North Carolina Duke Energy rate hike is cut nearly in half after hearings, but bills would still rise

Duke Energy's proposed North Carolina rate increase has been pared back after public hearings and negotiations.

Rather than disappearing, though, the utility's request was reduced by almost half.

What's happening?

Duke Energy had asked to raise rates by 18% over the next two years, but the latest request is 9.5%, according to ABC11. The North Carolina Utilities Commission has not yet made a final decision.

If the revised plan is approved, a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month would see a $6.53 increase starting Jan. 1, 2027, with the average bill moving from $157.15 to $163.68, ABC11 reported. A second increase of $4.66 would follow after Jan. 1, 2028.

ABC11 reported that Duke Energy lowered its proposal after several weeks of public hearings during which customers expressed concerns, Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks said.

"Given the cost of living pressures that we know our customers are facing right now, along with the conversations that we've had as part of these discussions, we felt we needed to make a reduction," Brooks said.

Even so, Duke says higher rates are still needed to pay for infrastructure improvements connected to growth. 

Brooks told ABC11 that the company has added about 150,000 North Carolina customers in the past two years, along with roughly 50,000 poles, 4,000 miles of lines, and self-healing technology.

Why does it matter?

A lower increase would still mean higher power bills for customers whose finances may already be tight.

That makes the proposal particularly aggravating for residents who say they are trying to conserve electricity but are still being charged more.

Duke Energy customer Uddesh Chakraborty told ABC11, "I think the bills are significantly increasing. I'm usually very vigilant about my electricity usage. Last year I got like an $80 bill for, like, let's say June 2025. And I think I got like a $120 bill for June 2026 for using less energy."

Dustin DeGiffarde, another Duke customer, said, "It's one of those things of like, you, of course, always think, 'Is it me?' first. You know, 'Am I doing something crazy? Did I leave the freezer open or something wild like that?' I'm not doing anything different; that means the energy costs must be going up."

What's being done?

Duke says it is offering tools to help people better understand their bills. 

Brooks said, "There's also explanations on your bill to explain what the charges are, and all of these tools are our you know goal to help customers be more educated about how they use energy, how that impacts their monthly bill, and that can help them to build strategies to save over time."

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