Santee Cooper electric rates and bills
Santee Cooper's 188,962 residential customers in South Carolina paid an average of 12.91¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $123.85 a month on 959 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 14.07¢, and 12.46¢ 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.
3 of 46 South Carolina counties served (EIA-861 2025)
Santee Cooper's 188,962 residential customers paid an average of 12.91¢ per kWh in 2025, 14.6% below the South Carolina average, yet that average was +13.4%1 on 2024, one of the larger rises among the state's big utilities. Its monthly average per kWh peaks in spring and autumn, the months when its bills are smallest.
Santee Cooper's price per kWh in three periods
Santee Cooper is South Carolina's state-owned electric utility: the South Carolina Code (§ 58-31-10) creates the South Carolina Public Service Authority as "a body corporate and politic", with its principal office in Moncks Corner. It sells power directly to 188,962 homes, 7.4%1 of the state's residential customers in 2025. What those homes paid per kWh depends on the period.
| Period | Average residential price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025, full year | 12.91¢ per kWh1 | EIA-861, final |
| Last 12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 | 14.07¢ per kWh | EIA-861M, 2026 months preliminary |
| August 20263 | 12.46¢ per kWh2 | EIA-861M, preliminary |
Each figure is average revenue per kWh: what residential customers were billed in total divided by the kWh they used. It covers monthly customer charges, fuel and riders, excludes most taxes, and is not a line in Santee Cooper's tariff. The three figures differ because Santee Cooper's monthly average swings widely. In low-use spring and autumn months, when fixed monthly charges are spread over fewer kWh, the average per kWh rises; in July and August, with air conditioning running, it falls. August 20263 is a high-use month, so its 12.46¢ per kWh sits below the 12-month figure. Compared with the same month a year earlier, it was +1.5%2.
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 | Santee Cooper (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 10.15¢ | 1,268 | $128.65 |
| February 2025 | 10.40¢ | 1,245 | $129.44 |
| March 2025 | 12.02¢ | 759 | $91.21 |
| April 2025 | 18.43¢ | 530 | $97.76 |
| May 2025 | 14.11¢ | 803 | $113.36 |
| June 2025 | 12.40¢ | 1,077 | $133.53 |
| July 2025 | 11.84¢ | 1,553 | $183.93 |
| August 2025 | 12.28¢ | 1,301 | $159.74 |
| September 2025 | 14.66¢ | 817 | $119.84 |
| October 2025 | 15.34¢ | 739 | $113.35 |
| November 2025 | 16.52¢ | 544 | $89.78 |
| December 2025 | 13.87¢ | 997 | $138.22 |
| January 2026 | 13.03¢ | 1,109 | $144.51 |
| February 2026 | 12.67¢ | 1,379 | $174.73 |
| March 2026 | 17.59¢ | 655 | $115.26 |
| April 2026 | 17.87¢ | 585 | $104.45 |
| May 2026 | 16.47¢ | 688 | $113.36 |
| June 2026 | 13.64¢ | 1,092 | $148.89 |
| July 2026 | 12.15¢ | 1,511 | $183.67 |
| August 2026 | 12.46¢ | 1,392 | $173.51 |
The 12-month figure of 14.07¢ per kWh2 for September 2025 to August 2026 is above the 2025 average, which points to higher prices in the most recent months than in calendar 2025. The 2026 months are preliminary until EIA's final annual survey.
A low price that rose quickly in 2025
From 2024 to 2025, Santee Cooper's residential average went from 11.38¢ per kWh4 to 12.91¢ per kWh, a rise of 13.4%. The South Carolina average for all providers rose 6.3%5 over the same years, and at Dominion Energy South Carolina the change was +12.5%. Both Duke Energy utilities in the state went the other way: Duke Energy Carolinas −3.7% and Duke Energy Progress −5.3%1.
The bill rose a little faster than the price. Santee Cooper homes used 945 kWh a month in 2024 and 959 kWh in 2025, so the average bill went from $107.524 to $123.85 (+15.2%1).
