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Electricity rates in North Carolina
Households in North Carolina paid an average of 14.95¢ per kilowatt-hour in August 2026. That is 18% below the national average of 18.16¢, and the 14th cheapest of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Year over year the rate is up 2.5%.
- Average rate
- 14.95¢
- A year ago
- 14.59¢
- U.S. average
- 18.16¢
- Rank
- 14th cheapest
What common appliances cost in North Carolina
Every figure below is this state's rate applied to a stated usage assumption. Follow any row for the full breakdown.
| Appliance | kWh/year | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric car | 3,800 | $47.34 | $568 |
| Electric water heater | 3,500 | $43.60 | $523 |
| Hot tub | 2,500 | $31.15 | $374 |
| Central air conditioner | 2,352 | $29.30 | $352 |
| Heat pump | 2,160 | $26.91 | $323 |
| Pool pump | 1,728 | $21.53 | $258 |
| Electric baseboard heater | 1,350 | $16.82 | $202 |
| Garage refrigerator | 900 | $11.21 | $135 |
| Space heater | 864 | $10.76 | $129 |
| Portable air conditioner | 845 | $10.52 | $126 |
| Electric clothes dryer | 780 | $9.72 | $117 |
| Window air conditioner | 691 | $8.61 | $103 |
| Aquarium | 591 | $7.37 | $88.40 |
| Gaming pc | 584 | $7.28 | $87.31 |
| Well pump | 548 | $6.82 | $81.85 |
| Dehumidifier | 540 | $6.73 | $80.73 |
| Air purifier | 438 | $5.46 | $65.48 |
| Refrigerator | 400 | $4.98 | $59.80 |
| Desktop computer | 400 | $4.98 | $59.80 |
| Electric oven | 333 | $4.15 | $49.75 |
| Dishwasher | 312 | $3.89 | $46.64 |
| Chest freezer | 300 | $3.74 | $44.85 |
| Game console | 219 | $2.73 | $32.74 |
| Coffee maker | 164 | $2.05 | $24.56 |
| 55-inch led tv | 164 | $2.05 | $24.56 |
| Washing machine | 130 | $1.62 | $19.43 |
| Air fryer | 126 | $1.57 | $18.84 |
| Laptop | 120 | $1.49 | $17.94 |
| Box fan | 112 | $1.40 | $16.82 |
| Electric kettle | 110 | $1.36 | $16.37 |
| Microwave | 110 | $1.36 | $16.37 |
| Incandescent bulb | 110 | $1.36 | $16.37 |
| Treadmill | 105 | $1.31 | $15.70 |
| Slow cooker | 96 | $1.20 | $14.35 |
| Hair dryer | 94 | $1.18 | $14.13 |
| Wi-fi router | 88 | $1.09 | $13.10 |
| Ceiling fan | 86 | $1.08 | $12.92 |
| 3d printer | 65 | 80.7¢ | $9.69 |
| Computer monitor | 60 | 74.8¢ | $8.97 |
| Security camera | 44 | 54.6¢ | $6.55 |
| Electric pressure cooker | 42 | 52.3¢ | $6.28 |
| Rice cooker | 42 | 52.3¢ | $6.28 |
| Electric lawn mower | 42 | 51.8¢ | $6.22 |
| Electric blanket | 38 | 47.8¢ | $5.74 |
| Vacuum cleaner | 36 | 44.8¢ | $5.38 |
| Toaster | 35 | 43.7¢ | $5.24 |
| Smart speaker | 26 | 32.7¢ | $3.93 |
| Clothes iron | 16 | 20.6¢ | $2.47 |
| Led bulb | 16 | 20.5¢ | $2.46 |
| String of christmas lights | 7 | 8.4¢ | $1.01 |
The largest single line item on this list in North Carolina is an electric car at $568 a year. The whole list together comes to $4,219 a year, though few households run all of them.
The average North Carolina household's bill was $143.50 a month in 2024. Why it is that number.
The same figures come as a printable North Carolina Home Energy Cost Workbook, with worksheets for auditing and tracking your own usage. See what is in it — the California edition is free to download.
Questions
- What is the average electricity rate in North Carolina?
- 14.95¢ per kilowatt-hour for residential customers in August 2026, according to EIA's Electric Power Monthly.
- Is electricity expensive in North Carolina?
- It ranks 14th cheapest of 51 U.S. jurisdictions, 18% below the national average.
- Why is my bill higher than this rate suggests?
- This is a statewide average of what customers actually paid, so it already blends in fixed charges and taxes across all utilities and plans. Your own utility, rate plan, time-of-use period and tier can each move you well away from the average.