Duke Energy customers say ‘nightmare’ rate hike will force food, housing trade‑offs
For speaker after speaker inside a Mecklenburg County courtroom Wednesday night, Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike wasn’t about percentages or filings, it was about whether another jump in monthly bills could mean skipping meals, delaying medical care or sweating through a North Carolina summer without air conditioning.
Customers who testified before the North Carolina Utilities Commission described already rationing heat, keeping lights off, combining errands to save gas and watching paychecks disappear under the weight of groceries, prescriptions and utility bills. Some said they were already making painful tradeoffs long before Duke Energy Carolinas asked regulators to approve another increase.
Now, with the utility seeking roughly an 18% residential rate hike, about $20 to $30 more per month for many households, several customers told regulators they are running out of room.
“Families across District 99 and across North Carolina are already managing rising costs for housing, groceries, transportation,” Veleria Levy, representative-elect for NC House District 99 in northeast Charlotte, testified Wednesday. “Adding another recurring expense at this level will force real trade‑offs for many households, including my own.”
The Charlotte hearing was the latest stop in Duke Energy Carolinas’ statewide rate case, a monthslong regulatory process that will help determine whether millions of customers across much of North Carolina will pay more for electricity. Duke has said the increase is needed to support grid reliability, infrastructure and future energy demands. But many customers and advocates argue families are already stretched too thin, particularly after sharp winter bills and Duke’s separate request to recover about $800 million in additional fuel and power costs from customers statewide
As part of the process, the Utilities Commission and the independent Public Staff, the agency charged with representing customers, collect testimony across the state. Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson have both opposed Duke’s request on the basis of affordability impacts, warning higher costs could further burden residents.
“Health care and power should not be a choice. Groceries and power should not be a choice. Yet so many people are having to make these tough decisions for their families,” Charlotte small business owner Katie Rothweiler testified Wednesday, after telling regulators her January power bill climbed from about $226 last year to $282 this year despite cutting usage.
For Rick Martin, a 69-year-old disabled retired truck driver and mechanic in Stokes County, another increase could mean one more bill he may struggle to cover.
“15% doesn’t mean much to a company that makes billions,” Martin told The Charlotte Observer. “But to retirees, it’s life changing. It’s a nightmare.”
Martin, who lives on a fixed income and suffers from heart and lung problems, said his recent power bills were about $118 to $123, manageable only because he turns off heat and relies partly on firewood in winter.
“After years of a physically demanding job, I have not earned a peaceful retirement,” Martin said. “Instead, I spend a lot of my time worrying about every bill that I receive.”
Martin, who previously testified against the rate hike, said he has already cut back on groceries, driving and basic comfort to keep up. He does not plan on using air conditioning in his home this summer, “like primitive times,” he said.
“If they do this rate increase, I’ll just have to tough it out,” Martin said. “It just means I might cut out something else, sometimes food or medicine or whatever, whatever it takes to make the monthly bills go through.”
In Hendersonville, Lauren Carlin said her family’s roughly 1,000-square-foot home already costs $200 to $300 a month to power, in part because they rely on baseboard heat and window units instead of central HVAC.
Carlin, a care manager and mother of three whose husband is a teacher, said rising utility costs have made it harder to save for desperately needed home improvements including energy-efficient upgrades that could lower bills long term and have also delayed home repairs from Hurricane Helene flooding.
“There’s nothing left at the end of the month, people here are already having to make difficult choices about health care, food, electricity. And people don’t have more to spend on that,” Carlin said. “We learned during Hurricane Helene that people here can’t be without electricity, we need it for safety.”
Duke previously told The Charlotte Observer that its proposed rate increase is tied to maintaining reliability, meeting growing demand and investing in long-term infrastructure. Company officials say reliability during extreme weather is vital and long-term system upgrades are necessary as North Carolina grows.
For Duke Energy Carolinas customers, Charlotte was one stop in a longer process. Two more in-person public witness hearings are scheduled for May in Winston-Salem and Durham, followed by an expert witness hearing in Raleigh. Duke’s filing says its requested first-year rate increase would take effect no later than Jan. 1, if approved, with a second increase in 2028. The North Carolina Utilities Commission will decide to approve or modify the request later this year.
Protesters gather outside courthouse
Outside the Mecklenburg County Courthouse before Wednesday night’s hearing, a few dozen protesters gathered with signs and bullhorns. Speakers said Duke’s proposal is not just an affordability issue, but also raises concerns about corporate profits, fossil fuels, environmental harm and who should bear the cost of North Carolina’s energy future.
Speakers from advocacy groups, faith groups, environmental organizations and local political leaders repeatedly returned to one theme: ordinary residents are already paying too much.
“Our people are having to decide between gas or groceries, and Duke is having to decide how big a dividend to pay its shareholders,” said Cameron Pruitt from the Freedom Center for Social Justice. “We’re not saying Duke, you won’t make a profit. We’re saying Duke, our people can’t suffer any longer.”
The rally also highlighted concerns over Duke’s profits, executive compensation, data center growth, coal and gas investments, and whether residential customers are subsidizing industrial energy use. Speakers repeatedly pointed to Duke Energy executives’ multimillion-dollar compensation as evidence of misplaced priorities.
Amid the protest, which included chants, songs, and a skit where Duke Energy was represented by someone dressed as the devil, Corinne Mack, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP questioned whether Duke leaders were truly hearing residents’ concerns. “I don’t expect you to receive what we’re saying today. I really don’t, because your heart has hardened, that’s clear. We’re out here every year talking about these rate increases,” she said. “But what I will say is, there is an account... You will be held accountable, and today we will hold you accountable.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 10:01 AM.