Who approves Santee Cooper's rate changes
Santee Cooper's retail rates are not set in a Public Service Commission rate case. State law gives the Authority the power to fix its own charges at levels that cover operating costs and debt service (§ 58-31-30). Under the same chapter, the Office of Regulatory Staff must review any rate adjustment proposed to the board (§ 58-31-730), and new rates take effect no earlier than sixty days after the board approves them. The law also requires Santee Cooper to post its electric rates on its website (§ 58-31-225), so the current residential schedules can be checked there. The guide to rate increases explains how such decisions reach a bill.
Still below South Carolina's other large utilities
Even after the 2025 rise, Santee Cooper's average was the 5th lowest of the 26 South Carolina utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers. The state's other utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers recorded higher 2025 averages: Duke Energy Carolinas 13.47¢ per kWh, Duke Energy Progress 14.09¢ per kWh, Berkeley Electric Cooperative, its neighbor in Berkeley County, 16.32¢ per kWh and Dominion Energy South Carolina 16.41¢ 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) |
|---|---|
| Santee Cooper (SC) | 12.91¢ |
| Duke Energy Carolinas (SC) | 13.47¢ |
| Duke Energy Progress (SC) | 14.09¢ |
| Berkeley Electric Cooperative (SC) | 16.32¢ |
| Dominion Energy South Carolina (SC) | 16.41¢ |
Nationally, the picture is closer to the middle. Among the 177 US utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers, Santee Cooper ranked 33rd lowest of 177, below the median of 15.07¢ per kWh, and its average was 10.9% below the national average for public power. In South Carolina, public power as a whole averaged 12.90¢ per kWh in 2025, against 14.96¢ per kWh for the investor-owned utilities and 15.96¢ per kWh1 for the cooperatives.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Bundled (full-service) residential revenue divided by kWh, summed over every utility of each type (EIA-861 2025). Small utilities filing the short form report no residential split and are not included.
Show the numbers
| Type | ¢/kWh | Residential customers |
|---|---|---|
| Investor-owned utilities | 14.96¢ | 1,443,586 |
| Electric cooperatives | 15.96¢ | 806,913 |
| Public power (municipal, districts, state) | 12.90¢ | 303,515 |
Smaller bills, a large July peak
Santee Cooper homes used less electricity than the state average in 2025: 959 kWh a month against 1,067 kWh. With a lower price as well, the average bill of $123.851 was well under the South Carolina figure of $161.216.
The seasons still shape the bill. South Carolina averages 2,031 cooling degree days a year (NOAA, 2016 to 2025), 7th highest7 among the contiguous states and DC. Over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026, use per home ranged from 544 kWh in November 2025 to 1,511 kWh in July 2026, and the average bill in those two months from $89.78 to $183.67. The 12-month average was $135.04 on 960 kWh2; the 2026 months are preliminary.
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 | 817 | $119.84 | 14.66¢ |
| October 2025 | 739 | $113.35 | 15.34¢ |
| November 2025 | 544 | $89.78 | 16.52¢ |
| December 2025 | 997 | $138.22 | 13.87¢ |
| January 2026 | 1,109 | $144.51 | 13.03¢ |
| February 2026 | 1,379 | $174.73 | 12.67¢ |
| March 2026 | 655 | $115.26 | 17.59¢ |
| April 2026 | 585 | $104.45 | 17.87¢ |
| May 2026 | 688 | $113.36 | 16.47¢ |
| June 2026 | 1,092 | $148.89 | 13.64¢ |
| July 2026 | 1,511 | $183.67 | 12.15¢ |
| August 2026 | 1,392 | $173.51 | 12.46¢ |
The chart shows why the per-kWh swing matters less than it looks: the months with the highest average price are the months with the smallest bills.
