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Electricity In South Carolina

  • Population5,148,714
  • Total Consumption78,563,246 MWh / 15.26 MWh per capita
  • CO2 Equivalent Emissions21,044,493,784 kg
  • Total Production99,591,650 MWh / 19.34 MWh per capita
state-map

Residential Electricity Bills & Rates in South Carolina

South Carolina residential electric rates are highest in January and the highest average bill is in November.

Historical Pricing:
Price Per kWHAverage Bill$0.139/kWh$0.104/kWh$203.35/mo.$105.72/mo.
28th12.64¢Average residential price per kWh in the state of South Carolina
49th$141.01Average residential monthly electricity bill for South Carolina Residents

Energy Profile of South Carolina

South Carolina's Electricity Prices and Usage

South Carolina has an average electricity rate of 12.64 cents per kilowatt hour. This is 5.17% below the nationwide average price of 13.33 cents. This ranks South Carolina as the 28th lowest priced state in the nation based on average electricity rate. Even though there are 49 electricity providers who operate in South Carolina, the electricity market is regulated and customers usually have only one or two provider choices determined by their home address. As the 33rd highest polluting state based on emissions per capita from electricity use, South Carolina customers account for emissions of 4,087.33 kilograms of CO2 equivalent gases each. South Carolina has had a 6.44% rise in the use of renewable fuel types for electricity production over the previous 12 months. Consumers living in the state average an annual per capita consumption of 15.26 megawatt hours of electricity. With annual production of 99,591,650.36 megawatt hours, the state of South Carolina is the 14th largest generator of electricity in the country.

Electricity Providers in South Carolina

ProviderArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Rate (¢)Arrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Average Bill ($)Arrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Residential Sales (MWh)Arrow DownBlue arrow pointing down.Residential Revenues ($)Arrow UpArrow pointing upwards.State Production (MWh)Arrow UpArrow pointing upwards.State Emissions (KG)Arrow UpArrow pointing upwards.
Dominion Energy13.59147.748,527,9471,159,028,00018,609,331.1912,710,784,648.79
Duke Energy Carolinas11.23121.96,797,035763,101,55232,419,188.941,022,431,238.01
Duke Energy Progress11.82148.32,098,844247,979,5836,022,0051,745,707,501.33
Berkeley Electric Cooperative 13.32162.831,432,342190,803,000No DataIcon representing missing value.1,012,886,478.33
Palmetto Electrictric Cooperative11.60147.05984,169114,135,273No DataIcon representing missing value.412,193,597.94
Horry Electric Cooperative13.84157.67969,760134,203,000No DataIcon representing missing value.323,957,434.86
Blue Ridge Electric Coop14.86156.48775,346115,224,400No DataIcon representing missing value.291,815,816.71
York Electric Cooperative12.17135.6767,39793,376,000No DataIcon representing missing value.286,724,202.52
Mid Carolina Electric Cooperative12.98155.65760,02998,657,000No DataIcon representing missing value.279,255,805.26
Laurens Electric Cooperative13.32149.6717,18995,547,000No DataIcon representing missing value.292,285,655.27
49 providers total

