North Carolina households paid an average of 14.95¢ per kWh in August 2026, 18% below the US average and +2.5% on a year earlier. That ranks #38 of 51, most expensive first.
Source EIA, residential retail priceLatest month August 2026
Average residential priceNC
14.95¢/kWh
Typical bill
$154/mo
Average use
1,044kWh
EV, 1,000 mi
$41/mo
Thirteen months of prices
Average residential price by month, ¢/kWh (EIA). Highest 16.25¢ in April 2026, lowest 13.45¢ in December 2025. Download the data (CSV)
Utilities and rate plans
Each utility’s current residential tariffs, transcribed from its tariff sheets, with periods, tiers, fixed charge and a typical bill. Customer counts from EIA-861 (2025).
Each row prices a utility’s standard plan for a typical home. The North Carolina average of 14.79¢/kWh (EIA, 12 months) is what every household in the state actually paid, including utilities not modeled here and discounted low-income bills, so it can sit below every row.
RSTC figures leave out critical-peak days: on up to 20 days a year Duke can bill the on-peak hours at a much higher critical-peak price, so a household that uses power in those hours pays more than shown.
Against the national average and states with similar prices
Average residential ¢/kWh, August 2026 (EIA).
North Carolina14.95¢
United States18.16¢
Florida14.99¢
Arizona15.05¢
Oklahoma14.82¢
South Dakota15.15¢
Charging an electric car in North Carolina
Driving a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD 1,000 miles a month takes 275 kWh from the wall (EPA 27.5 kWh/100 mi), about $41 at the state average. A 25.5 mpg gasoline car covering the same distance at $3.90 a gallon (Lower Atlantic (PADD 1C) average, October 2026) costs about $153.
Some utilities, such as Duke Energy Progress, sell EV plans with cheaper overnight hours. The table shows, for each utility, the plan with the lowest total bill for a typical North Carolina home that adds 1,000 EV miles a month, averaged over the year, and what plugging in at 6 pm would cost instead.
Over the last 12 months the average price was 14.79¢ per kWh and the average home used 1,044 kWh a month, so a typical North Carolina household spent about $154 a month on electricity, or $1,853 a year. Use is 19% above the US average of 875 kWh a month, peaking in January at 1,351 kWh.
The state average hides the real spread. Utilities in the same state charge different prices, and on a time-of-use plan the same kWh costs more in the peak hours than off-peak; each utility page shows by how much. Open Duke Energy Carolinas’s page to see its plans, prices by hour and fixed charge, or run the calculators below with North Carolina preloaded.
Natural gas for homes averaged $1.93 per therm over the 12 months to July 2026 (EIA, all charges included), and a typical gas-heated home uses about 386 therms a year for heating. The heat pump calculator compares that with electric heating on your plan.
A south-facing, 20° rooftop array in North Carolina produces about 1,411 kWh per installed kW a year (NREL PVWatts at the state’s population center). What that is worth depends on your utility’s export rule, shown on each utility’s page.
North Carolina electricity: common questions
How much does electricity cost in North Carolina?
Homes in North Carolina paid an average of 14.95¢ per kWh in August 2026, against 18.16¢ for the US, which ranks the state #38 of 51 from most expensive. Over the last 12 months the average was 14.79¢. These are EIA averages of what households actually paid, fixed charges included; your utility and plan set your own price.
What is the average electric bill in North Carolina?
About $154 a month ($1,853 a year): the average North Carolina home used 1,044 kWh a month over the last 12 months at an average 14.79¢/kWh. Use peaks in January, at 1,351 kWh.
Are electricity prices going up in North Carolina?
North Carolina's average residential price was 14.95¢/kWh in August 2026, 2.5% higher than a year earlier. Over the last ten years the 12-month average has changed by +2.8% a year, against +3.7% a year for the US.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car in North Carolina?
Driving 1,000 miles a month in a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD takes 275 kWh from the wall, about $41 at the state's average home price, against about $153 of gasoline for a 25.5 mpg car. On a time-of-use plan, charging overnight can cost less than that.
Do North Carolina utilities offer time-of-use plans?
Yes. Duke Energy Carolinas offers RSTC (peak 6 pm–9 pm on summer weekdays); Duke Energy Progress offers R-TOU, R-TOU-EV (peak 6 pm–9 pm on summer weekdays on R-TOU). Each utility's page shows every period and price.