Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
Investor Owned electric utility · North Carolina · #6 of 3,199 U.S. utilities by customers · EIA utility #5416
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is a investor owned electric utility serving 2,962,438 customers in North Carolina, South Carolina. In 2025 it sold 81,398 gigawatt-hours of electricity for $8.44B in revenue, an average realized rate of 10.37¢ per kWh across all customer classes and 13.43¢ per kWh for residential customers. Its reported service territory covers 63 counties. EIA records its activities as: generation, transmission, buying transmission, distribution, wholesale marketing, bundled.
Customers, sales and rates by customer class (2025)
| Class | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Revenue | Avg realized rate | Share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 2,543,170 | 30,786 | $4.13B | 13.43¢ | |
| Commercial | 413,439 | 30,932 | $2.89B | 9.34¢ | |
| Industrial | 5,828 | 19,668 | $1.42B | 7.23¢ | |
| Transportation | 1 | 12.5 | $1.23M | 9.80¢ | |
| Total | 2,962,438 | 81,398 | $8.44B | 10.37¢ |
Average realized rate = revenue divided by sales as reported on EIA Form 861. It blends fixed charges, demand charges and riders into one per-kWh figure; it is not the utility's tariff rate. Estimated residential bill assumes the average residential customer's actual 2025 usage (1,009 kWh/month).
Operations by state
| State | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Residential rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 2,274,896 | 59,762 | 13.41¢ |
| South Carolina | 687,542 | 21,636 | 13.47¢ |
Five-year trend
| Year | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Revenue | Residential rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,764,923 | 78,592 | $6.36B | 10.47¢ |
| 2022 | 2,791,712 | 81,277 | $6.83B | 10.70¢ |
| 2023 | 2,845,809 | 77,847 | $7.38B | 12.07¢ |
| 2024 | 2,907,065 | 79,994 | $8.69B | 13.95¢ |
| 2025 | 2,962,438 | 81,398 | $8.44B | 13.43¢ |
Reliability (2025)
Average outage time (SAIDI): 216 minutes per customer per year
Average outages (SAIFI): 1.35 per customer
Average restoration time (CAIDI): 160 minutes
As reported for North Carolina under the IEEE standard, with major event days included where the standard reports them. Lower is better; see the reliability rankings.
Energy supply (2025)
Net generation: 84,356 GWh
Wholesale power purchased: 13,653 GWh
Winter peak demand: 18,896 MW
Energy losses: 6.0% of energy handled
Meters & rooftop solar (2025)
Smart (AMI) meters: 99.6% of 3,029,739 meters
Customer-sited generation (net metering): 41,536 installations, 390.6 MW of capacity
Counties served
Abbeville, SCAlamance, NCAlexander, NCAnderson, SCAnson, NCBuncombe, NCBurke, NCCabarrus, NCCaldwell, NCCaswell, NCCatawba, NCChatham, NCCherokee, NCCherokee, SCChester, SCClay, NCCleveland, NCDavidson, NCDavie, NCDurham, NCEdgefield, SCFairfield, SCForsyth, NCGaston, NCGraham, NCGranville, NCGreenville, SCGreenwood, SCGuilford, NCHenderson, NCIredell, NCJackson, NCKershaw, SCLancaster, SCLaurens, SCLincoln, NCMacon, NCMcCormick, SCMcDowell, NCMecklenburg, NCNewberry, SCOconee, SCOrange, NCPerson, NCPickens, SCPolk, NCRandolph, NCRockingham, NCRowan, NCRutherford, NCSaluda, SCSpartanburg, SCStanly, NCStokes, NCSurry, NCSwain, NCTransylvania, NCUnion, NCUnion, SCWake, NC + 3 more counties
Other large utilities in North Carolina
- Duke Energy Progress - (NC) - 1,782,155 customers, residential 15.07¢
- EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp - 145,028 customers, residential 11.61¢
- Brunswick Electric Member Corp - 118,326 customers, residential 13.34¢
- Union Electric Membership Corp - (NC) - 90,148 customers, residential 13.92¢
- Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp - 85,801 customers, residential 13.39¢
- Fayetteville Public Works Commission - 85,088 customers, residential 12.14¢
- Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp - (NC) - 81,175 customers, residential 14.92¢
- Rutherford Elec Member Corp - 77,777 customers, residential 13.02¢
All North Carolina utilities and rates
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 2025 (filed by the utility; figures as published). Utility #5416 in the EIA frame.