South Carolina Electricity Rates
Rate data for South Carolina is being refreshed. The regulator and market facts below are current; figures return with the next data load.
Can you choose your electricity supplier in South Carolina?
No. South Carolina has not opened its residential electricity market to competition, so the utility that delivers your power also sells it. Its prices are set in rate cases before the Public Service Commission of South Carolina, and the rate you pay depends on which utility serves your address, your rate schedule, and the season.
Grid operator: No RTO; Southeast bilateral market (SERC). Wholesale power costs flow through to retail bills on the regulator's schedule rather than month to month, which is why regulated-state rates move more slowly than the market-based states listed below.
Want to shop for a supplier? Retail choice is open on this site in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington DC.
Your address, not your preference, picks the utility, and the rules change with it: the PSC's 1960s territorial maps leave almost no address a choice of supplier, and while Dominion and Duke customers get the state's regulated deposit cap (two months' bills, refunded after two years) and PSC-approved rates, the Myrtle Beach area's Santee Cooper is a 1934 state-created public power authority whose rates the PSC does not approve and whose standard residential rate carries an $8 per kW demand charge on your single highest peak hour, and the cooperatives covering 70% of the state's land set their own deposits (Berkeley Electric's minimum is $250).
Who will deliver your power in South Carolina
The utility is fixed by your address. These are the largest in the state, with what each says it needs from a new customer.
Duke Energy Carolinas (South Carolina)investor-owned
Upstate and north-central South Carolina: the ORS rate-case overview lists Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties. About 870,600 Duke Energy electric customers in South Carolina, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress combined (Duke Energy Fast Facts, data as of Dec. 31, 2025).
Duke's start page offers Start My Service, Stop My Service and Move Service options and links to an 'Is Duke Energy my provider?' page where you enter your address to find out if you are in its service territory. Duke's 'Security Deposit Options' page does not state deposit amounts; as a PSC-regulated utility Duke is bound by the state deposit rules in the Bill of Rights (deposit only for poor payment history, no acceptable co-signer, prior cutoff or a failed credit check; capped at two months' estimated bills; returned after two years of good payment, with interest if held over six months).
Start service with Duke Energy Carolinas →Sources: duke-energy.com, duke-energy.com, duke-energy.com, duke-energy.com, ors.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, psc.sc.gov
Dominion Energy South Carolinainvestor-owned
Columbia, Charleston, Aiken, Beaufort and the central and southern Lowcountry: the ORS rate-case overview lists Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda and Union counties.
To turn on home electric (or gas) service Dominion asks for the complete address, Social Security number (you and spouse) and driver's license number, and says proof of ID may be required; the SSN is used only to decide whether a deposit is required and does not affect your credit score, so lift any credit freeze first. If you will not give an SSN online or by phone you must complete its Identity Verification Form; a security deposit may be required after that check.
Start service with Dominion Energy South Carolina →Sources: dominionenergy.com, ors.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, psc.sc.gov
Duke Energy Progress (South Carolina)investor-owned
The Pee Dee and Grand Strand region: the ORS rate-case overview lists Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Kershaw, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter and Williamsburg counties.
Same Duke Energy start flow and address check as Duke Energy Carolinas; it is a PSC-regulated utility, so the Bill of Rights deposit rules (two-month cap, return after two years, interest after six months) apply. ORS notes DEP filed a 2025 rate case (requested rates effective February 1, 2026) and a further Rate Stabilization Act request in March 2026 for rates effective August 1, 2026.
Start service with Duke Energy Progress →Sources: duke-energy.com, duke-energy.com, ors.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, psc.sc.gov
Santee Cooper (South Carolina Public Service Authority)public power district
Direct retail service in portions of Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties (the Myrtle Beach area); it also calls itself the state's largest power provider and the ultimate source of electricity for approximately 2 million people. About approximately 2 million people for whom it is 'the ultimate source of electricity' (per Santee Cooper; no direct retail customer count is published on the pages read).
