In short: North Carolina homes paid about 15.2¢ per kWh in July 2026, below the U.S. average of 18.3¢ but up from 13.4¢ a year earlier (EIA). In 2024 the average customer lost about 24 hours of power once major storms such as Hurricane Helene are counted, against about 2.4 hours without major events. Plan for backup power.
North Carolina at a glance
- Home electricity price: 15.16¢/kWh in July 2026, about 17% below the U.S. average of 18.31¢ (EIA, preliminary). The January to July 2026 average was 14.94¢. A year earlier, in July 2025, it was 13.37¢, so the July price rose about 13% in a year.
- Power outages (2024): 1,441 minutes (about 24 hours) per customer including major events, and 141 minutes (about 2.4 hours) without them. Customers had about 1.8 interruptions on average, or 1.2 not counting major events (EIA-861, 2024).
- Sun: about 4.47 kWh per square meter per day in Charlotte (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020 average). Our rough estimate: about 1,310 kWh a year for each kW of solar panels; well-placed, south-facing roofs often do better.
- Net metering: yes, with changes. Duke Energy customers now go on newer solar rates approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) in 2023, and the Net Metering Bridge rate closes to new applicants on December 31, 2026.
- Plug-in (balcony) solar law: none as of October 2026; normal utility interconnection rules apply.
- Home solar so far: 57,393 net-metered home solar systems (424 MW) at the end of 2024, 248 of them paired with a battery (EIA-861).
- Electric vehicles: about 121,000 battery EVs and 35,500 plug-in hybrids registered through 2025, and 5,826 public charging ports at 1,884 locations, 1,883 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 2026).
- Main utilities: Duke Energy Carolinas (about 39% of customers) and Duke Energy Progress (about 28%), then EnergyUnited (a cooperative) and Virginia Electric & Power (Dominion Energy), plus other cooperatives and city-owned utilities (EIA-861, 2024).
- Top weather risks: winter weather and ice storms rated “Very High”, hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and cold waves “Relatively High” for expected yearly losses (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
Backup power in North Carolina
The two outage numbers tell the story. On an ordinary year, a North Carolina customer is without power for a couple of hours, spread over one or two short interruptions. Then a big storm arrives and the average jumps tenfold: in 2024, when Hurricane Helene’s winds and flooding caused prolonged outages in North Carolina (EIA), the statewide average reached about 24 hours. That is an average; homes in the hardest-hit areas waited longer.
FEMA’s risk ratings point the same way, with two different seasons to plan for:
- Winter: ice storms and winter weather are both rated “Very High”. Ice brings down lines and trees, and the outage comes when you most need heat. If you heat with a heat pump, plan for the furnace fan or air handler and some heat, not just the fridge.
- Hurricane season: hurricanes and strong wind are rated “Relatively High”. Outages can last days in heat and humidity: food, fans, phones and, for some homes, a sump or well pump.
How the three main options fit North Carolina outages:
- Portable power station: quiet, safe indoors, and enough for phones, lights, a CPAP, a modem and a few hours of a fridge. Good for the short outages of a normal year. See portable power stations.
- Home battery: switches over automatically and silently, and covers essentials through a typical outage; paired with solar it can recharge during a multi-day hurricane outage when the sun comes back. See home batteries.
- Generator: the most hours for the money in a long ice-storm or hurricane outage. A portable unit needs fuel and attention; a standby generator on natural gas or propane starts by itself. See home generators.
Generator safety is not optional. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says to run portable generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointed away from windows, doors and vents, and never in a garage, even with the door open. Put battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms on every level. Connecting any generator or battery to your home’s wiring needs a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician, with a permit where required.
To size your setup, try our battery backup calculator and generator sizing calculator.
Solar in North Carolina
How Duke Energy’s solar rates work now
In March 2023 the NCUC approved Duke Energy’s new rules for home solar. In broad terms, as described in that order and Duke’s tariffs:
- Residential Solar Choice: a time-of-use rate where solar energy is netted against your use within each month, and extra energy left over is credited at a much lower rate, reported at about 4.5¢/kWh. A monthly minimum bill applies (reported at about $22 to $28 depending on the rate).
