15.37¢
per kWh, 2025
[ Central Electric Membership / NC ]
Central Electric Membership electricity rates in North Carolina
CO-OP BOARD SETS RATES · DATA 2025
change in average rate, 2024→2025
+7.2%
vs 2024
20,677
residential customers
+13.6%
since 2020
What your bill becomes
Bill today
No change on file
Difference / month · / year
Estimated at Central Electric Membership's average effective residential rate (15.37¢/kWh, EIA, all charges included). Your tariff, fees and taxes differ.
Rate history 2015–2025
| Year | ¢/kWh | Change | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 12.20¢ | — | 19,928 |
| 2016 | 12.18¢ | −0.2% | 20,026 |
| 2017 | 13.02¢ | +6.9% | 20,299 |
| 2018 | 12.98¢ | −0.3% | 20,496 |
| 2019 | 13.21¢ | +1.8% | 20,727 |
| 2020 | 13.53¢ | +2.4% | 20,989 |
| 2021 | 13.12¢ | −3.0% | 21,171 |
| 2022 | 13.41¢ | +2.2% | 21,493 |
| 2023 | 13.85¢ | +3.3% | 21,798 |
| 2024 | 14.34¢ | +3.5% | 22,071 |
| 2025 | 15.37¢ | +7.2% | 20,677 |
How this compares
14.00¢
North Carolina average, 2025
+9.8%
Central Electric Membership vs NC 2025 average
−10.8%
vs US 2025 average
#13
priciest in NC
Serves 5 counties in North Carolina: Chatham, Harnett, Lee, Moore, Randolph. 24 ZIP codes.
What the numbers show
Since 2015, Central Electric Membership's average residential rate has gone from 12.20¢ to 15.37¢ per kWh: +26.0% over 10 years, or about +2.3% a year. It rose in 7 of the 10 years we can compare, and the biggest one-year increase was +7.2% in 2025. The largest drop was −3.0% in 2021.
For a home using 1,044 kWh a month, the North Carolina average, Central Electric Membership's 2025 rate works out to about $1,926 a year, $172 more than at North Carolina's average rate of 14.00¢. Of the 54 North Carolina utilities in our data with a 2025 price, it is the 13th most expensive.
Central Electric Membership served 19,928 homes in 2015 and 20,677 in 2025 (+3.8%), under 1% of North Carolina's residential electricity customers.
Who sets Central Electric Membership's rates
Central Electric Membership is a member-owned electric cooperative. A board elected by its members sets its rates. In some states the North Carolina Utilities Commission also reviews co-op rates, but most co-op rate changes do not go through a commission rate case, so watch the co-op's own member notices and board meetings.
Commission contact: North Carolina Utilities Commission. How we calculate every figure on this page: methodology.
Questions
Is Central Electric Membership raising rates in 2026?
Central Electric Membership's rates are set by its member-elected board, not through a rate case at the North Carolina Utilities Commission, so check its own notices for a change this year. Its average residential rate moved +7.2% from 2024 to 2025.
What does Central Electric Membership charge per kWh?
Central Electric Membership's average effective residential rate was 15.37¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales, all charges included). North Carolina's 2025 average was 14.00¢.
How much have Central Electric Membership rates gone up in five years?
+13.6% between 2020 and 2025, against +33.2% for North Carolina as a whole over the latest five-year window.
How many customers does Central Electric Membership have in North Carolina?
20,677 residential customers in 2025, across 5 counties including Chatham, Harnett, Lee, according to the EIA-861 survey.
Where do these numbers come from?
Rates and customer counts are from the US Energy Information Administration's annual EIA-861 survey, which every US utility files. Nothing here is a utility bill; use it to understand the direction and size of changes.
Sources
- EIA-861 Sales to Ultimate Customers, 2015–2025 (released 2026-10-07)
- EIA-861M monthly state averages through Jul 2026
- NREL utility-by-ZIP lookup (2024)