Santee Cooper says your start date will usually be the next business day, that traditional service is usually established within 24 hours, and that you need a Social Security, passport, FID or TIN number, a driver's license and a lease or proof of purchase (Horry County mobile-home owners also need the county assessor's Certified License Application). It runs a credit check to set any deposit (or uses your account history if you were a customer in the last 12 months), the deposit must be paid in full before connection, and it offers Pay As You Go Electric for people who prefer not to pay a deposit; the fee schedule lists a $20 service connection fee and $45 for same-day service requested after 3:30 p.m.
Start service with Santee Cooper →Sources: santeecooper.com, santeecooper.com, santeecooper.com, santeecooper.com, santeecooper.com, psc.sc.gov
Berkeley Electric Cooperativecooperative
Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties around Charleston; it is one of 19 consumer-owned electric cooperatives that together serve all 46 South Carolina counties and about 70% of the state's land area. About over 100,000 member-accounts (per Berkeley Electric).
Berkeley Electric takes residential applications online and says it does not accept applications more than 14 days in advance. Its fee schedule lists a $5 membership fee, a $20 service connection fee and a $250 minimum residential deposit; its June 2026 Service Rules set the standard deposit at two times the average monthly bill, waivable for new members who pass the cooperative's credit check, and the membership fee is refunded or applied to any unpaid balance when membership ends.
Start service with Berkeley Electric Cooperative →Sources: berkeleyelectric.coop, berkeleyelectric.zohodesk.com, berkeleyelectric.zohodesk.com, berkeleyelectric.coop, ecsc.org, ecsc.org
Deposits, ID, and supplier choice in South Carolina
Deposits. Under S.C. Code Regs. 103-331 to 103-336 and the PSC/ORS Electric Bill of Rights, a regulated electrical utility (Dominion Energy South Carolina, Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Lockhart Power) may require a deposit only if you have had two consecutive or more than two non-consecutive 30-day arrears in the past 24 months, cannot show you are a satisfactory credit risk (a letter of good credit from another electric utility, checkable references, or a co-signer/guarantor on the same system in South Carolina), have been cut off for non-payment or fraud, or fail the utility's commercially acceptable credit check. The deposit is capped at an estimated two months (60 days) of bills, earns PSC-set simple interest if held longer than six months, and must be returned after two years without those arrears or a non-payment cutoff. (psc.sc.gov)
Choosing a supplier. None: the PSC's residential FAQ says that since the 1960s the Commission has assigned each electric supplier an exclusive service area on territorial assignment maps, so a customer must take service from the supplier assigned to that area unless the premises straddles a territory line or sits within 300 feet of another supplier's line that existed in the 1960s, and even then the choice is permanent. Your address decides whether you are a Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Dominion, Santee Cooper, cooperative or municipal customer.
The PSC approves retail rates only for the four investor-owned utilities; it does not approve rates for Santee Cooper (the state's Public Service Authority), the electric cooperatives or municipal systems, and the ORS says it has only limited authority over cooperatives and municipal systems. Cooperatives are member-owned and governed by boards their members elect, and Santee Cooper is a publicly owned utility created by the General Assembly in 1934, so the Bill of Rights deposit rules above do not cover them; Santee Cooper's Terms and Conditions and Berkeley Electric's Service Rules set their own deposit terms. ORS handles consumer complaints about regulated utilities at (803) 737-5230 or 1-800-922-1531.
Sources: psc.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, scstatehouse.gov, psc.sc.gov, psc.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, ecsc.org, santeecooper.com
Help paying an electric bill in South Carolina
South Carolina Office of Economic Opportunity (S.C. Department of Administration), delivered only through the state's network of Community Action Agencies
Households at or below 60% of state median income (OEO's current table: $31,993 a year or $2,660 a month for one person, $61,525 a year for four, $84,904 for eight) who show proof of U.S. citizenship or qualified immigrant status for all members, a government ID proving South Carolina residency, 30-day gross income for everyone 18 and older, and a current need such as an energy bill in an adult household member's name. OEO does not take applications itself; the LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists FY2026 benefits of $200 to $850 for heating (October 1 to April 30), $200 to $775 for cooling (April 1 to September 30) and up to $1,000 for year-round crisis help, subject to available funds.
Sources: oeo.sc.gov, oeo.sc.gov, liheapch.acf.gov, acf.gov
Weatherization Assistance Program (South Carolina)
South Carolina Office of Economic Opportunity, through local Community Action Agencies
South Carolina residents who need help with home energy costs and are at or below OEO's income limits ($31,920 a year for one person, $66,000 for four, $111,440 for eight); SSI or AFDC recipients are income-eligible automatically, and preference goes to people 60 and older, households with a disabled member and households with children under 18. Apply through the Community Action Agency that runs weatherization in your county.
Sources: oeo.sc.gov, energy.gov
Dominion Energy South Carolina (funded by its customers, employees and retirees), applications through your county Community Action Agency
Income-eligible, disabled and senior Dominion customers needing help with electric and natural gas bills; the agency asks for names and Social Security numbers of everyone in the home, proof of recent income, proof of address and your most recent energy bill, and the help does not have to be repaid. Dominion also offers due-date extensions and a long-term plan that splits a past-due balance into up to six monthly payments (down payment required, 1.5% late charge on the remaining balance).
Sources: dominionenergy.com, liheapch.acf.gov
Santee Cooper Community Cares and payment arrangements
Santee Cooper with the United Ways of Horry County, Black River and Trident, requested through SC 211
Santee Cooper customers in Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties who are behind on their power bill; funds vary with availability and are requested by calling 211 or visiting sc211.org. Santee Cooper also arranges payment plans at 800-804-7424 and lists the LIHEAP agencies for its counties (Palmetto Community Action Partnership in Charleston for Berkeley County, Waccamaw Economic Opportunity Council for Georgetown and Horry).
Source: santeecooper.com
Funded by Duke Power customers and Duke Energy shareholders, with a Duke Energy Foundation match (per the federal LIHEAP Clearinghouse's South Carolina charitable listing)
A heating-bill assistance fund for Duke customers in South Carolina; the Clearinghouse says the Foundation matches individual contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $50 (maximum $500,000 a year) and the money can pay heating costs regardless of energy source. The Clearinghouse flags such funds as last-resort emergency help with limited resources and hours.
Source: liheapch.acf.gov
Programs that change what you pay
- Rooftop solar (net metering)limited
- Act 62 of 2019 (the Energy Freedom Act) amended S.C. Code 58-40 so residential customer-generators up to 20 kW AC are billed under a PSC-set 'solar choice metering' value rather than classic retail net metering. Dominion's current chart shows Solar Choice for homeowners only (renters excluded): you move to the Rate 5 time-of-use rate, excess energy is credited at the rate of the time period it was generated, any remaining credit is paid at avoided cost in the November true-up, the term is 10 years from interconnection and there is a $200 interconnection fee and a second meter; Santee Cooper's Distributed Generation Rider pays $0.0415 per kWh returned and adds a $10 customer charge.
Sources: cdn-dominionenergy-prd-001.azureedge.net, dominionenergy.com, psc.sc.gov, santeecooper.com
- Community solarlimited
- Dominion's chart lists two community solar options, a $0.20 per kW monthly subscription paying a $0.01 per kWh credit and a $2.25 per watt purchase paying $0.10 per kWh over a 20-year term, open to homeowners and renters but currently waitlist only; Santee Cooper sells Solar Share capacity under its EmpowerSolar program, and the cooperatives run a Community Solar Initiative described on MySCSolar.com with sign-up links for each participating co-op.
Sources: cdn-dominionenergy-prd-001.azureedge.net, santeecooper.com, myscsolar.com
- Time-of-use ratesavailable
- The PSC FAQ says the investor-owned utilities offer residential time-of-use rates; Dominion's Rate 5 (available on a voluntary basis, effective July 2026) charges $0.29907 on-peak (4 to 8 p.m. May through September, 6 to 9 a.m. October through April), $0.15074 off-peak and $0.09623 super off-peak (1 to 5 a.m. year-round plus noon to 3 p.m. in winter) per kWh, and leaving it bars any residential TOU rate for 12 months. Santee Cooper's standard RG-25 rate already carries an $8.00 per kW demand charge on your single highest peak hour (6 to 9 a.m. November through March, 3 to 6 p.m. April through October) on top of $0.0792 per kWh, and its optional RT-25 time-of-use rate charges 33.80 cents on-peak and 7.92 cents off-peak.
Sources: psc.sc.gov, cdn-dominionenergy-prd-001.azureedge.net, dominionenergy.com, santeecooper.com
Questions people ask before moving to South Carolina
How far ahead should I set up electricity before moving to South Carolina?
Santee Cooper says your start date is usually the next business day and traditional service is usually established within 24 hours (same-day requests after 3:30 p.m. cost $45), and Berkeley Electric will not take an application more than 14 days ahead. Dominion takes start requests online once you supply an SSN and driver's license number, and Duke's start page links to an 'Is Duke Energy my provider?' address check to confirm Duke serves the home.
Sources: santeecooper.com, santeecooper.com, berkeleyelectric.zohodesk.com, dominionenergy.com, duke-energy.com, duke-energy.com
Can I choose my electricity supplier in South Carolina?
No. Under 1960s legislation the PSC assigned electric suppliers to service areas outside municipal limits on territorial assignment maps, so you must take service from the utility assigned to your address; the only exceptions are a premises that straddles a boundary or sits within 300 feet of another supplier's 1960s-era line, and that choice is permanent. Duke Energy's 'Is Duke Energy my provider?' address lookup and Santee Cooper's meter check are how you find out who serves you.
Sources: psc.sc.gov, duke-energy.com, santeecooper.com
Will I have to pay a deposit to start service in South Carolina?
At Dominion and both Duke utilities only if the Bill of Rights conditions apply (poor payment history, no acceptable co-signer, a past cutoff or a failed credit check), and then at most two months of estimated bills, returned after two years with interest if held over six months; Dominion runs its check from your Social Security number without affecting your credit score. Santee Cooper sets any deposit by credit check and must have it paid in full before connection (its Pay As You Go option avoids one), and Berkeley Electric's standard deposit is two times the average monthly bill with a $250 residential minimum, waived if you pass its credit check.
Sources: psc.sc.gov, scstatehouse.gov, dominionenergy.com, santeecooper.com, santeecooper.com, berkeleyelectric.zohodesk.com, berkeleyelectric.coop
What does a typical residential electric bill run in South Carolina?
The ORS rate-case overviews put a 1,000 kWh residential bill at $136.82 for Duke Energy Carolinas (as of July 25, 2025, before a requested $10.38 increase effective March 1, 2026), $144.85 for Duke Energy Progress (as of July 1, 2025, before a requested $21.66 increase effective February 1, 2026 and a further $10.20 ERSA request for August 1, 2026) and $157.00 for Dominion Energy South Carolina (as of March 2026, before a requested $19.98 increase from July 2026). Santee Cooper's RG-25 rate is $0.0792 per kWh plus an $8.00 per kW demand charge on your highest peak hour, before customer and fuel adjustments.
Sources: ors.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, ors.sc.gov, santeecooper.com
Where can I get help paying an electric bill in South Carolina?
Apply for LIHEAP through the Community Action Agency for your county (OEO's homepage has a county picker; income limit is 60% of state median income, $2,660 a month for one person), and ask the same agency about the Weatherization Assistance Program. Dominion customers can also apply for EnergyShare through the agency, Santee Cooper customers can request Community Cares funds via 211, and the PSC Bill of Rights gives regulated-utility customers a deferred payment plan of at least one-sixth of the arrears over up to six months plus a December-to-March medical-certificate deferral before any cutoff.
Sources: oeo.sc.gov, oeo.sc.gov, oeo.sc.gov, dominionenergy.com, santeecooper.com, psc.sc.gov
Researched 2026-10-16 from utility, regulator, and agency pages; every statement links to where it was read. Rules change: confirm deposits and program dates with the utility or agency before you rely on them.
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