State regulators are still deliberating on Duke Energy’s rate-hike request for next year. But many of the utility’s financially most vulnerable customers may experience a second shock on top of higher rates as a little-known pilot program expires.
The Duke Energy Customer Assistance pilot program will wrap up at the end of this year. It gave income-eligible households a $42 monthly credit toward their energy bills. Roughly43,000 customers participated in the program last year, although they might not have realized it without a detailed look at their bills.
“Most people don’t even know that they’re getting it if they’re getting it,” said Shelly Biby, who works for Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte. “We would look at people’s bills and go, ‘Oh, you’re actually already getting that [$42] off.’”…