Delaware Energy & Energy Affordability Platform

Delaware families, seniors, small businesses, and working households are being squeezed by rising energy costs. Electricity, natural gas, heating fuel, transportation costs, and the price of basic goods are all connected to the cost and reliability of energy. When energy becomes more expensive, everything becomes more expensive.

The Independent Party of Delaware believes energy policy must begin with one basic principle: energy must be affordable, reliable, transparent, and produced in a way that protects both Delaware families and Delaware's future.

We reject the false choice between environmental responsibility and affordability. Delaware can pursue cleaner energy, better infrastructure, and long term conservation without forcing families to absorb unaffordable rate increases, hidden fees, unreliable service, or politically driven mandates that ignore real-world costs.

1. Put Affordability First

Every energy policy should be judged by its impact on household bills. Before the state approves new mandates, utility rate increases, energy programs, or infrastructure plans, Delawareans deserve a clear answer to a simple question: What will this do to the monthly bill of the average Delaware household? We support requiring a full affordability impact statement for major energy legislation, Public Service Commission decisions, renewable energy mandates, grid-modernization proposals, and utility rate cases. Delaware families should not be asked to pay more without transparency, accountability, and proof that the added cost produces real value.

2. Strengthen Utility Accountability

Delawareans should not be treated as a guaranteed revenue source for monopoly utilities. Utilities should be allowed to recover reasonable costs for necessary infrastructure, reliability, safety, and service improvements. But profit should be tied to performance, not simply to how much money a utility spends. We support reforms that require stronger justification for rate increases; tie utility profits to measurable performance such as outage reduction, faster restoration times, customer service quality, and long-term cost control; increase transparency around distribution charges, supply charges, riders, fees, and pass-through costs; prevent temporary surcharges from becoming permanent bill increases without full public review; strengthen the role of Delaware's consumer advocates in rate cases; and make utility bills easier for consumers to understand.

3. Protect Consumers From Hidden and Automatic Cost Increases

Too many energy costs are buried inside bills in ways most consumers do not understand. Delaware should require clearer disclosure of what customers are paying for, including supply costs, delivery costs, renewable compliance costs, public benefit charges, infrastructure riders, taxes, and fees. We support a Truth in Energy Billing standard requiring plain-language explanations of what portion of the bill goes to electricity supply, distribution and delivery, utility-controlled charges, state-imposed charges, pass-through costs, and programs or riders that increase bills.

4. Support an All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy

Delaware should pursue a balanced energy strategy that values reliability, affordability, environmental responsibility, and economic competitiveness. That means Delaware should not rely on one politically favored energy source. We support a practical mix that may include natural gas, nuclear power, solar, wind, battery storage, grid modernization, energy efficiency, and emerging technologies where they are cost-effective and reliable. Energy policy should be technology-neutral. The state should not pick winners and losers based on ideology or political pressure. Instead, Delaware should support energy sources that can deliver reliable power at reasonable cost while reducing pollution over time.

5. Reform Renewable Energy Policy to Protect Ratepayers

Renewable energy can be part of Delaware's future, but renewable mandates must not become blank checks paid for by consumers. Delaware should review its renewable portfolio requirements and related programs to ensure they are affordable, transparent, and actually delivering value for ratepayers. We support enforcing cost caps and affordability protections; requiring regular cost-benefit reviews of renewable mandates; prioritizing projects that reduce long-term costs, improve reliability, or create real Delaware jobs; avoiding energy contracts or mandates that lock families into above-market prices; and making renewable policy transparent so consumers know what they are paying and why.

6. Expand Energy Efficiency and Weatherization

The cheapest energy is often the energy a family never has to use. Delaware should place greater emphasis on practical energy efficiency, especially for seniors, low-income households, manufactured housing, older homes, renters, and working families with high energy burdens. We support expanding access to home weatherization, insulation upgrades, efficient heating and cooling systems, smart thermostats, energy audits, and programs that reduce peak demand and lower long-term system costs. Energy efficiency should be treated as affordability policy.

7. Make Assistance Programs Easier to Access

Delaware already has programs intended to help households with energy bills, but many people either do not know they exist, do not understand how to apply, or only seek help after they are already in crisis. We support streamlining applications, improving public awareness, coordinating state, nonprofit, and utility programs, helping eligible households apply before shutoff notices occur, targeting assistance to seniors, disabled residents, families with children, and households facing temporary hardship, and combining bill assistance with weatherization so families are not trapped in repeated crisis cycles.

8. Protect Seniors and Fixed-Income Households

Energy inflation hits seniors and fixed-income households especially hard. A sudden increase in electricity, gas, propane, or heating oil can force people to choose between utilities, food, medication, and housing. Delaware should create stronger protections for vulnerable households, including clearer shutoff protections, better crisis intervention, and improved access to payment plans during extreme heat, extreme cold, or sudden rate spikes.

9. Improve Grid Reliability and Storm Preparedness

Delaware's energy system must be prepared for storms, extreme heat, high demand, flooding, cyber threats, and aging infrastructure. We support smart investments in hardening critical infrastructure, improving outage response, upgrading transmission and distribution where needed, protecting the grid from cyberattacks, supporting local backup power for critical facilities, and encouraging microgrids where they make sense for hospitals, emergency shelters, water systems, and public safety facilities.

But reliability investments must be carefully reviewed. Necessary infrastructure should be funded responsibly. Wasteful spending should not be passed on to consumers.

10. Encourage Local Energy Innovation

Delaware should make it easier for homeowners, farmers, small businesses, schools, and local governments to adopt cost-effective energy solutions, including rooftop solar where it makes financial sense, community solar with strong consumer protections, battery storage, small-business efficiency upgrades, farm-based energy projects, local resilience projects, and transparent financing that does not trap consumers in bad contracts.

11. Oppose Unfunded Energy Mandates That Raise the Cost of Living

Government should not impose energy mandates without honestly explaining who pays, how much it costs, and whether the benefits justify the burden. We oppose policies that force families, landlords, small businesses, farmers, or local governments to absorb major new energy costs without realistic timelines, practical alternatives, or affordability protections.

12. Keep Delaware Economically Competitive

Energy costs directly affect Delaware's economy. High utility costs make it harder for small businesses to survive, manufacturers to operate, farms to compete, and families to stay in the state. Delaware should evaluate energy policy through an economic competitiveness lens. Reliable and affordable energy is essential for job creation, business growth, food production, housing affordability, and long-term prosperity.

Our Commitment

The Independent Party of Delaware supports an energy policy that is practical, transparent, and focused on the people who pay the bills. We believe Delaware should lower energy costs wherever possible; hold utilities accountable; protect consumers from hidden charges; pursue cleaner energy responsibly; strengthen grid reliability; expand weatherization and efficiency; support vulnerable households; reject unaffordable mandates; and put Delaware families before political agendas and special interests. Delaware does not need energy policy written for lobbyists, utilities, activists, or party insiders. Delaware needs energy policy written for the people who open their monthly bill and wonder how much higher it can possibly go. Affordable energy is not a luxury. It is the foundation of a stable home, a strong economy, and a livable future for Delaware.

Source note: Context includes Delaware public reporting on the June 1, 2026 Delmarva default supply increase, Delaware's
Renewable Portfolio Standard, and state energy assistance/weatherization programs.