Duke Energy Carolinas rates and bills in North Carolina
Duke Energy Carolinas's 1,961,108 residential customers in North Carolina paid an average of 13.41¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $133.63 a month on 996 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 14.00¢, and 14.54¢ in August 2026.2
EIA-861 2025 final (released October 7, 2026) and EIA's monthly utility survey through August 2026 (preliminary); next monthly update expected November 24, 2026. Averages are revenue divided by kWh, all charges included: not the rate printed in a tariff.
44 of 100 North Carolina counties served (EIA-861 2025)
Duke Energy Carolinas' North Carolina customers paid an average of 13.41¢ per kWh in 2025, against 15.19¢ per kWh for their neighbors on Duke Energy Progress. The 2025 average fell 3.8%1, but EIA's monthly figures for 2026 run higher, and the biggest bills of the last 12 months came in January 20262, not in summer.
What Duke Energy Carolinas homes pay per kWh
Duke Energy Carolinas is the largest utility in North Carolina, with 39.0% of the state's residential customers on its wires: 1,961,108 homes in 2025. Those customers paid an average of 13.41¢ per kWh that year, 4.2% below the North Carolina average and 24.6% below the national average for investor-owned utilities. Among the 44 North Carolina utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers it ranked 22nd highest, in the middle; nationally, among utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers, it was 49th lowest of 1771.
That figure is average revenue per kWh: what residential customers paid in total, divided by the kWh they used. It includes the monthly basic customer charge, the fuel charge and the riders on the bill, and excludes most taxes. A household that uses little electricity pays more per kWh than the average; one that uses a lot pays less.
EIA's monthly survey gives two more recent readings. Over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026 the average was 14.00¢ per kWh, and in August 20263 alone 14.54¢ per kWh2. The 2026 months are preliminary.
Duke Energy owns 8 utilities large enough to have a page here, in 6 states. The lowest residential average among them in 2025 was Duke Energy Carolinas (North Carolina) at 13.41¢ per kWh; the highest, Duke Energy Florida, averaged 18.36¢ per kWh1. The Duke Energy page compares all of them.
A lower 2025, a higher 2026
From 2024 to 2025 the residential average fell from 13.94¢ per kWh to 13.41¢ per kWh. Use per home edged up, from 984 kWh to 996 kWh a month, yet the average bill still dropped from $137.164 to $133.63 (−2.6%1).
The monthly data since then point the other way. The 12-month average to August 2026, 14.00¢ per kWh, is above the 2025 figure, and the August 20263 average was +4.2%2 against the same month a year earlier.
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).
Show the numbers
| Month | Duke Energy Carolinas (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 12.37¢ | 1,510 | $186.81 |
| February 2025 | 13.96¢ | 1,009 | $140.81 |
| March 2025 | 14.06¢ | 825 | $115.98 |
| April 2025 | 13.99¢ | 747 | $104.54 |
| May 2025 | 13.66¢ | 783 | $107.00 |
| June 2025 | 12.84¢ | 1,119 | $143.67 |
| July 2025 | 12.72¢ | 1,357 | $172.58 |
| August 2025 | 13.95¢ | 1,002 | $139.71 |
| September 2025 | 14.46¢ | 799 | $115.45 |
| October 2025 | 14.51¢ | 721 | $104.61 |
| November 2025 | 13.77¢ | 847 | $116.69 |
| December 2025 | 12.60¢ | 1,239 | $156.06 |
| January 2026 | 12.94¢ | 1,380 | $178.56 |
| February 2026 | 14.12¢ | 1,112 | $157.06 |
| March 2026 | 13.77¢ | 807 | $111.05 |
| April 2026 | 14.83¢ | 723 | $107.21 |
| May 2026 | 14.35¢ | 831 | $119.26 |
| June 2026 | 14.06¢ | 1,078 | $151.57 |
| July 2026 | 14.82¢ | 1,264 | $187.40 |
| August 2026 | 14.54¢ | 1,192 | $173.34 |
Base rates for North Carolina customers are set by the North Carolina Utilities Commission in rate cases. Duke Energy Carolinas asked the commission for new rates that would begin taking effect on January 1, 2027, according to the North Carolina Department of Justice, which took part in the case. What reaches bills is what the commission approves, not the amount requested. The commission's site also lists an application by Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress for a business combination. The guide to rate increases explains how these proceedings work.
Next to Duke Energy Progress
North Carolina's second Duke utility, Duke Energy Progress, has its own rates, and its customers paid more: 15.19¢ per kWh in 2025 against 13.41¢ per kWh for Duke Energy Carolinas. Over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) the two averaged 16.38¢ per kWh and 14.00¢ per kWh2. Dominion Energy North Carolina, in the northeast of the state, averaged 12.74¢ per kWh in 2025, and the cooperative EnergyUnited 11.61¢ per kWh1.
