Is This Really Freedom If Working Families Cannot Afford To Keep The Lights On?
Written by Peter Boykin on May 24, 2026
Is This Really Freedom If Working Families Cannot Afford To Keep The Lights On?
#GoRightNews Shared by Peter Boykin
American Political Commentator / Citizen Journalist / Activist / Constitutionalist for Liberty
Is This Really Freedom If Working Families Cannot Afford To Keep The Lights On?
North Carolina families are being squeezed from every direction. Groceries are up. Rent is up. Insurance is up. Property taxes are up. Gas is up. Medical costs are up. And now, Duke Energy customers are staring at more rate hikes while retirement checks, Social Security, EBT benefits, and wages are not keeping up with the real cost of living.
This is not just an energy story. This is a kitchen table survival story.
Duke Energy says it needs more money for fuel costs, grid reliability, growth, infrastructure, and winter storm expenses. Those are real costs, and nobody serious should pretend power plants, substations, transmission lines, poles, and fuel are free. Reuters reported Duke sought to recover more than $800 million in fuel and power purchase costs after extreme winter demand, with proposed monthly increases of about $6.90 for Duke Energy Carolinas customers and $7.88 for Duke Energy Progress customers. ([Reuters][1])
But the question is not whether costs exist. The question is who always gets stuck paying the bill?
Because when the company has bad fuel exposure, the customer pays. When the grid needs expansion, the customer pays. When growth outpaces infrastructure, the customer pays. When winter hits hard, the customer pays. When new plants are financed, the customer pays. Yet when profits roll in, regular people do not get a dividend check in the mail.
And that is where people are right to be angry.
Duke Energy Progress is also seeking an 18 percent residential rate increase over two years, which WRAL reported could mean about $34 more per month for the average customer by 2028. Duke says the money is needed for a growing and more resilient system as North Carolina adds residents and large energy users. ([WRAL News][2])
But let’s talk about that word: average.
An “average” increase does not hit everyone the same. For a retired person on Social Security, $20 or $30 more a month matters. For a single parent choosing between groceries and a light bill, it matters. For someone on disability, EBT, a fixed pension, or a paycheck that has not caught up with inflation, it matters. For families who got hammered by winter heating bills, it matters right now.
This past winter already pushed people to the edge. NC Newsline reported that the cold snap sent utility bills soaring and led to more calls for help paying bills in Charlotte. ([NC Newsline][3])
So no, it is not enough for politicians, regulators, or corporate spokespeople to say, “Well, costs went up.” Costs went up for everyone. The people do not get to file a rate case with the state when their grocery bill doubles. Retirees do not get to petition regulators for a 15 or 18 percent increase in their monthly check. A working family cannot walk into their employer and say, “My power bill went up, so you are required to approve my wage hike.”
That is the imbalance.
Energy is not a luxury. Electricity is not optional. Heat is not optional. Refrigeration is not optional. Internet access, medical devices, phones, transportation systems, food supply chains, hospitals, schools, small businesses, farms, and homes all depend on power.
So when we talk about liberty, we need to be honest. What kind of freedom do people really have if they technically live in a free country, but cannot afford to live in their own home?
A free people should not be one cold winter, one medical bill, one rent hike, one car repair, or one power bill away from homelessness.
That does not mean government should run everything. It does not mean we pretend utilities have no costs. But it does mean that essential services should be treated differently than ordinary profit engines. A regulated monopoly is not a normal free-market business. Customers cannot simply shop around for another power company the way they can choose another grocery store or phone plan.
That means Duke Energy, the Utilities Commission, and state lawmakers have a higher duty to the public.
If a utility is protected from normal competition because it provides an essential service, then the people deserve serious guardrails. Independent audits. Stronger public oversight. Real low-income protections. Better transparency. Limits on shifting risk from shareholders onto ratepayers. And a hard look at whether residential customers are being used as the shock absorber for every bad forecast, every policy gamble, and every infrastructure delay.
Governor Josh Stein criticized Duke’s request for additional fuel cost recovery on top of a proposed 15 percent rate hike, saying it would shift costs from large industrial users onto regular people. ([NC Governor][4]) WUNC also reported that Senate Bill 266 changed energy policy in North Carolina by removing the 2030 interim carbon reduction target and altering how purchased energy costs are distributed among ratepayers. ([WUNC][5])
That is where the public needs to pay attention. This is not just about one bill. It is about the structure of power itself, both electrical power and political power.
If North Carolina wants growth, then North Carolina must build the infrastructure to support it. But growth cannot become an excuse to crush the people already living here. Families should not be punished because planners, politicians, regulators, and monopoly utilities failed to stay ahead of demand.
So here is the real question:
Are rate hikes the only answer, or is North Carolina once again asking regular people to fund a system that serves everyone except the people who can least afford it?
Because when the lights stay on but the people are drowning, that is not prosperity.
That is survival with a billing statement.
[1]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/duke-energy-seeks-price-increase-north-carolina-recoup-winter-power-costs-2026-04-15/ “Duke Energy seeks price increase in North Carolina to recoup winter power costs”
[2]: https://www.wral.com/news/local/public-hearing-rescheduled-rate-hikes-duke-energy-security-concerns-may-2026/ “Durham sheriff’s office says there was no threat against …”
[3]: https://ncnewsline.com/2026/05/11/north-carolinas-cold-winter-led-to-higher-energy-bills-more-calls-for-help/ “North Carolina’s cold winter led to higher energy bills, more …”
[4]: https://governor.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2026/04/15/governor-stein-reacts-duke-energy-efforts-charge-ratepayers-additional-800-million “Governor Stein Reacts to Duke Energy Efforts to Charge …”
[5]: https://www.wunc.org/politics/2025-06-19/nc-energy-bill-power-costs-duke-energy-residential-customers “NC General Assembly passes bill removing interim carbon …”
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