EnergyUnited electric rates and bills
EnergyUnited's 124,446 residential customers in North Carolina paid an average of 11.61¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $141.14 a month on 1,215 kWh.1
EIA-861 2025 final, released October 7, 2026; the next annual release is due in August 2027. Averages are revenue divided by kWh, all charges included: not the rate printed in a tariff.
19 of 100 North Carolina counties served (EIA-861 2025)
EnergyUnited, North Carolina's largest electric cooperative, had one of the lowest residential averages of any large US utility in 2025: 11.61¢ per kWh, 9th lowest of 177. Its members also used more electricity than customers of either Duke utility, so their average bill of $141.14 came out above Duke Energy Carolinas' $133.631, in counties the two largely share.
What EnergyUnited members paid per kWh in 2025
EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation is a member-owned cooperative with 124,446 residential accounts in 2025, the third-largest residential customer base in North Carolina after the two Duke Energy utilities (2.5% of the state's total). Its residential members paid an average of 11.61¢ per kWh1 that year.
That number is average revenue per kWh: everything residential members were billed, divided by the kWh they used. It includes the fixed monthly charge and any adjustments and excludes most taxes, so it is not the energy charge on a rate schedule. A member with low use pays more than the average per kWh, because the fixed charge is spread over fewer kWh; a heavy user pays less.
Measured this way, EnergyUnited sat low on every list it appears on in 2025:
- In North Carolina: 4th lowest of the 44 utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers, and 17.1% below the North Carolina average (14.00¢ per kWh2 for all providers).
- Among cooperatives: 17.7% below the national average for electric cooperatives. North Carolina's cooperatives as a group averaged 14.13¢ per kWh.
- Nationally: 9th lowest of 177 utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers that report a bundled price. The median of that group was 15.07¢ per kWh; the lowest was Magic Valley Electric Cooperative (Texas) at 10.51¢ per kWh1.
The three North Carolina utilities with a lower average than EnergyUnited's are all city-owned systems, each with a small fraction of its customer count. Every other North Carolina cooperative with 10,000 or more residential customers averaged more, up to 20.70¢ per kWh1 at Roanoke Electric Membership Corporation.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Utilities with 10,000 or more bundled (full-service) residential customers; the 12 lowest of 44 shown. Revenue divided by kWh sold, all charges included, EIA-861 2025 final. Darker bars have their own page.
Show the numbers
| Utility | ¢/kWh |
|---|---|
| City of Albemarle | 11.27¢ |
| City of Statesville | 11.50¢ |
| City of Concord | 11.57¢ |
| EnergyUnited | 11.61¢ |
| City of Lexington | 11.62¢ |
| Town of High Point | 11.66¢ |
| City of Monroe | 11.72¢ |
| City of Elizabeth City | 12.03¢ |
| Fayetteville Public Works Commission | 12.14¢ |
| City of Gastonia | 12.34¢ |
| Carteret-Craven Electric Membership Corporation | 12.46¢ |
| Greenville Utilities Comm | 12.68¢ |
| North Carolina average | 14.00¢ |
EIA's monthly survey does not include EnergyUnited, so there is no latest-month or 12-month figure for the cooperative. The 2025 annual average, from the final EIA-861 survey released on October 7, 2026, is the most recent official number.
Lower price, bigger bill than Duke Energy Carolinas
The average EnergyUnited home used 1,215 kWh a month in 2025. That is more than a Duke Energy Carolinas home (996 kWh), a Duke Energy Progress home (1,046 kWh) or the North Carolina average (1,044 kWh3). Of the five largest utilities in the state, only Dominion Energy North Carolina's customers used more (1,285 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 monthly residential use |
|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas (NC) | 996 |
| Duke Energy Progress (NC) | 1,046 |
| Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | 1,059 |
| Brunswick Electric (NC) | 1,081 |
| Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | 1,144 |
| EnergyUnited (NC) | 1,215 |
| Union Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | 1,220 |
| Dominion Energy North Carolina (NC) | 1,285 |
More kWh at a lower price produced a bill in the middle of the pack. EnergyUnited's $141.14 a month was above Duke Energy Carolinas' $133.63, close to Brunswick Electric's $144.13, and below Duke Energy Progress's $158.90, Dominion's $163.671 and the state average of $146.143 (2025). EIA's figures do not say why EnergyUnited homes use more; the survey records the kWh, not the appliances or the size of the homes behind them.
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 monthly residential bill |
|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas (NC) | $133.63 |
| EnergyUnited (NC) | $141.14 |
| Brunswick Electric (NC) | $144.13 |
| Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | $148.99 |
| Duke Energy Progress (NC) | $158.90 |
| Dominion Energy North Carolina (NC) | $163.67 |
| Union Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | $169.85 |
| Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | $185.65 |
The cooperatives on these charts that border or overlap EnergyUnited's territory, such as Union EMC, Rutherford EMC and Surry-Yadkin EMC, all averaged more per kWh than EnergyUnited in 2025, and all had a higher average bill, whether their members used more electricity or less.
2024 to 2025: the price edged up, the bill rose more
Between 2024 and 2025 EnergyUnited's residential average moved from 11.54¢ per kWh4 to 11.61¢ per kWh (+0.6%). Over the same two years the averages of the large investor-owned utilities fell: −3.8% at Duke Energy Carolinas and −2.3%1 at Duke Energy Progress, while the North Carolina average for all providers changed −0.9%2.
The bill grew faster than the price, from $137.08 to $141.14 (+3.0%), because use per home also rose, from 1,188 kWh4 to 1,215 kWh a month. At Duke Energy Carolinas the bill went the other way (−2.6%1).