Three coastal counties, all shared
EIA's service-territory records place Santee Cooper's retail customers in 3 counties: Berkeley County, Georgetown County and Horry County. In all 38, at least one other utility also reports customers: Duke Energy Progress lists Georgetown and Horry counties, and Berkeley Electric Cooperative lists Berkeley County. A town or ZIP code therefore does not settle who serves a home; Santee Cooper's own service-area map decides by address.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 3 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 |
|---|---|
| Berkeley County | Dominion Energy South Carolina, Berkeley Electric Cooperative, Edisto Electric Cooperative |
| Georgetown County | Duke Energy Progress, Santee Electric Cooperative, City of Georgetown |
| Horry County | Duke Energy Progress, Horry Electric Cooperative |
The retail territory is only part of the Authority's business. State law names Central Electric Power Cooperative and its member cooperatives among the customers Santee Cooper serves (§ 58-31-320), and requires its rate reviews to account for those wholesale supply agreements. Homes served by those cooperatives pay their cooperative's rates, not Santee Cooper's, and are not counted in the figures on this page. South Carolina has no residential retail choice: EIA counted 01 homes buying from a competitive supplier in 2025.
Time-of-use for every home, by EIA's count
Santee Cooper reported 188,962 residential customers in time-varying pricing to EIA for 2025, 100.0% of its residential customers, with the program type listed as time-of-use. Advanced meters made up 100.0% of its residential meters. Dominion Energy South Carolina, by comparison, reported 0.9%10. The time windows and prices are in Santee Cooper's posted rate schedules; the time-of-use guide explains how such pricing changes a bill.
Rooftop solar is less common than at Berkeley Electric Cooperative: 1,954 net-metered residential installations with 13.4 megawatts of capacity, or 10.3 per 1,000 customers, against 16.610 at the cooperative. Net metering explains how exported power is credited.
Outage minutes well below the state
Santee Cooper's customers averaged 43 minutes without power in 2025 including major events, fewer than the South Carolina average of 151 minutes, and 41 minutes excluding them (IEEE 1366). Interruptions were less frequent too: 0.69 per customer, against 1.2511 statewide.
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) |
|---|---|
| Santee Cooper (SC) | 43 |
| Berkeley Electric Cooperative (SC) | 114 |
| Duke Energy Progress (SC) | 119 |
| Dominion Energy South Carolina (SC) | 131 |
| Duke Energy Carolinas (SC) | 220 |
Business and industrial accounts, and help with bills
The 30,910 commercial accounts paid 10.82¢ per kWh on average in 2025, with an average bill of $574.73 a month. Only 25 industrial accounts buy directly, at an average of 5.94¢ per kWh; across all classes the average was 8.35¢ per kWh1.
Households that need help with energy bills can apply for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which allocated $49.4 million12 to South Carolina for fiscal year 2026. For the rest of the state's providers, see electricity in South Carolina.
Santee Cooper questions
What is Santee Cooper's rate per kWh?
No single tariff line is the rate. What residential customers paid on average, all charges included, was 12.91¢ per kWh1 in 2025 (EIA-861, final), 14.07¢ per kWh over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) and 12.46¢ per kWh2 in August 20263 (preliminary). Santee Cooper must post its current rate schedules on its website.
Is Santee Cooper the same as the South Carolina Public Service Authority?
Yes. South Carolina Public Service Authority is the legal name under which EIA lists Santee Cooper. It is a state-created public corporation, not the Public Service Commission, which regulates the investor-owned utilities.
What is the average Santee Cooper electric bill?
$123.85 a month in 2025 for 959 kWh1, up from $107.524 in 2024. Over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) the average was $135.04, from $89.78 in November 2025 to $183.67 in July 20262.
Did Santee Cooper raise rates?
Its residential average price rose 13.4% from 2024 to 2025, from 11.38¢ per kWh4 to 12.91¢ per kWh1. In August 20263 the monthly average was +1.5%2 against the same month a year earlier (preliminary). Rate changes are approved by Santee Cooper's board after review by the Office of Regulatory Staff.
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, 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
- NOAA, Climate Prediction Center population-weighted degree days by state; table daily state files, base 65°F; 2016-2025 annual sums; 1981-2010 CPC normals; released November 13, 2026. ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.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, 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
How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.