Electricity rates — ZIP 28280
A household in ZIP 28280 (Charlotte) using 1,000 kWh a month pays about $1,166.57 a year on the cheapest of 21 generally available plans — Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase from Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (South Carolina). Rates checked September 2, 2026. A further 10 schedules are published but restricted — means-tested, closed to new customers, or needing particular equipment — and they are priced further down.
Cheapest 25 of 31 priced plans, 1,000 kWh/mo
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $1,166.57 | — | 9.7¢ |
| Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Three Phasetime-of-use | $1,274.57 | +$108.00 | 10.6¢ |
| RT (Residential Service Time of Use)time-of-use · demand charge | $1,325.90 | +$159.33 | 11.0¢ |
| RETC (Residential Service All-Electric Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing))time-of-use · needs an all-electric home | $1,437.90 | +$271.33 | 12.0¢ |
| Residential Time Of Use Schedule (R-TOUD) - Three Phasetime-of-use · demand charge | $1,468.47 | +$301.90 | 12.2¢ |
| Residential Service Time-of-Use (R-TOUD-55) Single Phasetime-of-use · demand charge | $1,510.30 | +$343.73 | 12.6¢ |
| RSTC (Residential Service Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing)time-of-use | $1,515.76 | +$349.19 | 12.6¢ |
| Residential Service Energy Star All-Electric EStiered · needs an all-electric home | $1,552.20 | +$385.63 | 12.9¢ |
| ES (Residential Service Energy Star, All-Electric)time-of-use · tiered · needs an all-electric home | $1,555.19 | +$388.62 | 13.0¢ |
| Residential Service Time-of-Use (R-TOUD-55) Three Phasetime-of-use · demand charge | $1,601.64 | +$435.07 | 13.3¢ |
| ES (Residential Service Energy Star, Standard)flat rate · needs qualifying appliances | $1,625.04 | +$458.47 | 13.5¢ |
| RE (Residential Electric Water Heating and Space Conditioning)time-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $1,625.08 | +$458.51 | 13.5¢ |
| Residential Electric Water Heating and Space Conditioning - REtiered · needs electric heating | $1,633.08 | +$466.51 | 13.6¢ |
| Residential Service Energy Star Standard EStiered · needs qualifying appliances | $1,669.80 | +$503.23 | 13.9¢ |
| RS (Residential Service)flat rate | $1,698.72 | +$532.15 | 14.2¢ |
| Residential - RS (SC)tiered | $1,756.80 | +$590.23 | 14.6¢ |
| Residential Service RB; Closed Ratetiered · closed to new customers | $1,765.68 | +$599.11 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing (R-TOU-CPP) Single Phasetime-of-use | $1,794.78 | +$628.21 | 15.0¢ |
| Residential Time of Use EV(R-TOU-EV) Single Phasetime-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $1,816.44 | +$649.87 | 15.1¢ |
| Residential Service Time-of-Use with Critical Peak Pricing(R-TOU-CPP) Single Phasetime-of-use | $1,845.50 | +$678.93 | 15.4¢ |
| Residential Service Solar Time-of-Use (R-STOU) Single Phasetime-of-use · demand charge | $1,870.67 | +$704.10 | 15.6¢ |
| Residential Time of Use (R-TOU) Single Phasetime-of-use | $1,877.49 | +$710.92 | 15.6¢ |
| Residential Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing (R-TOU-CPP) Three Phasetime-of-use | $1,902.78 | +$736.21 | 15.9¢ |
| Residential Time of Use EV(R-TOU-EV) Three Phasetime-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $1,924.44 | +$757.87 | 16.0¢ |
| Residential Service - Single Phasetime-of-use · tiered | $1,944.12 | +$777.55 | 16.2¢ |
6 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $2,053.72 a year at this usage.
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- 500 kWh/mo — cheapest $643.01 (Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase), dearest $1,180.92, a $537.91 spread
- 1,000 kWh/mo — cheapest $1,166.57 (Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase), dearest $2,053.72, a $887.15 spread
- 2,000 kWh/mo — cheapest $2,213.79 (Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase), dearest $3,802.08, a $1,588.29 spread
What a typical bill costs
At 1,000 kWh a month the 31 priceable plans here run from $1,166.57 on Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase to $2,053.72 on Residential Service (RES-55) Three Phase, with a median of $1,845.50.
The spread is $887.15 a year — about $73.93 a month for identical electricity.
Effective rates, bill divided by kilowatt-hours, span 9.7¢ to 17.1¢ per kWh at that usage.
What each provider costs
4 utilities serve customers across ZIP 28280 (Charlotte) in this data. At 1,000 kWh a month the cheapest of them is Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (South Carolina) at $1,166.57 a year on Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase; the dearest is Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (South Carolina) at $1,756.80.
That is $590.23 a year between the best each provider offers — and unlike a choice of plan, it is not a choice at all. Which utility serves an address is fixed by the service territory.
Cheapest available plan by provider: Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (South Carolina) $1,166.57; Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC $1,325.90; Progress Energy Carolinas Inc $1,468.47; Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (South Carolina) $1,756.80.
How the answer changes with usage
Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase is cheapest at every level tested — $643.01 a year at 500 kWh a month, $2,213.79 at 2,000 kWh.
The penalty for a poor choice grows with usage: $537.91 a year at 500 kWh against $1,588.29 at 2,000 kWh.
How these plans are structured
Of 33 priceable plans: 11 tiered, 26 time-of-use, 8 with demand charges, 2 flat-rate.
Fixed monthly charges run from $9.95 to $24.81.
Who provides these plans
These plans come from 4 utilities: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (South Carolina), Progress Energy Carolinas Inc, Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (South Carolina).
The largest saving available here
Moving from Residential Service (RES-55) Three Phase to Residential Service All Energy Time-of-Use (R-TOUE-38) Single Phase saves $887.15 a year at 1,000 kWh a month, with no change in consumption.
What this does not cover
26 of these plans price by hour. WattClear does not know which hours a household uses, so those estimates carry lower confidence and say so on the figure.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 35.2271, -80.8431.