Independent guide. Not affiliated with Duke Energy. Rate figures sourced from each subsidiary's published tariffs and state PUC filings.Verified May 2026

Duke Energy rates 2026: one company, six states, five rate frameworks

Duke Energy serves about 8.2 million electric customers across the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Each state subsidiary files separate rate cases and operates under separate state PUC rules, so the per-kWh rate and the available rate-plan options vary by territory. This page compares the five subsidiaries side by side and explains the structural reasons for the differences.

Duke subsidiaries side by side

Subsidiary	Service area	Avg rate	Market type	Notes
Duke Energy Carolinas	NC + SC (western)	~12.5c	regulated	Nuclear-heavy generation; standard rate + opt-in TOU-E for EVs.
Duke Energy Progress	NC + SC (eastern)	~12.9c	regulated	Brunswick + Harris nuclear; coastal storm cost recovery present.
Duke Energy Florida	Florida (north + central)	~15.8c	regulated	Natural-gas heavy; storm cost recovery from 2017 Irma + 2022 Ian.
Duke Energy Indiana	Indiana (southern)	~14.6c	regulated	Shifting from coal to gas; opt-in residential TOU available.
Duke Energy Ohio	Ohio (Cincinnati metro)	~14.5c (delivery+supply)	deregulated supply	Delivery-only; shop supply on Energy Choice Ohio.
Duke Energy Kentucky	Kentucky (northern, Cincinnati metro)	~12.2c	regulated	Coal + gas; Kentucky PSC oversight.

Rates are blended per-kWh from each subsidiary's published residential tariff schedule, current to May 2026. Confirm via the subsidiary's bill calculator at your service address before making rate-plan decisions.

Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress: the nuclear-heavy core

Duke Carolinas (DEC) and Duke Progress (DEP) together serve about 4.5 million customers across the two Carolinas. The territory split has historical roots in the predecessor companies Duke Power and Carolina Power & Light (Progress Energy). Both subsidiaries operate nuclear-heavy generation: DEC owns McGuire and Catawba (Catawba is co-owned with North Carolina Municipal Power Agency and other partners); DEP owns Brunswick, Harris and Robinson. Together, Duke is the second-largest nuclear operator in the US by capacity after Exelon.

The nuclear-heavy mix produces low and stable generation costs, which is why Carolinas rates have stayed competitive even as Duke has invested in grid modernisation. The two subsidiaries each offer a standard residential rate plus the opt-in TOU-E plan that incentivises overnight EV charging with off-peak rates around 9 cents per kWh. North Carolina's HB 951 (2021) requires Duke to achieve 70 percent carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, which will require billions in solar plus battery investment over the 2025-2030 window; expect 2 to 4 percent annual rate increases through that period.

Duke Energy Florida: hurricane-shaped economics

Duke Florida serves about 1.9 million customers in north and central Florida, including parts of the Tampa-St. Petersburg metro and Pinellas County. Generation is heavy natural gas after the 2013 retirement of the Crystal River nuclear plant. Rates run higher than the Carolinas because the FL PSC includes more storm-related cost recovery (Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Ian in 2022, plus the multi-billion-dollar storm hardening program approved in 2022).

Duke Florida also offers community solar (Clean Energy Connection) for residential customers who want to participate in utility-scale solar without rooftop installation. The structure parallels FPL Solar Together: subscribers pay a monthly fee, receive a bill credit as the project produces, and over a long term roughly break even financially with the value being renewable participation. Like FPL Solar Together, Clean Energy Connection has been popular and the waitlist can stretch.

Duke Energy Indiana: the coal-to-gas transition

Duke Indiana serves about 870,000 customers in central and southern Indiana. The generation mix has shifted substantially over the last decade as Duke has retired several coal units (Edwardsport partly converted to coal gasification, Cayuga still operating) and added natural gas plus utility-scale solar. The Edwardsport coal gasification project was a contentious investment in the 2010s that ran over budget and produced ongoing rate-base disputes; the residual cost is still embedded in current rates.

Duke Indiana offers a residential TOU plan with summer peak windows in the afternoon and meaningful overnight off-peak savings; the spread is smaller than California TOU plans but still produces 8 to 15 percent savings for households that shift load. The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor publishes a residential efficiency guide that is genuinely useful for Duke Indiana customers looking to reduce bills.

Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky: the deregulated bridge

Duke Ohio (formerly Cincinnati Gas & Electric) and Duke Kentucky together serve about 870,000 electric customers in the Cincinnati metropolitan area on both sides of the Ohio River. Ohio is deregulated for supply; Duke Ohio handles only distribution. Customers shop for supply via Energy Choice Ohio or, in many Cincinnati suburbs, are enrolled in a governmental aggregation (which is essentially the municipality buying supply on behalf of all residents at a negotiated rate). The bill still arrives from Duke but the supply line is from the chosen or default supplier.