For 2026, only statewide figures exist so far. North Carolina's residential average over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 was 14.79¢ per kWh, +5.5%5 on the previous 12 months, with the 2026 months preliminary. That average covers every utility in the state and is weighted toward the two Duke companies, so it does not show what happened on EnergyUnited's lines. EIA's annual survey with 2026 figures by utility is due in August 2027.
A territory shared county by county
EIA's service-territory file lists EnergyUnited in 19 counties of the Piedmont and its western edge: Alexander, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Wilkes and Yadkin. In all 196, at least one other utility also reports customers. Duke Energy Carolinas reports service in every one of them except Montgomery, and city systems such as Statesville, Lexington, Concord and High Point operate inside several.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 19 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 |
|---|---|
| Alexander County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation |
| Cabarrus County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Dominion Energy North Carolina, Union Electric Membership Corporation, City of Concord |
| Caldwell County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, Town of Granite Falls |
| Catawba County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, City of Newton, Town of Maiden |
| Davidson County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Town of High Point, City of Lexington |
| Davie County | Duke Energy Carolinas |
| Forsyth County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Town of High Point, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
| Gaston County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, City of Gastonia, City of Kings Mountain, Town of Dallas, City of Cherryville, York Electric Cooperative |
| Guilford County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Town of High Point |
| Iredell County | Duke Energy Carolinas, City of Statesville |
| Lincoln County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation, City of Lincolnton |
| Mecklenburg County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Union Electric Membership Corporation, Town of Huntersville, Town of Cornelius, Town of Pineville, York Electric Cooperative |
| Montgomery County | Duke Energy Progress, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, Pee Dee Electric Membership Corporation |
| Randolph County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Town of High Point, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, Central Electric Membership Corporation. |
| Rockingham County | Duke Energy Carolinas |
| Rowan County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Union Electric Membership Corporation, Town of Landis |
| Stokes County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
| Wilkes County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
| Yadkin County | Duke Energy Carolinas, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation |
A county, city or ZIP code therefore does not settle which utility serves a home, and EIA publishes no prices by city. EnergyUnited's own service-area map decides by address. Whichever utility it shows is the one that bills the home: North Carolina had 0.0%1 of residential customers buying from a competitive supplier in 2025.
Fewer outage minutes, slightly more interruptions
EnergyUnited members averaged 169 minutes without power in 2025 counting every event, fewer than the North Carolina average of 196 minutes, and 121 minutes with major event days left out (state: 144 minutes). The number of interruptions ran the other way: 1.56 per member over the year, against 1.40 for North Carolina, so outages were somewhat more frequent but shorter in total. Duke Energy Carolinas' North Carolina customers averaged 216 minutes8 on the all-events basis. All figures follow IEEE 1366.
Source: EIA-861 2025, reliability. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | outage minutes per customer (all events) |
|---|---|
| Brunswick Electric (NC) | 41 |
| Union Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | 52 |
| Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | 149 |
| EnergyUnited (NC) | 169 |
| Duke Energy Progress (NC) | 183 |
| Duke Energy Carolinas (NC) | 216 |
| Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation (NC) | 249 |
| Dominion Energy North Carolina (NC) | 286 |
Meters and rooftop solar
Every residential meter on the system was an advanced meter in EIA's 2025 count (100.0%9), so the meters that time-based pricing needs are in place. EIA's file has no time-of-use enrollment figure for the cooperative; any time-based option, with its hours and prices, is in EnergyUnited's own rate schedules, and the time-of-use guide explains how such rates change a bill.
Rooftop solar is less common than on Duke's wires: 841 net-metered residential installations with 6.1 megawatts of capacity, or 6.8 per 1,000 residential members, against 13.89 on Duke Energy Carolinas (2025).
Business members and help with bills
EnergyUnited's 20,548 commercial accounts paid 9.84¢ per kWh on average in 2025, a little under the residential figure, and its 34 industrial accounts 5.87¢ per kWh. Residential, commercial and industrial accounts together, 145,028 of them, averaged 10.35¢ per kWh1.
Households that struggle with energy bills can apply for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), funded in North Carolina with $105.1 million10 for fiscal year 2026. The North Carolina page places EnergyUnited among the state's 291 cooperatives, its city utilities and the Duke companies.
EnergyUnited rates: common questions
What is EnergyUnited's rate per kWh?
EIA reports an average, not a tariff line: total residential revenue divided by residential kWh, so the fixed monthly charge and any adjustments are folded in. On that basis members paid 11.61¢ per kWh1 in 2025, up from 11.54¢ per kWh4 in 2024. The energy charge printed on EnergyUnited's rate schedule is a different, narrower number.
What is the average EnergyUnited electric bill?
$141.14 a month in 2025, for 1,215 kWh1 of use, against $137.084 in 2024. The North Carolina average across all utilities was $146.143 in 2025.
Is EnergyUnited raising rates in 2026?
EIA does not survey EnergyUnited every month, so there is no 2026 figure for it yet; its 2025 average rose 0.6%1 on 2024. Statewide, North Carolina's residential average for the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 was +5.5%5 on the 12 months before (2026 months preliminary). EIA's annual survey with 2026 figures by utility is due in August 2027. Rate decisions themselves are published by the cooperative.
Is EnergyUnited cheaper than Duke Energy?
Per kWh, yes on average: 11.61¢ per kWh in 2025 against 13.41¢ per kWh at Duke Energy Carolinas and 15.19¢ per kWh at Duke Energy Progress. Per month, no: EnergyUnited homes used more power, and their average bill ($141.14) was above Duke Energy Carolinas' ($133.631). The address decides which utility serves a home; North Carolina has no residential retail choice.
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, Historical state data, annual sales, revenue and customers; table HS861 2010-.xlsx; 2010-2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 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, 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 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
- EIA-861 2025, reliability; table Reliability_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.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
- 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
How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.