Power outages in North Carolina
In 2025, the average North Carolina customer had 3.3 hours (195.8 minutes) without power over the year. That is below the US median of 4.3 hours (258.7 minutes) across 50 states compared.
Trend
Outage time swung widely from 2020 to 2025, from 3.4 hours in 2021's low-end range to a peak in 2024 of 24.0 hours. 2025 came in at 3.3 hours, the lowest of the six years shown.
Utilities in 2025
The best utility in 2025 was City of Albemarle - (NC) at 14.1 minutes of SAIDI (0.2 hours). The worst was Haywood Electric Member Corp at 776.3 minutes (12.9 hours).
| Utility | Customers | Hours / yr | Interruptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haywood Electric Member Corp | 29,374 | 12.9 | 5.1 |
| Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp - (NC) | 80,146 | 9.0 | 2.2 |
| Piedmont Electric Member Corp | 34,871 | 8.4 | 1.8 |
| City of Gastonia - (NC) | 31,892 | 6.0 | 1.0 |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | 133,095 | 4.8 | 1.5 |
| Pee Dee Electric Member Corp | 22,020 | 4.7 | 2.7 |
| Central Electric Membership Corp. - (NC) | 23,325 | 4.5 | — |
| Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp | 28,798 | 4.2 | 1.8 |
| Randolph Electric Member Corp | 34,131 | 3.7 | 2.2 |
| City of Lexington - (NC) | 20,576 | 3.7 | 2.0 |
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC | 2,193,740 | 3.6 | 1.4 |
| Wake Electric Membership Corp | 58,110 | 3.5 | 1.9 |
| Tideland Electric Member Corp | 24,442 | 3.4 | 2.5 |
| Albemarle Electric Member Corp | 13,787 | 3.1 | 0.8 |
| Duke Energy Progress - (NC) | 1,679,755 | 3.1 | 1.4 |
| Roanoke Electric Member Corp | 15,996 | 3.0 | 1.5 |
| EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp | 133,277 | 2.8 | 1.6 |
| Lumbee River Elec Member Corp | 67,781 | 2.5 | 1.7 |
| Rutherford Elec Member Corp | 78,498 | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| French Broad Elec Member Corp | 41,010 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Carteret-Craven El Member Corp | 43,238 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
| Fayetteville Public Works Commission | 87,507 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| City of New Bern - (NC) | 25,372 | 1.9 | 1.0 |
| Four County Elec Member Corp | 35,699 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Town of High Point | 44,670 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
What this means for backup power
For everyday outages, enter 2.3 hours in the calculator, which is the average length of one interruption. To ride out a year like 2024, size for 24.0 hours, the total outage time that year.
FAQ
What does SAIDI mean for my home?
SAIDI is the total time the average customer spent without power in a year. It is not the length of one outage. In North Carolina one interruption lasts 2.3 hours on average.
How many outages should I expect in a year?
In 2025 the average North Carolina customer had 1.397 interruptions. At about 2.3 hours each, that matches the yearly total of roughly 3.3 hours.
How long should I plan my backup power to run?
For common outages, plan around 2.3 hours. If you want cover for a severe year like 2024, which totaled 24.0 hours, use that figure in the calculator instead.
Utility pages
Source: U.S. EIA Form 861 Reliability file. Data snapshot 2026-11-05.