Power Plants in South Carolina

PlantArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Primary Fuel TypeArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Production (MWh)Arrow DownBlue arrow pointing down.Emission (KG)Arrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Emissions per MWh (KG/MWh)Arrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Toxic Chemical ReleaseArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Closing DateArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.
OconeeDuke Energy Carolinas (100.00%)
Nuclear 22,171,512350,394,725.5515.8No DataIcon representing missing value.No DataIcon representing missing value.
CatawbaDuke Energy Carolinas (19.25%)North Carolina Municipal Power Agency #1 (37.50%)North Carolina Electric Member Cooperative (30.75%)Piedmont Municipal Power Agency (12.50%)
Nuclear 19,193,688271,055,611.8814.12No DataIcon representing missing value.No DataIcon representing missing value.
V C SummerSouth Carolina Public Service Authority (33.33%)Dominion Energy (66.67%)
Nuclear 8,425,562129,609,943.1915.38No DataIcon representing missing value.No DataIcon representing missing value.
CrossSouth Carolina Public Service Authority (100.00%)
Coal 7,025,4796,881,933,194.61979.57YesNo DataIcon representing missing value.
H B RobinsonDuke Energy Progress (100.00%)
Nuclear 6,020,630101,514,847.3816.86No DataIcon representing missing value.No DataIcon representing missing value.
W S LeeDuke Energy Carolinas (100.00%)
Natural Gas 5,605,8162,098,733,185.97374.38YesNo DataIcon representing missing value.
JasperDominion Energy (100.00%)
Natural Gas 5,035,7821,981,423,092.81393.47YesNo DataIcon representing missing value.
John S RaineySouth Carolina Public Service Authority (100.00%)
Natural Gas 4,802,6502,079,018,303.18432.89No DataIcon representing missing value.No DataIcon representing missing value.
WinyahSouth Carolina Public Service Authority (100.00%)
Coal 3,331,502.013,455,337,489.071,037.17Yes12/2028
WilliamsSouth Carolina Genertg Co Inc (100.00%)
Coal 2,799,122.012,630,836,216.1939.88YesNo DataIcon representing missing value.
168 power plants total

Quick Facts

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South Carolina uses non-renewable fuels to generate 18.1 megawatt hours per citizen, making them the 7th highest state for non-renewable generation per capita.

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Residents in South Carolina deal with an average of 0.68 outages lasting 78.57 minutes each year, compared to the national averages of 1.13 outages at 127.16 minutes per outage.

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South Carolina is the 23rd largest state by population in the United States, with 5,148,714 citizens residing within the state's borders.

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Nuclear plants in South Carolina combine to create 56.04% of the electricity produced in the state, which is 55,811,392 megawatt hours each year.

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Dominion Energy is the largest electricity supplier in South Carolina when calculated by megawatt hours sold.

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As the 9th highest generator of solar energy in the country, South Carolina produces 2,057,344.94 megawatt hours.

CountyArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.PopulationArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.ProvidersArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.PlantsArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Rate (¢)Arrow UpArrow pointing upwards.Avg. Electric BillArrow UpArrow pointing upwards.
Abbeville County24,52719 providers113.02$129.04/mo
Aiken County170,87212 providers213.48$152.15/mo
Allendale County8,68810 providers413.81$161.15/mo
Anderson County202,55816 providers1113.43$138.60/mo
Bamberg County14,0667 providers113.86$160.90/mo
Barnwell County20,8668 providers413.85$161.16/mo
Beaufort County192,1226 providers412.76$147.96/mo
Berkeley County227,90711 providers612.99$146.84/mo
Calhoun County14,55312 providers513.57$155.51/mo
Charleston County411,4069 providers213.11$147.12/mo
Cherokee County57,30012 providers712.59$137.83/mo
Chester County32,24412 providers312.66$137.26/mo
Chesterfield County45,65011 providers112.87$146.85/mo
Clarendon County33,74511 providers412.67$152.90/mo
Colleton County37,6778 providers114.30$165.36/mo
Darlington County66,6189 providers612.82$156.19/mo
Dillon County30,4798 providersNo DataIcon representing missing value.12.62$155.39/mo
Dorchester County162,8098 providers113.30$151.16/mo
Edgefield County27,26014 providersNo DataIcon representing missing value.12.73$136.65/mo
Fairfield County22,34714 providers412.79$140.82/mo
Florence County138,2939 providers812.85$162.37/mo
Georgetown County62,6808 providers212.50$148.52/mo
Greenville County523,54213 providers513.09$134.77/mo
Greenwood County70,81114 providers312.91$129.19/mo
Hampton County19,2229 providers413.66$160.33/mo
Horry County354,0819 providers412.45$143.01/mo
Jasper County30,0738 providers512.92$150.61/mo
Kershaw County66,55111 providers212.64$142.75/mo
Lancaster County98,01214 providers112.47$140.10/mo
Laurens County67,49316 providers113.42$134.86/mo
Lee County16,82810 providers512.58$144.94/mo
Lexington County298,75010 providers913.29$150.05/mo
Marion County30,6579 providers212.64$149.90/mo
Marlboro County26,1188 providers112.69$155.71/mo
McCormick County9,46316 providers112.77$128.31/mo
Newberry County38,44016 providersNo DataIcon representing missing value.13.36$139.67/mo
Oconee County79,54614 providers413.62$129.80/mo
Orangeburg County86,17516 providers1113.53$156.66/mo
Pickens County126,8849 providers213.23$134.47/mo
Richland County415,75914 providers412.98$145.67/mo
Saluda County20,47314 providers212.93$137.87/mo
Spartanburg County319,78512 providers1112.96$136.71/mo
Sumter County106,72111 providersNo DataIcon representing missing value.12.29$145.74/mo
Union County27,31614 providers513.27$141.60/mo
Williamsburg County30,3688 providers112.69$159.18/mo
York County280,97918 providers412.36$131.11/mo

