North Carolina electricity bills have risen 22% since 2020, according to a February report from the North Carolina Energy Policy Task Force. With data centers being proposed across North Carolina, those costs could rise even more.
Currently, North Carolina hosts data centers from companies such as Google, Meta and Apple. With generative artificial intelligence and cloud computing projects requiring high levels of electricity, more power will be needed to maintain operations.
Duke Energy — North Carolina’s largest electricity provider — estimates electricity demand could rise between 16% and 60% over the next 15 years. Large users, such as data centers, make up about 80% of the projected energy demand. Comparatively, North Carolina saw only 7% of electricity production growth in the past 20 years.
According to the task force report, problems like rising fuel costs, outdated power grids and large, energy-intensive customers in certain regions are contributing to rising electricity bills. The task force report included nine recommendations for these issues, including large load tariffs for high-demand facilities, investing in grid upgrades, incentivizing small business energy efficiency and reporting energy and water usage for large users.
In November 2025, Duke Energy proposed a 15% rate hike for customers, increasing monthly costs an average of $20 to $30. Alamance County is served primarily by Duke Energy, according to data from the North Carolina Utilities Commission. Duke Energy said this hike would contribute to the company making its current power plants more efficient. The Commission will begin considering this hike in July 2026.
The commission was unable to comment on the change due to judicial conduct rules on the commission’s proceedings. Josh Sundt, interim general counsel for the Utilities Commission, sent the commission’s December 2025 report to Elon News Network. In the report, the Utilities Commission states that North Carolina is working to expand its access to natural gas, encourage the construction of more energy generating facilities, and increase clean energy and energy efficiency.
According to data from the NC Utilities Commission, nuclear power is the highest source of energy for Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas, with natural gas and oil being the second highest source for both providers. The Trump administration has encouraged development in nuclear energy and oil by decreasing regulations and increasing drilling.
The report noted that — under the Trump administration — many clean energy benefits from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act have been repealed, making it harder to encourage the development of clean energy facilities.
“On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act became law, which rescinds numerous provisions supporting investment in energy infrastructure contained in the IRA,” the report stated. “Under this new legislation, certain fossil fuel projects are also no longer required to have controls or technologies to avoid or reduce air pollutants or greenhouse gas emissions.”
Burlington resident Jeff Tudor said he is worried about pollution increasing with demand, but said he believes that if the Utilities Commission approves Duke Energy’s rate hike that it can’t be unreasonable.
“I’m not convinced that the data centers are necessary,” Tudor said. “But anyway, I guess the point is we need to look at as many alternate ways of generating electricity as we can.”
Raymond Fletcher, senior director for facilities management at Elon University, was unavailable for an interview but sent a statement to Elon News Network.
Fletcher wrote that Elon University has worked on their own facilities to decrease their demand for electricity. According to Fletcher, the university has decreased energy use by 37% since 2004 despite university square footage more than doubling in the time frame.
“We continue to build energy efficient buildings, renovate aging facilities and replace older mechanical systems with high efficiency systems that require less energy to operate,” wrote Fletcher. “These efforts lower our energy consumption footprint which helps reduce overall costs to the university.”
Still, Fletcher wrote that the proposed 15% rate hike would be substantial compared to the increases in previous years.