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.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average residential price (bundled customers) |
|---|---|
| EnergyUnited (NC) | 11.61¢ |
| Dominion Energy North Carolina (NC) | 12.74¢ |
| Brunswick Electric (NC) | 13.34¢ |
| Duke Energy Carolinas (NC) | 13.41¢ |
| Duke Energy Progress (NC) | 15.19¢ |
The gap in bills is wider than the gap in prices. Duke Energy Progress homes used 1,046 kWh a month in 2025, a little more than the 996 kWh on Duke Energy Carolinas, and their average bill was $158.90 against $133.631.
Nobody chooses between them. North Carolina has no residential retail choice, and the address decides the utility. EIA's service-territory records place Duke Energy Carolinas in 44 counties across the Piedmont and the west; in 425 of them at least one other utility also reports customers. EIA publishes no prices by city, and Duke's own service-area map is the reference for a given street.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 44 counties. Counts whole counties even where the utility serves only part of one; check the utility's own service-area map for an address.
Show the numbers
| County | Other utilities reporting service |
|---|---|
| Alamance County | Duke Energy Progress, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation |
| Alexander County | EnergyUnited, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation |
| Anson County | Duke Energy Progress, Pee Dee Electric Membership Corporation |
| Buncombe County | Duke Energy Progress, French Broad Electric Membership Corporation, Haywood Electric Membership Corporation |
| Burke County | Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, Mountain Electric Cooperative, City of Morganton, Town of Drexel |
| Cabarrus County | EnergyUnited, Dominion Energy North Carolina, Union Electric Membership Corporation, City of Concord |
| Caldwell County | EnergyUnited, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, Town of Granite Falls |
| Caswell County | Duke Energy Progress, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation |
| Catawba County | EnergyUnited, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, City of Newton, Town of Maiden |
| Chatham County | Duke Energy Progress, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation, Central Electric Membership Corporation. |
| Cherokee County | Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, Town of Murphy, Tri-State Electric Membership Corporation |
| Clay County | none |
| Cleveland County | Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, City of Shelby, City of Kings Mountain, Broad River Electric Cooperative |
| Davidson County | EnergyUnited, Town of High Point, City of Lexington |
| Davie County | EnergyUnited |
| Durham County | Duke Energy Progress, Wake Electric Membership Corporation, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation |
| Forsyth County | EnergyUnited, Town of High Point, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
| Gaston County | EnergyUnited, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, City of Gastonia, City of Kings Mountain, Town of Dallas, City of Cherryville, York Electric Cooperative |
| Graham County | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Granville County | Duke Energy Progress, Dominion Energy North Carolina, Wake Electric Membership Corporation, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative |
| Guilford County | Duke Energy Progress, EnergyUnited, Town of High Point |
| Henderson County | Duke Energy Progress |
| Iredell County | EnergyUnited, City of Statesville |
| Jackson County | Duke Energy Progress, Haywood Electric Membership Corporation, City of Highlands |
| Lincoln County | EnergyUnited, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, City of Lincolnton |
| Macon County | Haywood Electric Membership Corporation, City of Highlands |
| McDowell County | Duke Energy Progress, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, French Broad Electric Membership Corporation |
| Mecklenburg County | EnergyUnited, Union Electric Membership Corporation, Town of Huntersville, Town of Cornelius, Town of Pineville, York Electric Cooperative |
| Orange County | Duke Energy Progress, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation |
| Person County | Duke Energy Progress, Dominion Energy North Carolina, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative |
| Polk County | Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, Broad River Electric Cooperative |
| Randolph County | Duke Energy Progress, EnergyUnited, Town of High Point, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, Central Electric Membership Corporation. |
| Rockingham County | EnergyUnited |
| Rowan County | EnergyUnited, Union Electric Membership Corporation, Town of Landis |
| Rutherford County | Duke Energy Progress, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, Town of Forest City, Broad River Electric Cooperative, Town of Bostic |
| Stanly County | Duke Energy Progress, Union Electric Membership Corporation, Pee Dee Electric Membership Corporation, City of Albemarle |
| Stokes County | EnergyUnited, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
| Surry County | Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
| Swain County | none |
| Transylvania County | Haywood Electric Membership Corporation |
| Union County | Union Electric Membership Corporation, Pee Dee Electric Membership Corporation, City of Monroe |
| Wake County | Duke Energy Progress, Wake Electric Membership Corporation, Town of Apex, Town of Wake Forest |
| Wilkes County | EnergyUnited, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
| Yadkin County | EnergyUnited, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
Bills peak in January
Over the last 12 months, use per home on Duke Energy Carolinas' North Carolina system was highest in January 2026, at 1,380 kWh, with an average bill of $178.56. The low came in October 2025: 721 kWh and $104.612. Electric heat is common in the state: 66.1% of North Carolina households heated mainly with electricity in the Census Bureau's 2025 survey, 4th highest7 among the states (a survey estimate with a margin of error).
