Duke Energy Progress customers in North Carolina to see lower energy bills this winter

Duke Energy Progress customers in North Carolina should see savings in their monthly energy bill this winter if their proposed rate adjustments are approved.

The typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month would see their bills drop from the current $118.20 to $114.64 – a decrease of $3.56, or 3 percent. The typical commercial customer would see an average reduction of about 4 percent, while industrial customers would receive an average decrease of about 2.3 percent.

The proposed reductions are from costs associated with fuel used to generate electricity, compliance with the state’s renewable energy portfolio standard (REPS), cost recovery under the Joint Agency Asset Rider (JAAR) and implementation of energy efficiency (EE) and demand-side management programs (DSM).

The proposals are under review by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC). If approved by the new rates would go into effect either Dec. 1, 2020, or Jan. 1, 2021.

Duke Energy Progress, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, serves about 1.4 million customers in central and eastern North Carolina and the Asheville region.

Duke Energy will not disconnect any customer’s service for nonpayment to give customers experiencing financial hardship extra time to make payments. Further, the company is waiving late payment fees and fees for returned payments across its service territories until the national state of emergency is lifted.