People Pay the Power Bill Before Almost Anything Else. $45,000 in Each of These 3 Utilities Pays $5,915 a Year
When a household budget gets tight, streaming services, dinners out, and holidays tend to go first. The electric bill stays near the top of the list because nobody wants the lights shut off. That ordering is what makes regulated utilities some of the steadiest cash generators in the market. A regulated utility usually has a monopoly on delivering power in its territory. In return, state regulators set the rates it charges and the return it’s allowed to earn on the poles, wires, and power plants it builds.
Putting $45,000 into each of three regulated utilities means $135,000 invested in total. At prices pulled on Nov. 9, 2026, that would produce $5,915 in annual passive income. Utility yields run lower than what pipelines or REITs typically pay. What you get in exchange is stability: earnings linked to rates set by regulators. Below is what a $45,000 stake across all three high-yield names would return, listed from lowest forward yield to highest.
Dominion Energy
- Stock #3: Dominion Energy (NYSE:D | D Price Prediction)
- Yield: 3.89%
- Shares for $45,000: 656.3
- Annual Passive Income: ~$1,752
Dominion sells regulated power to 3.6 million homes and businesses in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and natural gas to 500,000 customers in South Carolina. Data centers in Loudoun County, Virginia, are driving demand. Dominion Energy Virginia’s operating earnings rose to $862 million in the third quarter, up from $679 million. The yield comes from the regulated model itself. Regulators let the company earn a predictable return on its capital, and it sends a big share of those earnings to shareholders.
The quarterly dividend has stayed at $0.6675 since 2022. That works out to $2.67 a year, covered by 2026 operating EPS guidance of $3.45 to $3.69, and management expects to land in the top half of that range. Dominion did cut its dividend in 2020, from $0.94 to $0.63 per quarter, during an earlier restructuring. One key risk to watch is the pending merger with NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE), which still needs regulatory approval, with a Virginia evidentiary hearing set for November.
Eversource Energy
- Stock #2: Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)
- Yield: 4.48%
- Shares for $45,000: 640.6
- Annual Passive Income: ~$2,018
Eversource provides power, natural gas, and water to about 4 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. It has been a purely regulated company since it sold its offshore wind investments. Its rate base, meaning the asset value regulators let it earn a return on, is projected to grow from $30.6 billion to $49.3 billion by 2030. A $26.5 billion capital plan funds that growth.
In 2026, Eversource raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7875 from $0.7525. That’s $3.15 a year, against 2026 EPS guidance of $4.80 to $4.95. Dilution is a risk because utilities often issue new shares to fund spending, and Eversource expects to raise $800 million to $1.1 billion in equity from 2026 to 2030.
Portland General Electric
- Stock #1: Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR)
- Yield: 4.77%
- Shares for $45,000: 972.8
- Annual Passive Income: ~$2,145
Portland General supplies roughly 962,000 retail customers in Oregon under the Oregon Public Utility Commission. After weather adjustments, industrial demand grew 9% year over year, led by high-tech and data center customers. Another 473 MW of data center contracts is under construction.
In April 2026, the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.55125 from $0.525. That annualizes to $2.205, covered by 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $3.18 to $3.28. Management lowered that range after the softest third quarter since 2016. Western utilities also carry wildfire liability: if utility equipment sparks a fire, lawsuits can be costly. A proposed rate case asks for about a 4.8% increase starting July 1, 2027.
Combined Income From Three Steady Payers
| Name | Yield | Annual Dividend Income |
|---|---|---|
| Dominion Energy | 3.89% | $1,752 |
| Eversource Energy | 4.48% | $2,018 |
| Portland General Electric | 4.77% | $2,145 |
| Total | 4.38% | $5,915 |
In a taxable account, dividends from domestic companies generally count as qualified dividends, which are taxed at the lower 0%, 15%, or 20% capital gains rates. To qualify, shares have to be held for more than 60 days during the 121-day period around the ex-dividend date (26 U.S.C. § 1(h)(11)).
Combined, these 3 stakes produce $5,915 in passive income per year on a $135,000 investment, a blended yield of 4.38%. Portland General Electric contributes $2,145, Eversource adds $2,018, and Dominion supplies the remaining $1,752. The one thing to check each year is how each company’s rate cases turn out, since those decisions set what each utility can earn. No dividend increase is guaranteed. Even so, a payment funded by bills that customers keep paying through good and bad months gives investors a consistent stream of cash to plan around.
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David Beren has been a Flywheel Publishing contributor since 2022. Writing for 24/7 Wall St. since 2023, David loves to write about topics of all shapes and sizes. As a technology expert, David focuses heavily on consumer electronics brands, automobiles, and general technology. He has previously written for LifeWire, formerly About.com. As a part-time freelance writer, David’s “day job” has been working on and leading social media for multiple Fortune 100 brands. David loves the flexibility of this field and its ability to reach customers exactly where they like to spend their time. Additionally, David previously published his own blog, TmoNews.com, which reached 3 million readers in its first year. In addition to freelance and social media work, David loves to spend time with his family and children and relive the glory days of video game consoles by playing any retro game console he can get his hands on.
