Confirm the applicable service
Start with the exact location, serving entity, voltage, rate class and effective date. A tariff discussed for another customer or site may not apply. Obtain the current official schedule and any customer-specific arrangements from the utility. This guide does not reproduce a current rate or determine eligibility.
Follow the monthly bill
Energy charges depend on consumption. Demand charges can follow measured peaks, contracted quantities, ratchets or minimum obligations. Record those rules separately. A low average energy price cannot show what a slow-ramp deployment will pay without the demand basis and applicable riders.
Compare the obligation, not one headline rate
Build month-by-month costs using explicit ramp assumptions. List non-refundable contributions, refundable deposits, taxes and escalation separately. Refer disputed applicability or contractual interpretation to the utility and appointed advisers. The calculator’s $65/MWh and $12/kW-month examples are synthetic and are not Dominion rates.
Take this checklist into the next meeting
- Retrieve the official schedule and effective date.
- Confirm voltage, class, riders and applicability in writing.
- Model the load ramp and billable demand independently.
- Separate one-offs, deposits and termination obligations.
Evidence and assumptions
This guide develops the supplied buyer-side research framework. It makes no site-specific capacity claim. Obtain current utility documents, manufacturer specifications and appointed professional advice for the actual project. Any numerical examples are worked examples, not project data.
Primary source starting point: Dominion Energy. Retrieve the applicable current tariff for the exact service location.