Utilities - Access & Cost

  1. Retail Electricity
  2. Natural Gas
  3. Water & Sewer
  4. Solid Waste
  5. Communications / Internet

Providers

Retail electric service is provided to consumers in North Carolina by investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and university-owned utilities subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission, electric membership corporations (EMCs), and municipally-owned electric utilities. A customer obtains electric service from the utility providing service to that area. The Commission regulates all aspects of service provided by the IOUs, but does not regulate the retail rates of EMCs or municipally-owned electric systems.

Electric Service Area Map

Five electric utilities serve Beaufort County, they are: Washington Electric Utilities, Tideland Electric Membership Corporation, Duke Energy Progress, Town of Belhaven, and Dominion Energy.

Washington Electric Utilities

Washington Electric Utilities serves 12,000 customers. Its service area encompasses much of the Washington area north of the Pamlico River, including Washington Park, Bath, Pinetown, and Terra Ceia, and extends into portions of Martin and Pitt counties. The distribution system contains 388 miles of lines. Washington is a member of ElectriCities a membership organization including public power communities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Tideland Electric Membership Corporation

Tideland Electric Membership Corporation is a not-for-profit cooperative born from the merger of four electric utilities. Tideland EMC serves more than 22,000 metered services in Dare, Hyde, Beaufort, Washington, Pamlico and Craven counties. Tideland EMC is a member of Touchstone Energy® a national alliance of local, member-owned electric cooperatives that do business with integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy, serving the southwest corner of the County, is one of the largest publicly traded electric power holding companies in the United States, supplying and delivering electricity to approximately 7.4 million U.S. customers. Duke has approximately 52,700 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Carolinas, the Midwest and Florida.

Town of Belhaven

The Town of Belhaven primarily serves the town with electricity through its public utilities department. Belhaven is a member of ElectriCities a membership organization including public power communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Dominion Energy

Dominion Energy, serving the northwest corner of the County, is one of the nation's largest publicly traded producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 26,200 megawatts of generation and 6,600 miles of electric transmission lines.

Cost Estimate

To estimate the cost of electricity the utility company will need the following information:

  • Electricity Infrastructure:
    • Voltage requirement
    • Frequency
    • Phases
    • Amperage
    • Peak demand (real power)
    • Peak demand (apparent power)
    • Power factor (kilowatt-hour [kWh] / kilovolt-ampere [kVA])
  • Electricity Consumption:
    • Average consumption monthly
    • Average consumption annually
    • Load factor
    • Significant power users
    • Hours of operations per day
    • Shifts per day
    • Days per week
    • Redundant electric power source

Please provide this information to Beaufort County Economic Development, so they can acquire a cost estimate for the location(s) your company is considering.