Kentucky is regulated; Duke Kentucky handles both supply and distribution under Kentucky PSC oversight. Rates are lower than Ohio supply-shoppers typically pay because Duke Kentucky's coal and gas generation costs are below the PJM wholesale market clearing price that Ohio supply tracks. The cross-river comparison is the cleanest natural experiment in the US for what regulation versus deregulation actually produces: same utility, same workforce, same infrastructure, different cost outcomes driven mostly by the market structure.

Practical advice for new Duke customers

Three points if you are moving into Duke territory. First, the per-kWh rate at your new address may differ materially from your old one even within the same state. Duke Carolinas vs Duke Progress customers can see a 2 to 5 percent rate difference; Duke Florida vs Duke Indiana more like 10 to 15 percent. Use the subsidiary's online bill calculator with your projected square footage and home type to estimate the new bill rather than extrapolating from prior usage.

Second, enroll in the optional TOU plan only if you have actual load-shifting discipline. The default rate is fine for most households and removes the cognitive overhead of timing things to off-peak. Third, if you own an EV or plan to, enroll in the EV-specific TOU plan (TOU-E in the Carolinas, similar in Indiana) and use the vehicle app to schedule overnight charging. The savings on EV fuel alone usually justify the plan switch within the first quarter.

Sources and further reading

FAQ

How many states does Duke Energy operate in?

Duke Energy serves about 8.2 million electric customers across six states through five regulated subsidiaries: Duke Energy Carolinas (western NC and most of SC), Duke Energy Progress (eastern NC and the rest of SC), Duke Energy Florida (north and central FL), Duke Energy Indiana (southern IN), and Duke Energy Ohio plus Duke Energy Kentucky (Cincinnati metro on both sides of the river). Each subsidiary files separate rate cases with its state PUC, so rates and rate-plan structures vary widely.

Why are rates different across Duke's territories?

Each state PUC sets its own rules for cost recovery, allowed return on equity, fuel cost pass-through and capital investment. The generation mix also differs: the Carolinas and Florida lean heavily on nuclear (Catawba, McGuire, Brunswick, Harris in the Carolinas; Crystal River retired in FL); Indiana is shifting from coal toward natural gas; Ohio's supply is deregulated (Duke Ohio is delivery-only). The combined effect is that the per-kWh rate ranges from about 12 cents in the Carolinas to 15+ cents in Florida.

Is Duke Energy Ohio different from the rest?

Yes. Ohio is a deregulated state and Duke Energy Ohio handles only distribution (poles, wires, meters). Residential customers shop for supply on Energy Choice Ohio or join their municipal governmental aggregation. Duke's role in Ohio is delivery and meter reading; the supply portion is competitive. The bill still arrives from Duke but the supply line item is from whoever the customer chose (or the default standard service offer if they made no choice).

Does Duke offer time-of-use rates?

All Duke subsidiaries offer optional residential time-of-use plans. Duke Carolinas offers TOU-E (Time of Use with EV) with overnight off-peak around 9 cents and summer afternoon peak around 30 cents. Duke Indiana offers a residential TOU with similar structure. Duke Florida offers a residential demand-side rate (RTR-1 equivalent). Duke Ohio is delivery-only so TOU is set by the supplier. Enrollment is optional and reversible.

What is the average Duke Energy bill?

Varies by state. Duke Carolinas: about $145 per month at 1,150 kWh average usage. Duke Florida: about $175 per month at 1,100 kWh (Florida is the high-usage outlier). Duke Indiana: about $155 per month at 1,070 kWh. Duke Ohio: about $130 per month for delivery, plus supply that ranges from $40 to $90 depending on the shopped rate. The Carolinas bills run lower than Florida primarily because Carolina rates are lower; Indiana and Florida usage is higher than the Carolinas due to longer cooling seasons.

Are there discount programs for low-income Duke customers?

Yes. Each subsidiary offers some form of low-income assistance. The Carolinas use Helping Home Fund (HHF) for emergency assistance plus the federal LIHEAP grant. Florida participates in LIHEAP and offers Project Share for additional grant funds. Indiana offers Energy Assistance Program enrollment through the state. Ohio's Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus (PIPP) caps energy bills at 6 percent of household income for qualifying customers; enrollment is statewide and Duke Ohio participates.

Is Vogtle's nuclear cost on my Duke Carolinas bill?

No. Vogtle 3 and 4 (Georgia) are owned by Southern Company (Georgia Power) and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, not by Duke Energy. Duke Carolinas owns equity in McGuire and Catawba nuclear plants plus the V.C. Summer plant (with Dominion); those reactors' historical costs are already in rate base. There is no large new nuclear project currently in Duke's Carolinas rate base; the next major capital additions are utility-scale solar plus battery storage to meet North Carolina's HB 951 carbon-reduction targets.

Disclaimer. Duke Energy rate figures cited are blended per-kWh averages from each subsidiary's published tariff schedules current to May 2026. Rates change with each state's rate-case settlement and quarterly fuel cost recovery adjustments. Confirm with the subsidiary serving your address before making rate decisions. Independent resource, not affiliated with Duke Energy.