You made the switch to solar to escape the endless rise of Duke Energy’s rates and to take control of your power bill. The salesperson showed you a proposal with clear, simple math demonstrating how much you’d save each month. But now that the system is running, you’re looking at your utility bill with a sense of confusion and frustration. The credits aren’t what you expected, and you’re still paying Duke Energy more than you thought you would.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. You are likely experiencing the complex reality of North Carolina’s shift away from simple net metering to a more complicated Duke Energy Time-of-Use (TOU) solar rate structure. Understanding how this system works is the key to discovering if your expected savings were based on a realistic projection or a deceptive sales pitch.
The Old System vs. The New Reality
For years, North Carolina used a simple “net metering” system. For every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of excess power you sent to the grid, you received a one-for-one credit from Duke Energy. It was a simple swap.
The new TOU rate system is completely different. It means the price of electricity—both the power you buy from Duke and the credit you get for the power you sell—changes depending on the time of day.
- Peak Hours: This is a specific window of time (for example, 6 PM – 9 PM in the winter) when electricity demand is highest. During these hours, the power you buy from Duke is most expensive.
- Off-Peak Hours: These are all other times, including the middle of the day when your solar panels are producing the most power. The power you buy during these hours is cheapest.
The TOU Trap: How This System Can Be Used to Deceive You
The core of the problem lies in a simple mismatch: your solar panels produce the most power during off-peak hours when that power is least valuable. Your home, however, typically uses the most power in the morning and evening, during peak hours when electricity is most expensive.
A dishonest salesperson can exploit this in two ways:
- They Use Outdated Math: They will create a proposal that calculates your savings based on a simple, flat electricity rate, completely ignoring the TOU price difference. They’ll tell you that the 1,000 kWh you produce each month will offset the 1,000 kWh you consume. In reality, you are selling your power to Duke for a low off-peak credit and then buying it back just a few hours later at a much higher peak price, wiping out your projected savings.
- The Aggressive Battery Upsell: They will use the complexity of TOU rates to aggressively sell you an expensive battery system, claiming it’s the only way to save money. While batteries can help by storing your cheap daytime energy for use during expensive peak hours, they are a major investment. A properly designed system on a suitable home might still provide significant savings without a battery, but that nuance is often lost in a sales pitch designed to maximize commission.
What to Look For in Your Solar Proposal
To protect yourself, you need to scrutinize your original sales proposal.
- Does it explicitly mention Time-of-Use rates, or does it assume a simple, flat rate?
- Does the savings calculation account for the difference between the low-value daytime power you sell and the high-cost evening power you buy?
- If a battery was included, was the return on investment (ROI) calculation based on realistic savings from avoiding peak rates, or was it based on inflated numbers?
Your Next Step: A Professional Audit of Your Savings
If your Duke Energy bills are consistently higher than what your solar proposal promised, it is highly likely that the calculations were based on misleading or outdated information. This could be grounds for a formal dispute based on deceptive trade practices.
Our case review process for North Carolina clients includes a detailed forensic audit of your utility’s specific tariff structure. We compare the real-world financial outcome against the promises made in your sales proposal to determine if you were misled. This data-driven evidence is the foundation for building a powerful case file before we connect you with a qualified attorney in North Carolina.