Brunswick Electric (BEMC) rates, bills and time-of-use pricing

Brunswick Electric's price per kWh in three periods

Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation (BEMC) is a member-owned cooperative with 108,087 residential accounts in 2025, 2.2%¹ of North Carolina's residential customers. Every figure below is average revenue per kWh: what residential members were billed in total, divided by the kWh they used. It folds in the monthly facilities charge and every on-peak and off-peak hour, and it excludes most taxes, so no member sees it printed on a bill.

The 2025 average placed BEMC 21st lowest of the 44 North Carolina utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers, 4.7% below the North Carolina average (14.00¢ per kWh⁴ for all providers) and 5.4% below the national average for electric cooperatives. Among the 177 US utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers that report a bundled price it was 46th lowest of 177; the median of that group was 15.07¢ per kWh¹.

The two newer figures come from EIA's monthly sample survey rather than its annual census of utilities, and they cover different months, so their difference from the 2025 average shows direction rather than an exact change.

Time-of-use pricing across the membership

EIA's 2025 meter survey counts 108,087 BEMC residential customers enrolled in time-of-use pricing, 100.0% of the cooperative's residential accounts, with advanced meters on 100.0% of homes. At Duke Energy Progress, which serves parts of the same four counties, 2.7%⁵ of residential customers were on time-varying pricing that year.

The cooperative's rates page describes a time-based residential structure with a separate on-peak and off-peak price per kWh, a morning peak window in the winter months and an afternoon window in the summer months, and an alternate option it calls Off-Peak Advantage. The schedule itself, with the current prices and hours, is published there.

This changes how the averages on this page should be read. A BEMC member who runs the dryer, dishwasher or water heater outside the peak window tends to pay less per kWh than 13.34¢ per kWh¹; one whose use falls heavily in the peak window tends to pay more. The average describes the membership as a whole, weighted by when its kWh were used. The time-of-use guide explains how such rates move an individual bill.

2025: a lower average price, a higher bill

From 2024 to 2025 BEMC's residential average fell 2.3%, from 13.66¢ per kWh to 13.34¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill moved the other way, from $130.77 to $144.13 (+10.2%). Use per home explains the difference: 957 kWh⁶ a month in 2024, 1,081 kWh¹ in 2025.

Statewide, North Carolina's residential bill across all utilities went from $143.50 to $146.14 (+1.8%) and use per home from 1,015 kWh⁷ to 1,044 kWh⁸. Duke Energy Progress shows the same pattern as BEMC on a smaller scale: its average price fell 2.3% while its bill rose +1.6%¹. EIA records the kWh but not the reasons behind them, such as weather, new and larger homes or added equipment.

2026 so far in EIA's monthly survey

BEMC is one of the 152 utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers that EIA samples every month. In August 2026 its members paid an average of 14.86¢ per kWh, +9.3% against August 2025. Statewide the same comparison was +2.5%, and at Duke Energy Progress −4.4%². All August 2026³ figures are preliminary and are revised when EIA publishes the final annual survey.

Brunswick ElectricNorth Carolina average, all providers

Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Residential revenue divided by kWh in each month, as reported to EIA's monthly survey (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary).

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Month	Brunswick Electric (¢/kWh)	kWh per customer	Bill per customer
January 2025	13.38¢	1,165	$155.87
February 2025	12.82¢	1,454	$186.51
March 2025	13.65¢	1,056	$144.16
April 2025	15.10¢	719	$108.51
May 2025	15.64¢	730	$114.22
June 2025	14.73¢	878	$129.41
July 2025	13.69¢	1,253	$171.57
August 2025	13.59¢	1,287	$174.87
September 2025	14.19¢	945	$134.03
October 2025	14.75¢	758	$111.83
November 2025	16.01¢	670	$107.32
December 2025	14.28¢	892	$127.43
January 2026	13.41¢	1,169	$156.77
February 2026	12.70¢	1,553	$197.26
March 2026	13.73¢	1,041	$142.92
April 2026	16.25¢	724	$117.71
May 2026	17.47¢	704	$122.94
June 2026	16.51¢	971	$160.40
July 2026	15.43¢	1,322	$204.09
August 2026	14.86¢	1,405	$208.77

Over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 the BEMC average was 14.74¢ per kWh and the average bill $148.84, for 1,009 kWh² a month. EIA's next monthly release, with September 2026 data, is due on November 24, 2026; EIA's annual survey with final 2026 figures by utility is due in August 2027.

Highest and lowest months for use and bills

BEMC's highest month of use in the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 was February 2026: 1,553 kWh per home and an average bill of $197.26. The lowest was November 2025, at 670 kWh and $107.32². A budget built on the annual average bill understates the peak month.

945Sep

758Oct

670Nov

892Dec

1,169Jan

1,553Feb

1,041Mar

724Apr

704May

971Jun

1,322Jul

1,405Aug

Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility. kWh per residential customer in each month (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary). The table adds the average bill and price for the month.

