’s bill.

What happens next

The Energy Bills Relief Act has been introduced in Congress and has been sent to committee, but has not yet passed into law.

In order to become law, the act must both pass the House and Senate before reaching the president’s desk for his signature. If passed, the bill could lower costs over time but would depend on how utility companies and regulators implement the changes.

To share your perspective on the proposal, you can contact your US representative or senator to let them know how you want them to vote. Find your elected officials here.