{"id":4590,"date":"2026-07-14T08:34:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T08:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4590"},"modified":"2026-07-14T08:34:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T08:34:55","slug":"duke-energy-state-officials-reach-settlement-in-nc-electric-rate-hike-case-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4590","title":{"rendered":"Duke Energy, state officials reach settlement in NC electric rate hike case"},"content":{"rendered":"

Duke Energy Carolinas and the state agency charged with representing utility customers have reached partial settlements in the utility\u2019s closely watched<\/u><\/a> North Carolina rate case.<\/p>\n

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The agreement resolve some disputes as state regulators continue hearing evidence<\/u><\/a> that will determine what millions of customers ultimately pay for electricity.<\/p>\n

The settlements, filed earlier this month before the North Carolina Utilities Commission, would reduce projected costs<\/u><\/a> for customers compared to the initial 18% proposed increase if approved by regulators. Duke Energy spokesperson Bill Norton said the settlements would result in a monthly increase from current rates of about $9.39 in 2027 and $5.52 in 2028 for the average residential customer.<\/p>\n

Last month, Duke voluntarily reduced its proposed residential rate increase from about 18% to 11.6%, calling it the largest voluntary reduction of a rate request during the rebuttal phase of a case in company history. The settlements do not further reduce the proposed residential increase, but mark the first agreement between Duke and the state\u2019s utility consumer advocate on the 11.6% proposal. The partial settlements mean Public Staff agreed with Duke on some issues while continuing to oppose others, including Duke\u2019s proposed 10.48% return on equity, Norton said.<\/p>\n

Norton called the agreement \u201ca meaningful compromise\u201d that would keep customer rates lower while allowing the utility to continue investing in infrastructure needed to serve North Carolina\u2019s growing population and economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have listened to feedback from our customers and stakeholders,\u201d Duke Energy spokesperson Bill Norton said. \u201cAfter extensive negotiation, we reached partial settlements with the Public Staff that will significantly reduce projected costs for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The utility said the settlements also allow Duke to cover costs from February\u2019s winter storm using surplus hurricane bond funds and increase the use of federal solar tax credits to lower customer bills.<\/p>\n

The settlements do not end the case. The five-member Utilities Commission will ultimately decide whether to approve the agreements and rule on the remaining disputed issues, like Duke\u2019s proposed profit margins and the final rates.<\/p>\n

The partial settlements come as rate case hearings continue<\/u><\/a> in Raleigh. Over the next few days, commissioners will hear testimony from experts and weigh evidence before deciding later this year whether to approve, modify or reject Duke\u2019s request.<\/p>\n

Gov. Josh Stein said the reduction proposed in June was welcome but argued the utility\u2019s request remains unaffordable.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many families are struggling to make ends meet, so we must work to make life more affordable, not less,\u201d Stein said in an emailed statement to The Charlotte Observer. \u201cIt\u2019s still too high. This development proves that when North Carolinians make their voices heard, it makes a difference. Let\u2019s keep advocating for the Utilities Commission to do right by consumers. We need to lower costs for families, because every dollar counts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with Duke\u2019s reduced request, many of the customers, advocates and elected officials who urged the utility to lower its request say their biggest concern hasn\u2019t changed: affordability.<\/p>\n

Veleria Levy, representative-elect for northeast Charlotte\u2019s state House District 99, testified against Duke\u2019s original proposal this spring. She said the company\u2019s decision to lower its request to 11.6% demonstrated that public participation can influence the process, but she believes many families still cannot absorb another increase.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe biggest takeaway for me is showing that public participation really matters,\u201d Levy said. \u201cThey went from 18% to 11.6%. The small win is there… but the question is, is it still affordable?\u201d<\/p>\n

Levy said residents in her district are already balancing rising housing costs, grocery prices, child care expenses and health care bills, making even relatively small increases significant.<\/p>\n

\u201cBehind every single percentage point is a family,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just not on a spreadsheet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauren Carlin, a Hendersonville mother of three who also testified earlier in the case, said she was encouraged Duke reduced its request last month but believes many families remain stretched too thin.<\/p>\n

She said her family already struggles to save money for home improvements that could reduce energy costs because higher prices for housing, groceries and other necessities have consumed their budget. Even after Duke\u2019s revised proposal, she said another increase would continue to strain her family\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n

Olive Burress, an organizer with Sierra Club North Carolina, called Duke\u2019s reduction \u201ca step in the right direction\u201d but said it did not resolve her concerns about affordability or the costs customers could ultimately bear as the utility expands its system.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was glad that they had responded to this enormous amount of public comment,\u201d Burress said. \u201cBut I was still frustrated to see they were asking for an increase at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the fact Duke was able to substantially reduce its request reinforced her view that the original proposal was higher than necessary.<\/p>\n

For Rick Martin, a retired truck driver living on a fixed income, the revised request still would be difficult to pay. Martin said he has already reduced his electricity use in anticipation of higher bills, limiting his air conditioning and cutting back wherever possible. If rates increase, he said, he\u2019ll again have to choose which expenses to eliminate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just do without,\u201d Martin said. \u201cI\u2019ll do without the electricity before I\u2019ll pay them extra.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 3:28 PM<\/span> with the headline “Duke Energy, state officials reach settlement in NC electric rate hike case.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Duke Energy Carolinas and the Public Staff reached partial settlements in the North Carolina rate case, lowering projected costs while hearings continue in Raleigh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nDuke Energy, state officials reach settlement in NC electric rate hike case - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4590\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Duke Energy, state officials reach settlement in NC electric rate hike case - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Duke Energy Carolinas and the Public Staff reached partial settlements in the North Carolina rate case, lowering projected costs while hearings continue in Raleigh.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4590\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-14T08:34:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"Duke Energy, state officials reach settlement in NC electric rate hike case\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T08:34:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590\"},\"wordCount\":940,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/6303b248e73ebbcf0e9e9c62e2c518e2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590\",\"name\":\"Duke Energy, state officials reach settlement in NC electric rate hike case - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/6303b248e73ebbcf0e9e9c62e2c518e2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T08:34:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=4590#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/6303b248e73ebbcf0e9e9c62e2c518e2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/6303b248e73ebbcf0e9e9c62e2c518e2.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674,\"caption\":\"Concerned citizens gather for a rally outside the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. 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