Duke Energy is asking state regulators to approve an 18% increase in electricity rates for residential customers over the next two years.
That could mean an increase of about $28 per month for Duke Energy customers in 2027, rising to about $34 per month in 2028, according to Duke’s filings.
Utility rates have risen in past years, with Duke holding a monopoly over much of the Carolinas.
About 72,500 people signed a petition as of Monday afternoon demanding an independent audit of Duke Energy’s billing system, as well as a refund for customers who have been overcharged due to billing discrepancies.
“We are a regulated utility with some of the highest accountability and oversight of any industry in the nation,” Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks told NC Newsline in an email. “We are required to reliably serve customers and accurately measure and bill the customer for energy they use.”
The North Carolina Utilities Commission is hosting three public hearings this week where customers can share their feedback with state regulators. One is in Raleigh on Monday, another is in Lumberton on Tuesday, and the final one is virtual on Wednesday.
North Carolina League of Conservation Voters senior director of public affairs Dan Crawford said Duke Energy is exerting its influence over the North Carolina state legislature.
“Former Duke Energy state president and former state Sen. Paul Newton introduced a bill that allows Duke Energy to charge us for power plants before they’re even completed or fully built, charge industrial customers lower rates than residential customers, and eliminate clean energy goals that make us more dependent on coal and natural gas,” Crawford said.
He was referring to the “Power Bill Reduction Act,” which Gov. Josh Stein vetoed last July. But the Republican-led lawmakers overrode the veto, enacting the measure.
Notably, the legislation removes the 2030 interim target for carbon emissions reduction for the utility.
U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat representing North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, pointed out the strain of higher electricity prices on North Carolinians and their families.
“These changes mean families in western North Carolina who are still rebuilding after Hurricane Helene are struggling to heat their homes in the winter and early spring,” she said.
Ross criticized the Trump administration for shutting down an offshore wind farm project in North Carolina. The Carolina Long Bay facility would’ve generated enough energy to power about 300,000 homes.
Under the settlement, which passed last week, TotalEnergies will be reimbursed for the nearly $1 billion it paid for two leases — the other is in New York — and will redirect that money into oil and natural gas development in and around Texas.
“Those are jobs, that’s energy, and that’s a bribe,” Ross said.
Duke Energy did not respond to NC Newsline’s request for comment.
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