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Month	kWh per customer	Bill per customer	¢/kWh
September 2025	945	$134.03	14.19¢
October 2025	758	$111.83	14.75¢
November 2025	670	$107.32	16.01¢
December 2025	892	$127.43	14.28¢
January 2026	1,169	$156.77	13.41¢
February 2026	1,553	$197.26	12.70¢
March 2026	1,041	$142.92	13.73¢
April 2026	724	$117.71	16.25¢
May 2026	704	$122.94	17.47¢
June 2026	971	$160.40	16.51¢
July 2026	1,322	$204.09	15.43¢
August 2026	1,405	$208.77	14.86¢

Duke Energy Progress's highest month in the same period was January 2026, at 1,463 kWh². Because BEMC prices on-peak and off-peak kWh differently, the hour at which winter and summer use falls shapes a member's bill as well as its size.

Four counties, all shared

EIA's service-territory file lists BEMC in 4 counties: Bladen County, Brunswick County, Columbus County and Robeson County. In all 4⁹, at least one other utility also reports customers. They include Duke Energy Progress in all four; Four County EMC in Columbus and Bladen; South River EMC in Bladen; Lumbee River EMC, the City of Lumberton and the Town of Red Springs in Robeson; the City of Southport and Dominion Energy North Carolina in Brunswick.

Brunswick Electric onlyBrunswick Electric and other utilitiesOther utilities

Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 4 counties. Counts whole counties even where the utility serves only part of one; check the utility's own service-area map for an address.

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County	Other utilities reporting service
Bladen County	Duke Energy Progress, South River Electric Membership Corporation, Four County Electric Membership Corporation
Brunswick County	Duke Energy Progress, Dominion Energy North Carolina, City of Southport
Columbus County	Duke Energy Progress, Four County Electric Membership Corporation
Robeson County	Duke Energy Progress, Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation, City of Lumberton, Town of Red Springs

A county, town or ZIP code does not settle which of them serves a home, and EIA publishes no prices by city. BEMC's own service-area map decides by address, and the utility shown is the one that bills: North Carolina had 0.0%¹ of residential customers with a competitive supplier in 2025.

Brunswick Electric (NC)13.34¢

City of Lumberton (NC)13.86¢

Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation (NC)14.32¢

South River Electric Membership Corporation (NC)14.56¢

Four County Electric Membership Corporation (NC)15.10¢

Duke Energy Progress (NC)15.19¢

Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.

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Utility	average residential price (bundled customers)
Brunswick Electric (NC)	13.34¢
City of Lumberton (NC)	13.86¢
Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation (NC)	14.32¢
South River Electric Membership Corporation (NC)	14.56¢
Four County Electric Membership Corporation (NC)	15.10¢
Duke Energy Progress (NC)	15.19¢

Against its largest neighbor in 2025: Duke Energy Progress customers paid 15.19¢ per kWh on average and BEMC members 13.34¢ per kWh. Bills were closer than prices because BEMC homes used more, 1,081 kWh a month against 1,046 kWh; the average bills were $144.13 and $158.90¹.

City of Lumberton (NC)$114.14

Brunswick Electric (NC)$144.13

Duke Energy Progress (NC)$158.90

South River Electric Membership Corporation (NC)$189.98

Four County Electric Membership Corporation (NC)$193.13

Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation (NC)$193.67

Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.

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Utility	average monthly residential bill
City of Lumberton (NC)	$114.14
Brunswick Electric (NC)	$144.13
Duke Energy Progress (NC)	$158.90
South River Electric Membership Corporation (NC)	$189.98
Four County Electric Membership Corporation (NC)	$193.13
Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation (NC)	$193.67

Outages in 2025

BEMC members averaged 41 minutes without power in 2025 counting every event, fewer than the North Carolina average of 196 minutes, and 35 minutes with major event days excluded (state: 144 minutes). Interruptions were also less frequent: 0.64 per member over the year, against 1.40 statewide. Duke Energy Progress's North Carolina customers averaged 183 minutes¹¹ on the all-events basis. All figures follow IEEE 1366; the all-events figure includes storms, so it can change sharply from one year to the next.

Rooftop solar, businesses and help with bills

BEMC reported 1,008 net-metered residential solar installations with 7.2 megawatts of capacity in 2025, or 9.3 per 1,000 residential members, against 19.6⁵ on Duke Energy Progress's North Carolina system.

Its 10,239 commercial accounts paid an average of 11.52¢ per kWh in 2025, with an average monthly bill of $381.44. Weighted by what each class bought, the 118,326 customers as a whole averaged 12.93¢ per kWh¹.

Households that need help with energy bills can apply for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), funded in North Carolina with $105.1 million¹² for fiscal year 2026. The North Carolina page places BEMC among the state's 29¹ cooperatives, its city systems and the Duke companies.