Duke Energy customers will start to see higher bills in March, and now is the time home and business owners might want to rethink their energy goals

For Duke residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours, the storm costs represent a $32.40 increase on monthly bills, according to a commission staff recommendation. But commissioners pointed to other upcoming changes in Duke bills, with the utility saying the net increase in March on a 1,000-kilowatt-hour residential bill will be $22.62.

The storm-related costs would add $31.18 to the monthly bills of such Duke customers — though Duke said last month it expects the customers would see an actual increase of about $21 a month because of decreases in other costs.

Colder weather can often mean a higher energy bill, so we spoke with industry professionals for insight on what's best for your wallet and your heating system.

If approved by Florida, Duke Energy could raise customer electric bills by about $21 a month starting in March to help recover costs from hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.

Duke Energy is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to some customers whose personal information may have been unlawfully accessed on the company’s website.

Some Duke Energy customers were affected by a "cyber incident" their website had earlier this year, according to the company.

Thousands of residents across Florida are still without power after Hurricane Milton.

Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene downed power lines and washed out roads all over North Carolina’s mountains, the roar of gas-powered generators is both unpleasant and essential.

For many, the restoration cannot come soon enough after days without electricity.

The heaviest rain from Hurricane Milton is coming into Orange County now. The county is under a flash flood warning until 4:30 a.m.

Many lost power in Central Florida as Hurricane Milton passed through the region this week.

In times of emergency, generators are a great option to provide backup power.

Ahead of Milton’s landfall in the state, Duke Energy stated that it is already preparing around 10,000 responders — many from out of state — to help with recovery efforts.

Most electric company customers in Central Florida are serviced by Florida Power and Light, OUC or Duke Energy.

Nearly 700,000 homes and businesses in the U.S. Southeast are still without power more than a week after Hurricane Helene blew through the region.

The South Carolina Senate has started its homework assignment of coming up with a comprehensive bill to guide energy policy in a rapidly growing state and amid a quickly changing power-generation world.

A fire at a Duke Energy substation left thousands without power in Eustis.

While fishing at the pond, Keller’s fishing line became tangled in some broken power lines, which caused him to be electrocuted and killed, the lawsuit says.

A fire that damaged two homes in Casselberry was possibly sparked by a downed power line, according to the Seminole County Fire Department.

According to Duke Energy, a number of enhancements are anticipated to be part of the increased base rate.

An Orlando couple says an equipment failure in their neighborhood sent a surge of electricity into their home and fried many of their appliances. The company that handles claims for Duke Energy admitted Duke had an equipment failure, but the company says Duke is not liable for the losses.

Authorities say a driver tried to crash through the exit gates of a South Carolina nuclear plant about an hour after security asked the same car to leave when it tried to enter.

With summer electric bills’ now infamous sticker shock behind us, consumers with Duke Energy are turning to home energy check-ups to make sure their homes are energy efficient for the fall and into the summer of 2024.

What are the chances the next time we have a storm your power will stay on?

Thousands of utility workers deployed to the hardest-hit areas of Florida after Hurricane Idalia pushed through the state early Wednesday.

Here’s an official update on the purple street lights you’ve all been waiting for.

If you’ve been driving down the road at night and wondered to yourself, “Why are these streetlights purple,” we have your answer.

A lesser-known form of solar power that has several advantages over the traditional kind is gaining traction.

Most customers of Duke Energy Florida will see a slight increase in their bill starting next month now that the Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved the energy provider’s latest fuel and capacity rate request.

A squirrel caused thousands to lose power in Lake Mary on Wednesday, according to Duke Energy.

If you’ve been driving down the road at night and wondered to yourself, “Why are these streetlights purple,” we have your answer.

Thousands of Duke Energy customers are without power in Orange and Seminole counties on Christmas Eve, according to an outage map on the company’s website.

State regulators Tuesday approved utility costs that will translate to higher electric bills in January for homeowners and businesses — and the pain won’t end there.

Duke Energy says it has completed repairs on substation equipment damaged in shootings over the weekend and that it's restored power to all but a fraction of the thousands of customers who lost electricity in a central North Carolina county.

Duke Energy says it expects to be able to restore power by Wednesday night to a county where electric substations were attacked by gunfire.

Investigators believe a shooting that damaged power substations in North Carolina was a crime.

A large power outage hit Leesburg and Fruitland Park Tuesday evening, according to Leesburg Fire Rescue.

The cause is unknown at this time.