- Net Metering Bridge rate: a simpler transition rate that closes to new applicants on December 31, 2026. If you are deciding now, ask any installer which rate you would land on, based on when your interconnection application would be filed.
Details, eligibility and amounts change, so check Duke Energy’s current tariff pages or the NCUC before signing anything. If your power comes from a cooperative, a city utility or Dominion Energy, ask them directly: their solar rules are different.
When solar can pay in North Carolina
A rough estimate: at about 1,310 kWh per kW per year, a 7 kW system would make roughly 9,200 kWh a year. If every one of those kWh replaced power bought at 15.16¢, it would be worth about $1,390 a year. That is the upper end: under Residential Solar Choice, exported power earns much less, so homes that use (or store) their own solar get closer to it. Roof direction, shade and time-of-use hours change the numbers a lot.
The federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025, so comparing quotes carefully matters more. See solar panel cost, how net metering works, and estimate your roof with our solar potential tool.
Incentives we could confirm
- Property tax exclusion for solar: under N.C. General Statute 105-275(45), 80% of the appraised value of a solar energy electric system is excluded from property tax, and residential systems are often treated as fully exempt non-business property. Apply to your county with Form AV-10 from the NC Department of Revenue. Check the program page, amounts change.
- Energy Saver North Carolina (state rebates, income-based): run by the NC State Energy Office and open in all 100 counties since early 2026, until 2031 or until the money runs out. Households under 80% of area median income can get up to 100% of project costs covered; 80–150% of area median income, up to 50%. It pays for heat pumps (up to $8,000), heat pump water heaters ($1,750), an electrical panel upgrade (up to $4,000) and wiring (up to $2,000) when that work is needed for an eligible appliance, plus insulation and air sealing, with caps of $14,000 and $16,000 per home for its two programs. It does not pay for solar panels, home batteries or EV chargers. A registered contractor must do the work; apply at energysavernc.org, and check the program page, as amounts and rules change.
- Federal: no federal solar or battery tax credit for home systems completed in 2026. Our incentives guide keeps track of what is left.
Plug-in (balcony) solar: North Carolina has no plug-in solar law as of October 2026, so a plug-in panel kit is treated like any other system connected to the grid under your utility’s interconnection rules. Ask your utility before plugging one in. Start with our solar guide.
Home batteries in North Carolina
Two things favor batteries here. A battery covers the short outages of a normal year by itself and stretches a long one when paired with solar. And under the time-of-use solar rate, storing midday solar for the evening peak is worth more than exporting it at a low credit.
Only 248 of the state’s 57,393 net-metered home solar systems had a battery at the end of 2024 (EIA-861). A battery without solar also works for backup. Costs and sizes are in home battery cost and our home battery guide. We have not confirmed a current state battery incentive, so ask your utility whether any battery program is open when you apply.
EV charging in North Carolina
North Carolina had about 121,000 battery electric vehicles and 35,500 plug-in hybrids registered through 2025 (AFDC). For public charging, the state had 5,826 ports at 1,884 locations in October 2026: 3,934 Level 2 ports, 1,883 DC fast ports and 9 Level 1.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in North Carolina: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Charging at home is where the savings are. A labelled estimate: a typical EV uses about 30 kWh per 100 miles (a common fueleconomy.gov-style figure). At 15.16¢/kWh that is about $4.55 per 100 miles, or about $550 a year for 12,000 miles. A time-of-use rate with cheaper overnight hours can lower that.
A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit installed by a licensed electrician, usually with a permit. The federal 30C charger credit ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026, and the federal EV credit (30D) ended September 30, 2025. We have not confirmed a current utility charger rebate in North Carolina, so check with your utility. See EV charging at home and our EV charging cost calculator.
Off-grid, small wind and micro-hydro
For cabins and rural land, solar with a battery (plus a generator for cloudy stretches) is usually the practical off-grid choice. Small wind is a hard case in most of North Carolina: NASA’s long-term average wind speed at 50 meters is about 4.4 m/s near the center of the state and 4.2 m/s at Charlotte, below the U.S. Department of Energy’s rule of thumb of about 4.5 m/s for grid-tied small wind. Small turbines also sit lower than 50 meters. Our estimate: only an exceptional, measured site (an exposed ridge or open coastal land) would be worth a closer look.
