Piedmont Natural Gas Announces Rate Cut in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina: Average Residential Bill to Drop Nearly $12 a Year
Piedmont Natural Gas, headquartered in Charlotte, announced on November 4 that it has lowered natural gas rates for its North Carolina customers. With temperatures falling and the heating season arriving, the rate change took effect November 1 and will lower the average residential customer's bill by just under $12 per year. It is Piedmont's fifth rate reduction in North Carolina this year, following decreases in January, February, April and June; combined, the five 2026 cuts are reducing average residential bills by approximately 9 percent, or about $112, per year.
Piedmont said all rate changes for North Carolina customers are reviewed and approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, which helps ensure customers receive safe, reliable natural gas service at fair, reasonable rates. The company said cutting rates as the heating season begins will help ease household winter heating costs.
Piedmont Natural Gas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy and distributes natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina and South Carolina. Gas prices are shaped by supply, transportation costs and seasonal demand, and the Utilities Commission's review process is designed to balance company costs with consumer interests.
For residents of Charlotte and the rest of North Carolina, the latest cut is modest on its own, but the cumulative effect of repeated reductions over the year adds up. The company reminds customers that winter gas use typically rises sharply, and using heating equipment sensibly and keeping homes well insulated remain effective ways to control winter bills.
(Source: Piedmont Natural Gas)
Source: Piedmont Natural Gas
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：夏洛特市政厅（GSM 固定图库）。 / Photo: Charlotte City Hall (GSM image library).
