The two solar riders Duke offers new NC customers
Since October 2023, new residential rooftop customers choose between two riders, and the choice changes your rate plan and your export value:
Rider RSC (Residential Solar Choice)
The standard, permanent option. You must take a time-of-use rate with critical peak pricing, a minimum monthly bill and non-bypassable charges apply, and monthly net exports are credited at the utility's avoided-cost rate, not retail.
Rider NMB (Net Metering Bridge)
A temporary, capacity-limited bridge. It does not force the time-of-use schedule and can be held for up to 15 years, but it is filling, and new customers are steadily being moved onto Rider RSC.
If you installed before the change
You keep legacy net metering through the transition, and all solar customers keep their renewable energy credits under either new rider.
Duke Carolinas rates in the Piedmont
Duke Energy Carolinas's average residential electricity price has risen from 10.62 cents per kWh in 2015 to 13.94 cents in 2024, an increase of about 31 percent, or roughly 3.1 percent per year. The chart shows Duke Carolinas's average residential price by year. Hover any point for the exact figure.
Current residential rates
Duke Carolinas residential rates are shown below, from the utility's published tariffs and the public Utility Rate Database. Rates vary by plan, season, and usage and change over time.
| Plan | Energy charge | Fixed / basic |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Service (Schedule RS, standard) | A typical 1,000 kWh residential bill runs about $149 per month as of early 2026, roughly 14.9 cents per kWh all in | included above |
| Residential Time-of-Use with Critical Peak Pricing | Required for new solar customers under Rider RSC; prices vary by time of day and include a critical-peak period | see schedule |
The typical-bill figure is from Duke's approved North Carolina rate case. Duke Energy Carolinas' 2023 multi-year rate plan (Docket E-7, Sub 1276) raised rates in three annual steps through 2026, and a new rate case for 2027 and 2028 was filed in November 2025 and is pending before the North Carolina Utilities Commission. Confirm current figures on Duke's North Carolina rate pages.
Net billing replaced net metering
North Carolina ended traditional 1:1 net metering for Duke. The full-retail Rider NM closed to new customers on September 30, 2023, and revised riders took effect October 1, 2023. New residential rooftop solar customers choose between Rider RSC (Residential Solar Choice), the standard permanent option, and a temporary, capacity-limited Rider NMB (Net Metering Bridge). Under Rider RSC you must take service on a time-of-use rate with critical peak pricing, a minimum monthly bill and non-bypassable charges apply, and monthly net exports are credited at the utility's avoided-cost rate rather than the retail rate. Rider NMB does not require the time-of-use schedule and can be held for up to 15 years, but it is capacity-limited, and new customers are being moved onto Rider RSC. Customers who installed before the change keep their legacy net metering through the transition, and solar customers keep their renewable energy credits. Because exports now earn avoided cost rather than retail, the value of solar leans toward using your own generation on site. These terms are materially identical to Duke Energy Progress. Whether solar makes sense depends on your usage, roof, and rate plan, so get a site-specific quote.
Designing for the new rules
The headline for North Carolina is that the old 1:1 net metering is gone for new Duke customers. The full retail Rider NM closed in September 2023, and since October 2023 new rooftop customers take net billing, where exported energy earns the avoided-cost rate rather than the retail price, and the standard Rider RSC requires a time-of-use plan with a critical-peak period.
That reshapes the design. When exports are worth avoided cost and your rate varies by hour, the value shifts hard toward using your own generation on site and, often, adding a battery to move midday solar into peak hours. Duke Carolinas has the lower of the two Duke NC rates, so the savings per kWh are modest. Get a site-specific quote on the actual rider and rate you will be on.
What rising Duke Carolinas rates could cost you
Duke Carolinas rates have risen about 3.1% per year. Enter your bill to see what that pace of increase could compound to over time, and what you have likely already absorbed. This is an estimate, not a guarantee.
Estimate only. Projects your current bill forward at Duke Carolinas's historical average rate increase (3.1% per year, from EIA data); it assumes your usage stays the same except for any add-ons you select. Actual rates depend on your usage, rate plan, and the utility's future filings, and are not guaranteed. This is general information, not financial advice.
Full data and sources
Per-utility prices are computed from EIA Form 861 (bundled residential revenue divided by sales), which reconciles to the EIA's published figures. These are public-domain U.S. government data.
| Year | Duke Carolinas (c/kWh) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 10.62 |
| 2016 | 10.42 |
| 2017 | 10.18 |
| 2018 | 10.14 |
| 2019 | 10.36 |
| 2020 | 10.36 |
| 2021 | 10.26 |
| 2022 | 10.44 |
| 2023 | 11.88 |
| 2024 | 13.94 |
Sources: EIA Form 861 annual data (Sales_Ult_Cust files, 2015-2024) · EIA Electric Sales, Revenue, and Average Price (Table 6) · NC Public Staff: net metering (Rider RSC and NMB) · Duke Energy Carolinas 2023 NC rate case, approval release · North Carolina Utilities Commission
Duke Carolinas service area
Duke Carolinas serves the Charlotte area and the western and central Piedmont of North Carolina.
To confirm whether a specific address is served by Duke Carolinas, check your electricity bill. A ZIP lookup tool is coming to this site.
FAQ
Does Duke Energy Carolinas still offer net metering in North Carolina?
Not the traditional 1:1 kind for new customers. The full retail Rider NM closed on September 30, 2023, and since October 1, 2023 new residential rooftop customers take net billing under Rider RSC or the temporary Rider NMB. Exports are credited at the avoided-cost rate rather than retail.
What is Rider RSC?
The Residential Solar Choice rider, Duke's standard permanent option for new NC solar customers. It requires a time-of-use rate with critical peak pricing, applies a minimum monthly bill and non-bypassable charges, and credits monthly net exports at the utility's avoided-cost rate.
Do I have to switch to a time-of-use rate for solar?
Under Rider RSC, yes. The temporary Rider NMB does not require it, but NMB is capacity-limited and new customers are being transitioned to RSC. Because a time-of-use rate changes what your self-consumed solar is worth by hour, model the plan you will actually be on.
Is solar worth it on Duke Energy Carolinas?
It can be, but the math now favors self-consumption and often a battery, because exports earn avoided cost rather than retail and a time-of-use rate applies. Duke Carolinas has the lower of the two Duke NC rates, so savings per kWh are modest. Get a site-specific quote on the actual rider and rate plan.