On Tuesday, the Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation announced that its cooperative members would see a rate increase on their January 2025 billing statements. The nonprofit electric cooperative will increase the price per kilowatt-hour by about 10%, from 10 to 11.25 cents.
Increased electricity prices will “ensure the co-op can meet expenses and remain fiscally sound,” Lumbee River EMC wrote in their announcement. The LREMC Board of Directors determined that a 1.25 cent per kilowatt-hour rate increase was necessary to meet the co-op’s rising wholesale power and distribution equipment costs.
Despite the increase, the co-op stated its electricity rates are still one of the lowest in North Carolina.
The co-op emphasized in their announcement that they are not the only ones raising their rates. South River Electric Membership Corporation, another nonprofit energy cooperative operating in Cumberland County, increased its flat, monthly Grid Access charge in April, upping it for standard residential customers by $6.
The Fayetteville Public Works Commission, the electric, water and sewer provider for Fayetteville and Cumberland County, increased their electric power rates and other fees by 2% in May. Those rates will rise again in May 2025 to about 14.13 cents per kilowatt-hour during on-peak hours and around 9.21 cents during off-peak hours. Despite the recent rate increase, PWC’s services website says they “are among the lowest in the state.”
However, Duke Energy Progress residential customers will see a decrease in their electricity rates starting this month. The energy company decreased residential rates by 4.5%, bringing the cost per kilowatt-hour down from about 16.2 to 15.46 cents.
Electricity rate rises hit particularly hard in summers and winters as residents use more energy to cool or heat their homes. Fayetteville saw snow flurries on Tuesday. During the last two weeks, Cumberland County had five days with minimum temperatures below freezing.
“The co-op’s focus is and will always be to deliver electricity to you that is affordable, reliable, and safe,” the Lumbee River EMC wrote in their new rate announcement. “Our commitment to containing costs has not changed.”
The announcement included ways members can reduce their bills amidst the rate increases, including its pay-as-you-go FlexPay program and budget billing, which sets a consistent monthly payment amount.
The North Carolina Low Income Energy Assistance Program, which provides a one-time payment to assist eligible residents with their heating bills, can also help. The program provides a household with up to $2,250 in assistance.
Applications for the program are open, though those 60 years and older and those with disabilities receiving services through the state’s Division of Aging have priority through the end of December. Other eligible households can submit their program applications starting in January. Residents can see if they qualify for the program and learn how to apply on the Cumberland County Department of Social Services website.
CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the CityView News Fund.