Micro-hydro needs a steady stream with real drop, and we have not checked state-level data for it. If your land has one, it can be worth a professional site assessment. Read more in off-grid power, wind energy and hydroelectric power.
Licensing and permits in North Carolina
- Electrical contractors: licensed statewide by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (NCBEEC). The board says solar panel installations of any value need an electrical contractor license. Check a license with the NCBEEC license lookup.
- Permits and inspections: come from your city or county inspections department. For rooftop solar, North Carolina has a statewide inspection procedure from the Office of State Fire Marshal (2019), which can require a structural engineer in some cases, for example for heavier systems or roofs in high-wind zones.
- Gas lines for standby generators: use a licensed plumber or gas contractor, with a permit.
- Utility approval: solar and batteries that connect to the grid need your utility’s interconnection approval before they are switched on. For Duke Energy customers, the filing date also decides which solar rate you can choose.
Local guides in North Carolina
Utilities, rates, outage records, permit offices and local programs for each area:
Where we cover in North Carolina
These are the areas we are researching first. Local pages come as we verify local information and installers.
- Charlotte area: Charlotte, Concord, Huntersville, Matthews, Mooresville
- Triangle: Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Apex, Chapel Hill
- Triad: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point
- Wilmington
- Asheville
- Fayetteville
Get quotes in North Carolina
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North Carolina energy FAQ
Does North Carolina have net metering?
Yes, but it changed. Since the NCUC’s March 2023 order, new Duke Energy solar customers go on Residential Solar Choice, a time-of-use rate that nets solar within each month and credits leftover energy at a much lower rate, or on the Net Metering Bridge rate, which closes to new applicants on December 31, 2026. Cooperatives, city utilities and Dominion Energy set their own rules.
How long are power outages in North Carolina?
It depends on the year. In 2024 the average customer was without power for 1,441 minutes, about 24 hours, when major events such as Hurricane Helene are counted, and 141 minutes, about 2.4 hours, without them (EIA). FEMA rates ice storms “Very High” and hurricanes “Relatively High” for North Carolina, so plan for both seasons.
Is there a solar tax credit in North Carolina in 2026?
Not a federal one: the 25D credit ended for home systems completed after December 31, 2025. The state incentive we could confirm is the property tax exclusion under G.S. 105-275(45), which excludes 80% of a solar system’s appraised value. Apply to your county with Form AV-10, and check for utility programs. Energy Saver North Carolina, the state’s income-based rebate program, covers heat pumps, panel and wiring upgrades and insulation, but not solar or batteries.
Who can install solar panels in North Carolina?
The NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors says solar installations of any value need a licensed electrical contractor, and the license class depends on the project’s value. Check any installer’s license on the board’s lookup before you sign. Your city or county issues the permit and inspects the work, and your utility must approve the interconnection.
How much does it cost to charge an EV at home in North Carolina?
Our estimate: at the July 2026 home price of 15.16¢/kWh and about 30 kWh per 100 miles, roughly $4.55 per 100 miles, or about $550 a year for 12,000 miles. Your rate, your car’s efficiency and a time-of-use plan with cheaper overnight hours can move that up or down. Try our EV charging cost calculator with your own numbers.
Sources
Prices: EIA Electric Power Monthly, July 2026 and January to July 2026 (preliminary). Outages, utilities and home solar counts: EIA-861, 2024 data. Weather risks: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Sun and wind: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020 averages. EVs and chargers: AFDC (registrations through 2025; stations October 3, 2026). Solar rates: North Carolina Utilities Commission order of March 23, 2023 and Duke Energy tariffs. Licensing: NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors solar guidelines. Property tax: N.C. Department of Revenue, Form AV-10. Small wind threshold: U.S. DOE Small Wind Guidebook. Generator safety: CPSC. Checked October 3, 2026.