DELMARVA - Dozens of Delawareans made their cases Wednesday night for why a $67.8 million rate increase should be rejected by the Delaware Public Service Commission.
Delmarva Power's parent company Exelon filed the request in December 2025, with the Delaware Public Advocate saying the average heating customer would see an increase of $9.30/month (16.2 percent increase), and those with space heaters would increase by $15.63/month (23.7 percent increase).
DSPC approved an interim rate increase of $3/month for a typical customer, that went into effect on July 9.
If a final outcome isn't determined by Dec. 9, that increase would increase to $4.50/month, under Delaware law.
Part of Delmarva's request is a 20 percent discount on electric delivery charges for qualifying low-and-moderate income houses.
Marissa McClenton of Sierra Club Delaware said "it seems like a way to guarantee profit, while removing risk from shareholders."
She said they oppose transferring $23.2 million recovered from the Distribution System Improvement Charge.
"Delmarva Power has not hit the cap, and approving this early means that this cost would get baked into our bills, and opening us up to another 7.5 percent rate hike."
"We also do not support a bad debt rider that would shift unpaid bills and other bad debt onto other ratepayers, instead of it being negotiated as a private rate case, as it already is," she added.
She also said Delmarva Power, and its customers, should not shoulder the load of new data centers, and another energy-rich projects.
"If these big projects need infrastructure improvements, it should come out of their own pocket, not the energy bills of Delawareans."
Jill Houston of Wilmington said her frustration was over Exelon recording $5.97 billion in revenue over the past quarter.
"There's absolutely no need for a rate increase, and quite frankly, we should see services increased, and prices come down for our bills."
Exelon's stock is down 4.3 percent over the past 6 months, but has risen by 1.25 percent in the past year, and is up 28.7 percent over the past 5 years.
Kristina Kelly said that Delmarva was cutting down part of a neighbor's tree near power lines when branches destroyed her sweet potato garden.
"Look at Delaware's housing crisis, look at what families are paying, look at Delmarva's executive compensation, and then look at people like me, people who are being asked to pay more, while cleaning up after that very infrastructure work that we are supposedly paying for."
Wednesday's public hearing was marred by technical issues that did not allow people to enter the Zoom for most of the meeting.
The public comment period for the rate hike is not over, and written comments can be sent to the Delaware Public Service Commission at psc@delaware.gov , with 25-1555 in the subject line. The deadline for comments is Sept. 18, 2026.
In a statement to Draper Media, a Delmarva Power spokesman responded to the public comments:
"At Delmarva Power, we understand that every dollar matters to the families and businesses we serve. That’s why we have always been transparent about our regulatory filings and how bills are impacted by factors outside of the company’s control, along with what it means for the communities that depend on us every day.  ÂOur rate review and interim rates reflect investments already made to strengthen reliability – like stronger poles, new substations, and upgraded technology – that are delivering benefits today as shown with the grid’s performance during the recent heat waves and during extreme storms this past winter, including Winter Storm Fern. Our affordability and load flexibility plan and energy efficiency plans are also designed to lower bills by helping customers use energy more efficiently.  ÂWe have a deep commitment to customer affordability at a time when households and businesses continue to face sustained financial pressure from the rising costs of everyday essentials, including energy. As part of our Exelon Promise initiative, we are helping our customers manage costs through a variety of payment options, energy efficiency programs that can lower bills over time, and our $6.5 million Customer Relief Fund. ÂÂWe also proposed enhanced rate options designed to provide a 20 percent discount to the electric delivery portion of the bill for low- to moderate-income customers as part of our rate request before the Delaware Public Service Commission. ÂAdditionally, we are supporting an "all of the above" strategy to help lower PJM energy supply prices. This includes adding generation supply to better reflect today’s energy landscape, such as allowing for utility-generated energy and integrating distributed energy resources, storage, and demand-side flexibility. ÂWe remain focused on our customers and communities we serve by working to provide an energy system that is reliable, affordable, and ready for the future."
