Full service
13.43¢
per kWh, 2025 average revenue
$135.44 / month at 1,009 kWh
Price −3.8% from 2024
Investor Owned · 2,543,170 residential customers · North Carolina
Why is my Duke Energy Carolinas electric bill so high?
EIA respondent: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. Reviewed October 14, 2026. Also searched as Duke Energy.
In 2025, Duke Energy Carolinas reported 2,543,170 residential full service customers under the EIA name Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. Average revenue was 13.43¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill in that filing was $135.44 for 1,009 kWh.
13.43¢ is below North Carolina's 2025 statewide residential average of 14.00¢. In July 2026 the state residential price was 15.16¢, versus 13.37¢ a year earlier (+13.4%). The utility number is a 2025 annual average. The state number is one later month. They answer different questions.
From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed −2.3%. Average use changed +1.5% and average price changed −3.8%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for $2.12 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for −$5.28.
EIA Form 861, 2025 final · Reviewed October 14, 2026
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A · Reviewed October 14, 2026
The rate on the record
Investor-owned base rates are usually set in a state docket. Riders can change outside a full rate case. Average revenue per kilowatt-hour is total residential revenue divided by residential sales. It is not a tariff schedule.
| Service | Customers | Price | Monthly use | Monthly bill | Vs 2024 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full service | 2,543,170 | 13.43¢ | 1,009 kWh | $135.44 | −3.8% |
EIA-861 sales to ultimate customers, 2025 final, compared with 2024 · Reviewed October 14, 2026
By state
| State | Service | Customers | Price | Monthly bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | Full service | 1,961,108 | 13.41¢ | $133.63 |
| SC | Full service | 582,062 | 13.47¢ | $141.55 |
Audit the full service average
Revenue 4,133,462.3 thousand dollars. Sales 30,785,856 MWh. Customers 2,543,170. Cents per kWh = revenue ÷ megawatt-hours × 100. Monthly bill = revenue × 1,000 ÷ customers ÷ 12.
Why a Duke Energy Carolinas bill moved
The average bill fell, and the price piece is separate
Duke Energy Carolinas reported a full service average of $135.44 a month in 2025, −2.3% from $138.61 in 2024. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change of +1.5% is worth $2.12 a month. The price change of −3.8%, from 13.95¢ to 13.43¢, is worth −$5.28 on 2025 usage.
Below the North Carolina average
13.43¢ per kWh is below North Carolina's 2025 residential average of 14.00¢. July 2026 in the state was 15.16¢, versus 13.37¢ a year earlier (+13.4%). The utility figure is a full year of average revenue. The state figure is one later month. A household that uses more than 1,009 kWh will not land on $135.44.
One full-service average
2,543,170 residential customers were on Duke Energy Carolinas full service in 2025, at 13.43¢ per kWh. That average folds in the customer charge and whatever riders the utility booked as residential revenue. It is not the last block on a tiered tariff.
North Carolina multi-year rate plan still awaiting approval
North Carolina Utilities Commission, NCUC filing of November 20, 2025. Duke Energy's November 20, 2025 Form 8-K says Duke Energy Carolinas filed a performance-based regulation case that day. The as-filed request was a year-1 net retail revenue increase of about $727 million (10.9 percent), then about $275 million (4.1 percent) in year 2, totaling 15.0 percent, with rates requested no… The rate-case section has the full citation.
Season
The 2025 monthly average for this Duke Energy Carolinas service was 1,009 kWh, and the North Carolina residential average was 1,044 kWh. A single month can sit far from either figure. Compare kilowatt-hours with the same month last year before you treat the whole increase as a rate hike.
Time-of-use is already on the EIA schedule
EIA's 2025 dynamic-pricing file shows residential time-of-use activity at Duke Energy Carolinas, with 26,085 residential customers enrolled in dynamic pricing. The expensive window is in the tariff, not in that enrollment count. Shifting a dishwasher or an EV charger only helps if you are actually on that schedule.
EIA-861 2025 and 2024 residential sales · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Rate cases and hikes
pending · NCUC filing of November 20, 2025
North Carolina multi-year rate plan still awaiting approval
Duke Energy's November 20, 2025 Form 8-K says Duke Energy Carolinas filed a performance-based regulation case that day. The as-filed request was a year-1 net retail revenue increase of about $727 million (10.9 percent), then about $275 million (4.1 percent) in year 2, totaling 15.0 percent, with rates requested no later than January 1, 2027. Duke's customer page illustrates that request for a typical 1,000 kWh DEC bill as $144.98 to $162.20 on January 1, 2027 (+$17.22) and another $6.34 on January 1, 2028. Those bill figures are the company's illustration of the original request, not a final order.
