North Carolina Utility Cost Calculator

Two Duke utilities

Duke Energy Carolinas (22.7 TWh to homes in 2024) and Duke Energy Progress (16.4 TWh) together made most of North Carolina’s residential sales; Virginia Electric & Power sold 1.6 TWh. All three are regulated by the North Carolina Utilities Commission. Seventy-two public systems — Fayetteville Public Works Commission is the largest — and 32 cooperatives such as EnergyUnited, with about 1.9 million accounts between them, make up the rest.

Electric heat and rising rates

Sixty-two percent of homes heat mainly with electricity, fifth-highest in the country, and 44% are all-electric. The bill peaks in summer ($202.80 in July 2026) but stays high in winter. The July residential price jumped from 13.37¢ in 2025 to 15.16¢ in 2026, the sixth-largest increase among the states.

Gas (41%) and nuclear (32%) produced most of the state’s 2024 electricity — Duke’s McGuire station led — while coal fell from 38% to 13% over the decade and solar reached 9%. North Carolina generates about what it uses.

Usage and the 2024 baseline

North Carolina homes used about 790 kWh in October 2025 and 1,338 kWh in July 2026. In EIA’s final 2024 data the average bill was $143.50 for 1,015 kWh at 14.13¢; over the latest twelve months it is $151.98. About 1.4 million households also buy natural gas.

Outages, gas and assistance

Counting major events, the average customer lost about 1,518 minutes of power in 2024, fourth-most in the country. EIA lists North Carolina’s 2025 residential gas price as not available, so the calculator uses the 2024 average of $1.582 per therm; gas accounts used about 494 therms. Heating oil ($4.998) and propane ($3.450) prices come from the last weekly survey of the 2025–26 season. The Division of Social Services in the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services runs LIHEAP.