Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Duke riders re-read October 14, 2026. Updated October 14, 2026.
A typical North Carolina home system is 9.76 kW and costs about $26,938 in cash at $2.76 per watt. With Duke Energy Carolinas it pays for itself in 16.6 to 34.8 years in our two cases, set by how much power is left over each month. Duke’s Bridge plan takes new requests only until December 31, 2026.
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Since October 1, 2023, a new Duke solar home goes on one of two billing plans. Both credit leftover power at the same low rate. They differ in how you pay for the power you buy, and the date your installer files the interconnection request decides which one you can get.
The rider closes to new participants on January 1, 2027.
First come, first served. Duke Energy Progress has 43,500 kW AC.
Counted from your interconnection request, then you move to Solar Choice or a later plan.
Or your home’s estimated highest monthly demand, if that is lower.
Duke reserves Bridge room when a valid interconnection request is filed, not when you sign a contract. A contract signed in December does not help if the request goes in after December 31, 2026, or after that year’s room is used up. Then the home goes on Solar Choice.
Homes on Duke’s older net metering rider keep it only until December 31, 2026. Duke must move them to the Bridge or another newer plan by January 1, 2027. Expect a monthly solar charge and a minimum bill after the move.
On both Duke plans, solar power you send out first cancels power you buy in the same month. Only what is left when the month closes earns the low credit. Our two cases mark the fast end and the slow end.
| Case | Year-one savings | After upkeep and solar charge | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every export cancels power bought that month (14.77¢) | $2,027 | $1,618 | 16.6 years |
| Every export earns the 4.53¢ month-end credit | $1,184 | $775 | 34.8 years |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
A real Duke home lands between the two. The closer your solar output each month sits to the power you use that month, the closer you get to 16.6 years.
The name at the top of your bill sets the credit for solar power you do not use yourself. Duke runs two separate utilities in North Carolina, with different numbers.
Carolinas serves the Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Durham areas. Progress serves the Raleigh, Wilmington and Asheville areas. Solar charge: $0.99 or $0.62 per kW a month.
Next: ask which Duke utility and which plan the quote uses.
Northeastern North Carolina. Extra kWh roll over to the next month. Unused credit goes back to zero, unpaid, at the start of each summer billing season.
Next: size the system to your yearly use, not the roof.
The state does not make co-ops offer net metering. Each co-op and city utility writes its own rules. The table below shows four of them.
Next: get the credit and any monthly charge in writing.
| Utility | Credit | What earns it | Extra for solar homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas | 4.53¢ | Power left over at month’s end | $0.99 per kW a month; $22 minimum bill |
| Duke Energy Progress | 3.40¢ | Power left over at month’s end | $0.62 per kW a month; $28 minimum bill |
| Dominion Energy | kWh for kWh | Extra kWh, carried to next month | Unused credit lapses each summer, unpaid |
| EnergyUnited | 5.058¢ | Every kWh sent out | $250 application fee |
| Blue Ridge Energy | kWh for kWh, then 5.0¢ | Credits still unused at the May bill | $42 a month grid service charge |
| Piedmont Electric | 3.79¢ | Power beyond the month’s use | $7.50 a month meter charge |
| Fayetteville PWC | 4.43¢ | Power sent out, up to that month’s energy charges | Nothing carries over; 10 kW limit |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Duke limits a home system to 20 kW AC or the home’s estimated highest monthly demand, whichever is less. EnergyUnited allows up to 25 kW on its per-kWh credit, for a system you own. Fayetteville PWC’s credit is for systems of 10 kW or less, and PWC does not allow leased solar in its area.
Duke’s minimum bill covers only customer and delivery costs. Credits for leftover power are taken off after it is applied. Homes in Duke’s low-income energy assistance programs with systems of 8 kW DC or less are exempt.
The September 2026 benchmark, $0.13 below the US average. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
| Size (kW DC) | Cash price | Power made a year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | $13,800 | 7,030 kWh |
| 8 kW | $22,080 | 11,248 kWh |
| 9.76 kW (typical) | $26,938 | 13,723 kWh |
| 12 kW | $33,120 | 16,872 kWh |
PowerPair is the one cash rebate for North Carolina home solar. Duke pays it once, for new panels and a home battery installed together. On September 24, 2026, its room was nearly gone.
$0.36 per watt AC on up to 10 kW AC.
$400 per kWh on up to 13.5 kWh.
Of 30,000 kW on September 24, 2026, and only for homes on Solar Choice.
No room on September 24, 2026. Duke keeps a waitlist.
Example: a system with 7 kW of AC size earns $2,520 for the solar part. With a 13.5 kWh battery the total is $7,920. Room changes every week, so check Duke’s PowerPair page on the day you sign. Our payback cases leave PowerPair and the battery out.
North Carolina has no state rebate or tax credit for home solar. What it offers is a property tax exclusion you file for once.
File Form AV-10 with your county assessor, not the state.
The end of the listing period for the first tax year, unless your county extends it.
Repealed for systems switched on from January 1, 2016.
Not for a system you own placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Way to pay | Who owns the panels | North Carolina point to check |
|---|---|---|
Cash | You | File Form AV-10 for the 80% exclusion |
Loan | You | Compare the financed total with cash, and any dealer fee |
Lease | The company | Fayetteville PWC does not allow leased solar; ask your utility first |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Example: if the county values your system at $20,000, then $16,000 is left out and $4,000 is taxed. It is not automatic, and you file once, for the first tax year the system is on your home. Ask your assessor whether it treats a home battery as part of the system or as separate property.
North Carolina incentives guideWhat $0-down solar means in North Carolina
Companies on our North Carolina list, A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites and the state license boards, read October 13 to 14, 2026.
ESD Roofing Solar buys homeowner leads from EcoGen America. That does not change its facts or its place in this A to Z list. How we make money.
Purelight Power, which earlier versions of our North Carolina pages listed, has shut down. If you have a Purelight system, contact your panel and inverter makers for warranty service.
Ask each installer which Duke plan the quote assumes and how many kWh it expects to be left over each month.
Start your North Carolina solar evaluationEcoGen America does not sell or install solar. When you request quotes, we pass your request to solar providers serving your area, and they pay us for the introduction. Providers can include installers, solar marketplaces and lead exchanges, and more than one may contact you. You never pay us. Privacy policy
CEO of EcoGen America. Since 2021 he has connected homeowners with residential solar installers in all 50 states.
About Dean
Founder of EcoGen America. He has worked in residential solar since 2016 and maintains the EcoGen Solar Cost Index.
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