Power Plant Fuel Types, Emissions & Pollution Factors

The state of South Carolina’s power producing plants primarily use Nuclear, which makes up 56.04% (or 55,811,392 megawatt hours) of the fuel used for electricity generation in the state. Natural Gas and Coal make up the next highest amounts at 22.49% and 14.97% respectively. Coming in at 28th worst in the US, the state releases 21,044,493,783.73 kilograms of CO2 & CO2 equivalent gases from electricity production a year. This total also results in a ranking of 33rd highest in the country for pollution per resident. South Carolina has 168 electricity producing plants within its borders. This is the 20th highest number of plants within a single state and the 26th highest number of plants per citizen in the US.

NUCLEAR
Nuclear
Nuclear
Nuclear
Nuclear
Nuclear
Nuclear
56.04%
NATURAL GAS
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
22.49%
COAL
Coal
Coal
14.97%
CONVENTIONAL HYDROELECTRIC Renewable, RefreshableIcon representing renewability.
Conventional Hydroelectric
2.15%
SOLAR Renewable, RefreshableIcon representing renewability.
Solar
2.07%
OTHER
Other
2.29%

Net Metering

Of the 49 electricity providers in South Carolina, 33 of them report that they offer net metering. South Carolina has good regulations in place for consumers who are interested in taking advantage of net metering with solar panels.

Energy Loss

There are 43 companies in South Carolina that reported energy loss, including Dominion Energy, Berkeley Electric Cooperative , and Horry Electric Cooperative. Together, these 43 electricity companies average an annual energy loss of 3.24% of electricity produced. The national average for energy loss is 2.72%, resulting in a rank of 27th worst in the US for South Carolina in this category.

Solar Taxes And Rebates

Encouraging private citizens to purchase private solar panels can be a challenge due to high initial costs. States can help the cause by issuing rebates and tax breaks to their citizens. With over $2000 or 20% in tax credits for solar purchases, South Carolina has decent options for state solar tax credits. The state offers no rebates to citizens who are purchasing private solar. The state of South Carolina offers no property tax exemptions to homeowners who install solar panels, making it less attractive for citizens to do so. Residents in the state do not have access to a sales tax exemption when purchasing private solar panels.

State Level Initiatives

Legislation enforced at the state level affects whether customers who are seeking renewable energy sources can easily find alternatives. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) encourage or require electricity companies to produce a percentage of their electricity from renewable fuel sources. South Carolina, unfortunately, has no standards in place. Also, the state does not have any sort of low income solar programs that encourage the installation of solar panels at low income households.

FAQ: Common Questions About Energy in South Carolina

Where does South Carolina get its electricity?

Natural Gas and Coal also make up 22.49% and 14.97% respectively.

How much does electricity cost in South Carolina?

The average rate per kilowatt hour of electricity is 12.64 cents in South Carolina in 2021.