Duke Energy recently said it would raise rates for South Carolina customers of Duke Energy Progress, effective Jan. 1.
The company cites the need to recover costs from its energy efficiency and demand-side management services (EE/DSM) programs as part of its efforts to reduce energy consumption and aid low-income customers.
Customer demand in 2014 was reduced by approximately 9 percent through Duke Energy programs, the company said.
The company said the increase would amount to approximately $3.57 for a residence that utilizes 1,000 kilowatt hours on a monthly basis. Commercial customers will see more varied changes to monthly bills, depending on what opt-out elections were taken by the individual customers.
The Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC) recently approved the recovery cost measures that facilitated these increases, in line with the Distributed Energy Resource Program Act.
