13.41¢
per kWh, 2025
[ Duke Energy Carolinas / NC · E-7, Sub 1329 ]
Duke Energy Carolinas: 15.0% requested for 1,961,108 North Carolina homes
SETTLED
rate increase requested
15.42¢
per kWh if approved
1,961,108
residential customers
+29.4%
since 2020
What your bill becomes
Bill today
After the increase
Difference / month · / year
Estimated at Duke Energy Carolinas's average effective residential rate (13.41¢/kWh, EIA, all charges included). Your tariff, fees and taxes differ.
Rate case E-7, Sub 1329
Settlement filed Docket E-7, Sub 1329 ↗
- Nov 2025Filed with the commission as docket E-7, Sub 1329
Duke Energy Carolinas asked the North Carolina Utilities Commission on November 20, 2025 for a two-year rate plan covering 2027 and 2028, worth about $1.0 billion or 15.0% overall (SEC filing); the WFAE hearing notice puts the customer increase at 15.8%. The company cites plant investment, coal ash compliance and a 10.95% return on equity. In July 2026 it reached a settlement with business and clean-energy parties that lowers the return to 9.8%; the commission has not yet ruled, and not every party signed.
Rate history 2015–2025
| Year | ¢/kWh | Change | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 10.62¢ | — | 1,646,664 |
| 2016 | 10.42¢ | −1.9% | 1,669,923 |
| 2017 | 10.18¢ | −2.3% | 1,693,953 |
| 2018 | 10.14¢ | −0.4% | 1,719,715 |
| 2019 | 10.36¢ | +2.2% | 1,755,222 |
| 2020 | 10.36¢ | +0.0% | 1,788,300 |
| 2021 | 10.26¢ | −1.0% | 1,819,801 |
| 2022 | 10.44¢ | +1.8% | 1,837,991 |
| 2023 | 11.88¢ | +13.8% | 1,874,207 |
| 2024 | 13.94¢ | +17.3% | 1,919,372 |
| 2025 | 13.41¢ | −3.8% | 1,961,108 |
How this compares
14.00¢
North Carolina average, 2025
−4.2%
Duke Energy Carolinas vs NC 2025 average
−22.2%
vs US 2025 average
#27
priciest in NC
Serves 44 counties in North Carolina: Alamance, Alexander, Anson, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Granville, Guilford, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Orange, Person, Polk, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Wake, Wilkes, Yadkin. 558 ZIP codes.
What the numbers show
Since 2015, Duke Energy Carolinas's average residential rate has gone from 10.62¢ to 13.41¢ per kWh: +26.3% over 10 years, or about +2.4% a year. It rose in 4 of the 10 years we can compare, and the biggest one-year increase was +17.3% in 2024. The largest drop was −3.8% in 2025.
For a home using 1,044 kWh a month, the North Carolina average, Duke Energy Carolinas's 2025 rate works out to about $1,680 a year, $74 less 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 27th most expensive.
Duke Energy Carolinas served 1,646,664 homes in 2015 and 1,961,108 in 2025 (+19.1%), about 37% of North Carolina's residential electricity customers.
Who sets Duke Energy Carolinas's rates
Duke Energy Carolinas is investor-owned, so it can change its base rates only by filing a rate case with the North Carolina Utilities Commission. The commission holds hearings and takes public comment before it rules, and it usually approves less than the company asks for. Fuel and other pass-through charges can change between rate cases.
Commission contact: North Carolina Utilities Commission. How we calculate every figure on this page: methodology.
Questions
Is Duke Energy Carolinas raising rates?
Duke Energy Carolinas filed docket E-7, Sub 1329 with the North Carolina Utilities Commission in Nov 2025 asking for a 15% increase (overall revenue increase, all customer classes), about $1002M a year. No decision date has been published.
How much more would I pay Duke Energy Carolinas each month?
At North Carolina's average use of 1,044 kWh, a bill of about $140.00 would become about $161.00 if the full 15% is approved. Commissions usually approve less than the request.
What does Duke Energy Carolinas charge per kWh?
Duke Energy Carolinas's average effective residential rate was 13.41¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales, all charges included). North Carolina's 2025 average was 14.00¢.
How much have Duke Energy Carolinas rates gone up in five years?
+29.4% between 2020 and 2025, against +33.2% for North Carolina as a whole over the latest five-year window.
How many customers does Duke Energy Carolinas have in North Carolina?
1,961,108 residential customers in 2025, across 44 counties including Alamance, Alexander, Anson, 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; rate-case facts are from the North Carolina Utilities Commission docket linked on this page. Nothing here is a utility bill; use it to understand the direction and size of changes.
Sources
Last verified 2026-10-16
- WFAE: NCUC hearing schedule for dockets E-7 Sub 1329 and E-2 Sub 1380 (NCUC docket search at starw1.ncuc.gov is bot-blocked) checked 2026-10-16
- Duke Energy Exhibit 99.1, SEC filing on the 2025 North Carolina rate cases checked 2026-10-16
- WFAE: Duke Energy Carolinas settlement, July 2026 checked 2026-10-16
- 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)