North Carolina electricity rates (August 2026)

Average residential and commercial electricity prices in North Carolina from EIA's monthly utility survey, with the trend, the largest utilities and what power costs a typical homeowner.

Residential rate

14.95¢

▲ 2.5% vs a year agoper kWh, August 2026; ranks 38 of 51 (1 = highest)

Commercial rate

10.73¢

per kWh, August 2026

Average home bill

$154

per month over the last 12 months, about 1,044 kWh

U.S. residential average

18.16¢

North Carolina is 18% below the U.S. average.

Find your utility's rate by ZIP

North Carolina vs U.S. residential rate

Cents per kWh by month, last 36 months.

Last 12 months in North Carolina

Month	Residential	Commercial	U.S. residential	Avg kWh	Avg bill
August 2026	14.95¢	10.73¢	18.16¢	1,310	$196
July 2026	15.16¢	10.73¢	18.31¢	1,338	$203
June 2026	14.74¢	10.51¢	18.34¢	1,125	$166
May 2026	15.09¢	10.44¢	18.44¢	864	$130
April 2026	16.25¢	10.39¢	18.86¢	756	$123
March 2026	16.00¢	10.63¢	18.60¢	835	$134
February 2026	14.64¢	11.22¢	17.65¢	1,185	$173
January 2026	13.68¢	10.19¢	17.45¢	1,351	$185
December 2025	13.45¢	10.69¢	17.11¢	1,200	$161
November 2025	14.61¢	10.52¢	17.77¢	849	$124
October 2025	15.01¢	10.44¢	17.95¢	793	$119
September 2025	15.08¢	10.31¢	18.05¢	920	$139

Largest utilities in North Carolina

Residential rates for the biggest utilities in North Carolina that report monthly to EIA, ordered by number of homes served, for August 2026.

Utility	Type	Rate	Avg kWh	Avg bill	Homes
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC	Investor Owned	14.54¢	1,192	$173	2,002,585
Duke Energy Progress - (NC)	Investor Owned	16.05¢	1,264	$203	1,414,566
Brunswick Electric Member Corp	Cooperative	14.86¢	1,405	$209	112,509
Virginia Electric & Power Co	Investor Owned	15.30¢	1,631	$250	109,550
Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp	Cooperative	14.41¢	1,389	$200	82,626
Fayetteville Public Works Commission	Municipal	12.60¢	1,291	$163	76,193
Rutherford Elec Member Corp	Cooperative	12.49¢	1,311	$164	72,529

What electricity adds to owning a home in North Carolina

A typical North Carolina home is valued at $332,159 (Zillow). With 10% down at this week's 7.24% 30-year rate, principal and interest come to about $2,037 a month. The average electric bill of $154 adds about 8% on top of that, or $1,853 a year. See North Carolina property tax and closing costs or run the monthly payment.

Bills follow the seasons: in North Carolina the highest-use month of the last year averaged 1,351 kWh per home and the lowest 756 kWh. Budget for the expensive months, not the average.

Common questions

What is the average electricity rate in North Carolina?

Homes in North Carolina paid an average of 14.95 cents per kWh in August 2026, 18% below the U.S. average of 18.16 cents (EIA Form 861M).

How much is the average electric bill in North Carolina?

Over the last 12 months the average North Carolina home used about 1,044 kWh a month and paid about $154 a month.

Have North Carolina electricity rates gone up?

The residential rate is 2.5% higher than in August 2025, when it was 14.59 cents per kWh.

What do businesses pay for electricity in North Carolina?

Commercial customers in North Carolina paid 10.73 cents per kWh in August 2026.

Electricity rates in all statesRanked table and ZIP lookup North Carolina buying costsProperty tax, transfer tax and closing costs North Carolina buyer programsDown payment help where you live

Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Form EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue (state and utility data, latest month August 2026; EIA marks recent months preliminary and may revise them); ZIP-to-utility map: OpenEI, U.S. Electric Utility Companies and Rates: Look-up by Zip Code (2024), CC BY 4.0. Rates are average revenue per kWh (total bill divided by kWh sold), so they include fixed and delivery charges. EIA posts each month about eight weeks after it ends; this page checks for new data every morning.