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.
Show the numbers
| Month | kWh per customer | Bill per customer | ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 799 | $115.45 | 14.46¢ |
| October 2025 | 721 | $104.61 | 14.51¢ |
| November 2025 | 847 | $116.69 | 13.77¢ |
| December 2025 | 1,239 | $156.06 | 12.60¢ |
| January 2026 | 1,380 | $178.56 | 12.94¢ |
| February 2026 | 1,112 | $157.06 | 14.12¢ |
| March 2026 | 807 | $111.05 | 13.77¢ |
| April 2026 | 723 | $107.21 | 14.83¢ |
| May 2026 | 831 | $119.26 | 14.35¢ |
| June 2026 | 1,078 | $151.57 | 14.06¢ |
| July 2026 | 1,264 | $187.40 | 14.82¢ |
| August 2026 | 1,192 | $173.34 | 14.54¢ |
The same company's South Carolina customers followed a different pattern. On Duke Energy Carolinas in South Carolina use per home peaked in July 2026, at 1,446 kWh2. Their 2025 average price, 13.47¢ per kWh, was close to North Carolina's 13.41¢ per kWh1, but the two states' rates are set by different commissions.
Time-of-use, smart meters and rooftop solar
Nearly every residential meter is an advanced meter (99.5% in EIA's 2025 count), so the meters that time-based pricing needs are in place almost everywhere on the system. Few customers use it: 22,682 were enrolled in time-of-use and critical peak pricing programs, 1.2% of residential customers, against 2.7%8 on Duke Energy Progress. The peak hours and prices are in Duke's North Carolina rate schedules; the time-of-use guide explains how such plans change a bill.
Rooftop solar is less common than on the sister utility: 27,157 net-metered residential installations with 190.4 megawatts of capacity, or 13.8 per 1,000 customers, against 19.68 on Duke Energy Progress (2025).
Outages
Duke Energy Carolinas' North Carolina customers averaged 216 minutes without power in 2025 including major events, more than the North Carolina average of 196 minutes, and 172 minutes excluding major event days. They had 1.35 interruptions on average, measured under the IEEE 1366 standard. Duke Energy Progress customers averaged 183 minutes9 on the same basis.
Businesses and help with bills
Commercial customers paid 9.25¢ per kWh on average in 2025 and the 4,364 industrial accounts 7.72¢ per kWh; across all 2,274,896 customer accounts the average was 10.59¢ per kWh1.
Households that need help with energy bills can apply for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). North Carolina's LIHEAP allocation was $105.1 million10 for fiscal year 2026. Electricity in North Carolina sets this utility beside the rest of the state.
Questions and answers
What is Duke Energy Carolinas' rate per kWh in North Carolina?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.41¢ per kWh1 in 2025 and 14.00¢ per kWh2 over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026, 2026 months preliminary). This is total residential revenue divided by kWh, so the basic customer charge, fuel and riders are folded in. It is not a tariff line: the energy charges on Duke's rate schedules leave those items out, and they are set by the North Carolina Utilities Commission.
What is the average Duke Energy Carolinas bill?
$133.63 a month in 2025 for 996 kWh1, and $139.93 over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026). The monthly average ranged from $104.61 in October 2025 to $187.40 in July 20262.
Are Duke Energy Carolinas rates going up in 2026 or 2027?
The 2025 average fell, from 13.94¢ per kWh4 to 13.41¢ per kWh1. In August 20263 (preliminary) the average was 14.54¢ per kWh, +4.2%2 against the same month a year earlier. Duke Energy Carolinas has asked the North Carolina Utilities Commission for new rates that would begin taking effect on January 1, 2027; the commission's decision sets what bills will include.
Does Duke Energy Carolinas have time-of-use rates?
Yes. In 2025 the utility reported time-of-use and critical peak pricing programs to EIA, with 22,682 residential customers enrolled, 1.2%8 of the total. The hours and prices are in Duke's North Carolina rate schedules.
Related pages
Sources
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; table sales_ult_cust_2025 and _2026; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state; table sales_revenue.xlsx (EPM Table 5.6.A); January 2001 to 2026-08; months since January 2026 preliminary; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2024; 2024, final (file updated December 3, 2025); released December 3, 2025. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, service territory; table Service_Territory_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties; table cb_2025_us_county_5m; cb_2021_us_county_5m; 2025 (2021 for Connecticut). www.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year estimates, house heating fuel, table B25040; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
- EIA-861 2025, advanced meters, dynamic pricing and net metering; table Advanced_Meters, Dynamic_Pricing, Net_Metering 2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, reliability; table Reliability_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- HHS, LIHEAP funding releases to states; table FY2027 first release; FY2026 final; FY2027 first release (October 9, 2026); FY2026 total; released October 9, 2026. acf.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.