North Carolina Business » Electric Rates

Electric Rates

How do I learn more about Electric Rates?

Listed below, you will find brief descriptions of the major rates schedules available for nonresidential services.  Or you can view a complete listing of rate schedules and other rate options.

View all rate schedules or call 1-877-DUKESBC (385-3722) with questions.

Standard Rates

Schedule SGS (NC)

Schedule SGS is available to nonresidential customers that do not qualify for an industrial schedule, and where kilowatt demand is 75 kW or less each month.

Schedule LGS (NC)

Schedule LGS is available to nonresidential customers that do not qualify for an industrial schedule where the highest annual kilowatt demand is more than 75 kW.

back to toptop

Schedule I (NC)

Schedule I is an industrial service schedule available to businesses classified as "manufacturing industries" by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual (published by the Federal Government) – provided that more than 50% of the electric usage is for manufacturing processes.

    back to toptop

    Time-of-Use Rates

    Schedule OPT-G (NC) and OPT-I (NC)

    Schedule OPT-G is available for non-manufacturing businesses and Schedule OPT-I is available for businesses classified as "manufacturing industries" by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual (published by the Federal Government) – provided that more than 50% of the electric usage is for manufacturing processes. These rates encourage a shift of electrical usage from "on-peak" to "off-peak" hours.  Charges on these schedules vary according to the time of day, day of week, and season in which energy is used. On-peak and off-peak hours are defined as follows for the summer and winter periods:

    Summer
    June 1 to September 30
    Monday to Friday
    1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

    Winter
    October 1 to May 31
    Monday to Friday
    6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

    Generally if your business operates during hours outside the typical workday of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, five days a week, you may benefit from a time of use rate. Time of use rates are beneficial for businesses that are open six or seven days a week, such as convenience stores and retail businesses. Businesses with significant energy usage on weekends or during late evening hours, such as the lighting for car lots or recreational businesses like bowling alleys, could also benefit.  However, OPT-G and OPT-I are not likely to be advantageous to customers using less than 2500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month.

    back to toptop