Yes, your Santee Cooper bill has gone up, and two more increases are already approved. Here's what's changing, what it means for you, and why.
Winter peak hours started Nov. 1
Keep big appliances off during these hours
Winter · Nov. to March
6 – 9 a.m.
Summer · April to Oct.
3 – 6 p.m.
Every day, including weekends and holidays. How peak hours change your bill
What's changing and when
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Bills from Feb. 1, 2027 | Rates go up 4.7% on average for homes |
| Bills from Feb. 1, 2028 | Rates go up another 4.6% on average |
Santee Cooper says the typical home will pay about $6.60 a month more in 2027, and about the same again in 2028. Those are averages, so your own change will be a bit different.
For Santee Cooper home customers
Estimate your 2027 and 2028 increase
A rough estimate using Santee Cooper’s average increase for homes. Your own bill also depends on when you use power and on fuel costs. Horry Electric has separate rates.
Change the $150 example to what you usually pay.
Bills from Feb. 1, 2027
$157.05 a month
about $7.05 more a month
Bills from Feb. 1, 2028
$163.95 a month
about $13.95 more a month than today
Extra over the first two years (Feb. 2027 – Jan. 2029): about $252.00
A typical home using 1,000 kWh a month
- A typical home’s bill in 2024
- $110.70
- The same home at today’s rates
- $145.14
- The same home from Feb. 2027
- $151.74
That’s about $34 more a month than in 2024. Santee Cooper’s own standard examples, not any one family’s bill.
Here's why your bill is going up
The rate freeze ended
Prices were frozen until January 2025. Then came the first base-rate increase since 2017, a new peak charge, and the fuel line on the bill switching from a credit to a charge.
New power plants and lines
About $1.1 billion a year of construction, including half of a $5 billion gas plant. You pay for a plant years before it makes power.
Data centers
Santee Cooper says data centers are about 70% of its expected growth over the next ten years. New homes on the coast are the smaller part.
Homes pay a bigger share
Homes get 4.7% in 2027, factories 2.6%. The S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs called the split “biased” against homes.
Old nuclear debt
About $3.5 billion for the abandoned V.C. Summer reactors is still being paid off, on a schedule that runs to 2056.
Fuel, and a war from 2022
Fuel costs change your bill every month, separately from these increases. And you’re still paying for 2022: costs tied to the Russia–Ukraine war are part of a charge on your bill until 2035.
Years of flat bills, then a jump
For about ten years, Santee Cooper's prices barely moved while the rest of the country's climbed. Now it's catching up. It's still cheaper than its neighbors, though: on 2025 rates, a typical home paid 12.78¢ per kilowatt-hour with Santee Cooper, against 14.98¢ with Duke Energy Progress and 15.35¢ with Dominion.
Santee Cooper peak hours: when to run big appliances
Part of your bill depends on how much power your house uses all at the same time during peak hours. That's measured in kilowatts (kW). On the standard home rate, each kW adds $8 a month today, $8.75 from February 2027 and $9.50 from February 2028.
Right now, your single busiest hour of the month sets the charge. From February 2027, it will be the average of your busiest hour on four different days, so one bad morning will matter less. Federal holidays won't count then, but weekends still will.
Four habits that help (all from Santee Cooper's own advice):
- Warm the house before 6 a.m. A programmable thermostat can do it for you.
- If you have a heat pump, raise the thermostat one or two degrees at a time. Big jumps can switch on its expensive backup heat strips.
- Run the dishwasher and the dryer after 9 a.m. In summer, wait until after 6 p.m.
- Put the water heater on a timer so it heats outside peak hours. Santee Cooper recommends a licensed electrician for this.
Quick answers
Will my bill go up exactly 4.7%? Probably not. That's the average for all homes. If you spread out your chores in the mornings, it could be less. If everything runs at once, it could be more.
I have Horry Electric. Does this apply to me? Not directly, because Horry Electric sets its own rates. It also has a peak charge ($12 per kW, same hours), so the same habits help.
How do I report a power outage? Call 888-769-7688 or go to reportoutage.santeecooper.com. Treat any downed line as live: stay well away and report it at that number right away.
When I help someone choose a home here, I look at what it costs to live in it, not just the price. A newer heat pump and good insulation can make a real difference every month. My cost of buying a home guide and moving guide cover the rest, and my resources page has local utility phone numbers.
Thinking about making the move to the Grand Strand?
Whether you're relocating from up north or planning your retirement on the South Carolina coast, I'd love to help you get there. Follow me on Facebook for more local tips, search Grand Strand listings right here on my site, and join one of my Facebook groups built specifically for people making this move:
