Energy
New this summer: An easier way to understand your energy bill
Heading into the hottest stretch of the year, with highs climbing into the mid-90s and heat indices approaching 100 F across the Carolinas over the weekend – and potentially even hotter conditions mid to late next week – Duke Energy is giving Carolinas customers a new way to answer a familiar summer question: "Why is my bill higher?"
About this update from Duke Energy Corporation (holding Company)
CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Heading into the hottest stretch of the year, with highs climbing into the mid-90s and heat indices approaching 100 F across the Carolinas over the weekend – and potentially even hotter conditions mid to late next week – Duke Energy is giving Carolinas customers a new way to answer a familiar summer question: "Why is my bill higher?" The new AI-powered Bill Insights feature in the Duke Energy mobile app delivers a personalized, plain-language breakdown of what's driving each month's energy costs – including how much is tied to weather and how usage compares over time. This first phase offers a simple, at-a-glance view, and it's just the beginning. Duke Energy plans to expand the feature in the coming months with more detailed insights. Bill Insights are available now to Duke Energy Carolinas residential customers on the Billing tab of the mobile app and rolls out to Duke Energy Progress customers in mid-July. "Our customers want to better understand what's behind their energy bills," said Sasha Weintraub, executive vice president and chief customer officer at Duke Energy. "AI Bill Insights complements what we provide through My Home Energy Report, which gives customers personalized insights into their usage and tips to help them save. Now we're introducing an easy-to-understand, plain-language look at what's shaping each month's bill – and we'll keep enhancing it based on what customers find most helpful." 'I didn't change anything. Why are my energy costs higher?'It's one of the most common questions Duke Energy hears every summer – and the answer comes down to how air conditioning systems work. When a thermostat is set to 72 degrees and the outdoor high is 82 in May, the system bridges a 10-degree gap. In July, when the high reaches 98, that gap grows to 26 degrees – and the system runs significantly longer to close it, using more energy, even though no one touched the dial. The data behind higher summer energy useCooling degree days – a National Weather Service measure of how hard air conditioners have to work – ran about 12% to 18% above 1991-2020 normals across Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham during the summers of 2024 and 2025. That means AC systems were running longer and using more energy than in a typical summer. Humidity compounds the effect. Average dew points across the Carolinas climb about 25 ...
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