In short: Burlington has about 61,400 people and sits in Alamance County. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Progress and Randolph Electric Member Corp serves different parts of Alamance County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 13.94¢ to 15.91¢ per kWh (EIA). FEMA rates Alamance County winter weather “relatively high”. Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,270 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is good for solar.
This page covers what is local to Burlington: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our North Carolina energy guide and the wider area is covered in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem guide.
Burlington at a glance
- Place: Burlington, Alamance County, North Carolina; about 61,365 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 13.94¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 168 minutes of power on normal days and 1,626 counting major storms, with 1.2 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Burlington).
- Utility: Duke Energy Progress (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 15.54¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 141 minutes of power on normal days and 1,803 counting major storms, with 1.2 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Burlington).
- Utility: Randolph Electric Member Corp (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 15.91¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 114 minutes of power on normal days and 224 counting major storms, with 1.4 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Burlington).
- Sun: 4.34 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 2.17 in December to 6.34 in June (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,270 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 1,690 cooling degree-days and 3,620 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating and cooling both matter.
- Top hazards in Alamance County: winter weather “relatively high”, ice storms “relatively high” and lightning “relatively high” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively low”).
- Public charging: 49 ports at 11 locations in Burlington, 34 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC is an investor-owned utility and served about 1,919,372 home customers in 2024; its 13.94¢ average was below the 15.16¢ statewide average for July 2026. Duke Energy Progress is an investor-owned utility and served about 1,356,079 home customers in 2024; its 15.54¢ average was close to the 15.16¢ statewide average for July 2026. Randolph Electric Member Corp is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 31,086 home customers in 2024; its 15.91¢ average was above the 15.16¢ statewide average for July 2026. Those are utility-wide averages, not a quote for your address; your own bill is the real number.
For reliability, Piedmont Electric Member Corp reported 170 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, more than the statewide figure of 141 (EIA-861). Utility-wide numbers hide a lot: a home at the end of a long rural line usually has more outages than the average.
Net metering, export rates and incentives are set at state level and by each utility. Start with the North Carolina guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Burlington
- Winter weather (relatively high): Winter storms and cold snaps combine outages with heating demand. Plan for the furnace blower or heat pump, not just lights, and keep a fuel supply you can reach in snow.
- Ice storms (relatively high): Ice storms bring down lines for days. A standby generator with a transfer switch, or a battery sized for the fridge, furnace blower and well pump, matters more than a small power station.
- Short outages: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights; a home battery switches over automatically.
Size your setup with the generator sizing tool and the battery backup calculator, and compare options in backup power. Generator safety (CPSC): outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage, and battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside. A licensed electrician should install any transfer switch, with a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in Burlington
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,270 kWh a year in Burlington (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC’s 2024 average of 13.94¢, that is about $177 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: June is the sunniest month at 6.34 and December the dimmest at 2.17, a 2.9-to-1 gap.
Check your own roof with the solar potential tool, see solar costs and net metering vs net billing, and read the steps in solar installation.
Batteries and EV charging
A home battery earns its place when outages are frequent, when your utility pays little for exported solar, or when evening prices are high; compare in home batteries and battery costs. Burlington has 49 public charging ports in the federal station list including 34 DC fast, but home charging is cheaper and easier: see the EV charging cost calculator and EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Burlington: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Solar, generator transfer switches and EV chargers normally need an electrical permit from the Burlington building or permitting department, or from Alamance County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Burlington, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the North Carolina guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: Greensboro-Winston-Salem energy guide, Chapel Hill, High Point, Apex and Cary, or the whole North Carolina energy guide.
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Burlington energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Burlington?
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Progress and Randolph Electric Member Corp all serve parts of Alamance County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC 13.94¢, Duke Energy Progress 15.54¢, Randolph Electric Member Corp 15.91¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in Burlington?
About 1,270 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 7,620 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Is a generator or a battery better for winter weather in Alamance County?
It depends how long the outage lasts. A battery is quiet, automatic and good for short outages and for pairing with solar; a standby generator keeps going as long as it has fuel, which suits multi-day events. Many homes use a battery for everyday outages and add a generator for the rare long one.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in Burlington?
Almost always an electrical permit for a transfer switch, solar or an EV charger, issued by the city or county where you live. Your licensed electrician or installer normally pulls it. Never connect a generator to your house wiring without a transfer switch.
Sources: EIA Form 861 (2024) for utility prices and outages; NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2025) for sun and degree-days; FEMA National Risk Index for county hazards; AFDC station locator for public charging; Census Bureau for population. Estimates are ours and are not promises; see our editorial policy. Prices and programs change, so check each program page.