Electricity Rate in South Carolina (2026): 16.18c/kWh Average
The EIA residential electricity price in South Carolina is 16.18 cents per kWh as of May 2026, 2.26c below the US average of 18.44c/kWh. The South Carolina commercial rate is 11.57c/kWh and the industrial rate is 7.23c/kWh (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A).
South Carolina Electricity Rate: What You Need to Know
South Carolina electricity averages 16.18 cents per kWh for residential customers as of May 2026, according to the EIA Electric Power Monthly. This is 2.26c below the US average of 18.44c/kWh. The average monthly bill for South Carolina households is $159 based on typical usage of 1065 kWh.
South Carolina's 16.18c/kWh rate (May 2026) is below the US average of 18.44c, and the state leans on nuclear power more than almost anywhere else. Nuclear supplies roughly 54% of in-state generation - South Carolina is one of the top US nuclear producers - with natural gas near 22%, coal around 17%, and a small but rising solar share. Three large utilities serve the state, none offering residential retail choice: Dominion Energy South Carolina (the former SCE&G, bought by Dominion in 2019), Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress in the northwest, and Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility that wholesales to the electric cooperatives. The defining cost story is the abandoned V.C. Summer nuclear expansion: Dominion and Santee Cooper customers are still paying down roughly $2.3 billion in debt for two reactors that were never finished after the 2017 collapse of the project, a charge that continues for over a decade more. Looking forward, the South Carolina Energy Security Act (Act 41, signed 2025) authorized Dominion and Santee Cooper to jointly build a 2,180-MW natural gas plant at the retired Canadys coal site in Colleton County - a roughly $5 billion project the Public Service Commission approved in June 2026, targeting mid-2033 startup - and created a streamlined annual rate-adjustment mechanism that lets utilities recover such costs faster, which consumer advocates warn will push residential bills higher through the late 2020s.
Generation mix: Nuclear 54%, natural gas 22%, coal 17%, renewables 7%. The fuel mix is a primary driver of electricity rates - states with abundant hydro or nuclear tend to have lower rates, while states dependent on imported petroleum (Hawaii) or natural gas pay more.
Year-over-year change: South Carolina rates rose 5.0% year-over-year as of May 2026. This compares to the US average increase of 6.2% over the same period.
Regulated: You Cannot Switch Electricity Suppliers
Dominion Energy SC / Duke Energy Carolinas / Santee Cooper operates as the regulated utility in South Carolina. Retail electricity choice is not available for residential customers. Options for reducing your bill include: time-of-use rate optimization, energy efficiency upgrades, and rooftop solar.
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