A later Duke exhibit says a June 19, 2026 rebuttal cut the two-year request to about $622 million (about 9.3 percent), and that a July 17, 2026 comprehensive settlement with the Public Staff and others would allow $496 million over two years, an average annual 3.7 percent, still subject to NCUC approval. The North Carolina legislature's March 31, 2026 PBR report lists the DEC case as pending. The SEC 8-K did not print a docket sub-number, so none is stated here.
Duke Energy Form 8-K, November 20, 2025 (North Carolina Utilities Commission) · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Assistance
LIHEAP is the federal bill program, and the state contact list is the place to start. A Duke Energy Carolinas income discount, medical baseline, or budget-billing rule was not retrieved from North Carolina Utilities Commission. That offer needs verification.
LIHEAP program · State and territory contacts · Duke Energy Carolinas site
The company homepage is linked for navigation. Program rules on that site were not reviewed. Needs verification.
LIHEAP · Reviewed October 14, 2026
How to lower the bill
- Read the kilowatt-hours against this filing's average of 1,009 kWh a month. If your use is the thing that moved, the dollar total can rise on an unchanged rate.
- On the statement, separate the base energy charge from fuel or rider lines. A rider can move the total in a month when no new base-rate order exists.
- Match this month's weather to last year's same month. A mild comparison month makes an ordinary bill look like a hike.
- Start with LIHEAP for North Carolina (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/map/liheap-map-state-and-territory-contact-listing). A Duke Energy Carolinas discount beyond that program needs verification.
- 26,085 residential customers were already on a dynamic price in the 2025 EIA file. If you are one of them, the window on the tariff is the lever. If you are not, calling the utility to discuss the schedule is the first step, not shifting load you are not being charged extra for.
- If the read is marked estimated, the next actual read can true the account up or down. The tariff rule for that true-up needs verification.
Full service at the 2025 average price
| Monthly use | Estimated bill |
|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $67.15 |
| 750 kWh | $100.73 |
| 1,000 kWh | $134.30 |
| 1,500 kWh | $201.45 |
| 2,000 kWh | $268.60 |
Usage times the average price. At very low use, a real bill is often higher because a fixed customer charge does not shrink. The tariff needs verification.
Questions people ask
Why is my Duke Energy Carolinas electric bill so high?
In 2025, Duke Energy Carolinas reported 2,543,170 residential full service customers under the EIA name Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. Average revenue was 13.43¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill in that filing was $135.44 for 1,009 kWh. 13.43¢ is below North Carolina's 2025 statewide residential average of 14.00¢. In July 2026 the state residential price was 15.16¢, versus 13.37¢ a year earlier (+13.4%). The utility number is a 2025 annual average. The state number is one later month. They answer different questions. From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed −2.3%. Average use changed +1.5% and average price changed −3.8%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for $2.12 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for −$5.28.
What was Duke Energy Carolinas's average residential rate?
Using 2025 EIA-861 revenue and sales, the full service average was 13.43¢ per kWh. Average use was 1,009 kWh a month and the average bill was $135.44. This folds in whatever customer charges and riders the utility reported. It is not the marginal rate on your tariff.
Did Duke Energy Carolinas raise rates?
North Carolina Utilities Commission NCUC filing of November 20, 2025 (pending): North Carolina multi-year rate plan still awaiting approval. Separately, the EIA average price moved −3.8% from 2024 to 2025. The annual average and the docket are not the same document.
What bill assistance can Duke Energy Carolinas customers ask about?
LIHEAP is the federal program for home energy bills (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/liheap). Duke Energy Carolinas may also offer an income-qualified discount, budget billing, or a medical baseline. The current offer, income cutoff, and how to apply need verification on the utility site and with the state LIHEAP office and North Carolina Utilities Commission.
Are data centers why this bill went up?
Large computing load is raising U.S. electricity demand, and regulators can later recover new generation and wires costs from customers. EIA has not published a dollar line that isolates data centers on this utility's residential bill. That pass-through needs verification.