Some Duke Energy customers said they got a big shock when they opened their most recent electric bill – a new charge that requires them to spend a specific amount of money with the utility company per month.

Duke Energy Florida asked state regulators Friday to approve collecting an additional $314.2 million from customers because of higher-than-expected fuel costs for power plants.

A milestone energy bill that targets sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions from North Carolina power plants has become law.

Hurricane Ida’s projected path shows the storm hitting Louisiana this weekend.

Lake Mary High School dismisses students because there's no power at the school.

More than 500 power trucks from the Midwest and the Carolinas staged overnight in Sumter County.

A search has resumed for two missing tubers on a North Carolina river after three others were found dead and four were pulled from the water.

A high-angle rescue is underway in Orange County after a pair of construction workers got stuck in the bucket of a cherry picker 40 feet in the air.

An electrical issue has forced a portion of Semoran Boulevard to be shut down during the rush hour commute on Wednesday.

Duke Energy said that as of Saturday night, 8,300 customers across Florida had suffered power outages as a result of storms and high winds throughout the day that knocked debris and tree limbs into poles and wires.

More than 50 of the largest U.S. companies paid nothing in federal income taxes last year, even though they reported big pretax profits as a group.

Solar panels help teach sustainability on campus.

CLERMONT, Fla. – Many residents in Clermont woke up Wednesday to a power outage. According to officials, the outage was reported at 7:15 a.m. at a substation in the Clermont area. “Approximately 10,000 Duke Energy customers were initially without power,” Duke Energy said. According to the Clermont Police Department, all traffic lights on Highway 50 from Hancock Road east to the county line were without power. According to Duke Energy, power was completely restored by 9:55 a.m. with the first 3,000 customers having their power turned on by 8:30 a.m.“We are still investigating the cause of the outage,” Duke Energy added.

Utility crews in Florida are preparing to restore power after Tropical Storm Eta makes its way through the state. Florida Power and Lights said that this is the second time their crews have prepared for Eta after it hit areas of south Florida last weekend. Duke Energy said that it brought in about 350 additional crews to add to the more than 2,000 already in the state. Thomas Carpenter, director for Lake County’s Office of Emergency Management said that officials are keeping a close eye on Eta. “Really it’s just the timing of how quickly Eta moves through and so we will be watching that throughout the night,” Carpenter said.

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – For the fourth time this year, Duke Energy sent crews to the Gulf Coast this time to help residents during Hurricane Delta. Robert Thompson is one of the linemen with Duke Energy and left Friday morning. He had just gotten back from the panhandle a couple of weeks ago after Hurricane Sally left thousands without power. Spokesperson with Duke Energy said the company is actually sending 165 crews from all over the state to Louisiana. Florida Power and Light also sent dozens of crews to the Gulf Coast on Thursday.

This Sept. 14, 2020 photo shows shows a Duke Energy natural gas-fired electric power plant on Sutton Lake in Wilmington, N.C. It went online in 2013 and replaced a coal-fired plant that had polluted the lake with coal ash. It would provide a source of steam to generate electricity and a place to cool hot water from an adjacent coal-fired plant. Sutton Lake became popular with boaters and anglers, yielding bass, crappie, bluegill and other panfish. But environmental groups challenging the Trump rule in court say it opens up reservoirs like Sutton Lake to similar abuse.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Thousands of Orange County residents were without power on Monday, according to an outages map from Duke Energy. At that time, 29 total outages had been reported in Orange County, according to Duke Energy’s website. Duke Energy’s map said at least one of the outages was caused by equipment going offline. [READ MORE: Here’s how to report, get updates on power outages in Florida]Cokinos said strong storms could also bring wind gusts near 40+ mph. At last check, Duke Energy’s map showed power was expected to be restored by 11:15 p.m.Click here to get updates on the outages.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. More than 3,000 Duke Energy customers were without power in Central Florida after storms moved through the area on Monday night. Orange County and Seminole County was under a weather advisory for about thirty minutes on Monday night. Trees were reported down at several intersections in Orange County. This is a developing story. We will update this story as more information becomes available.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. More than 4,000 customers are without power in Central Florida on Saturday night, according to Duke Energy. Around seven counties in Central Florida were under a tornado warning at some point on Saturday night. In Orlando, more than 1,000 customers are without power. The Duke Energy site shows 1,000 customers are without power in Ocoee. More than 300 customers are without power in Deltona, according to the Duke Energy site.

CENTRAL FLORIDA – Last week, both Duke Energy and Florida Power & Light promised repeatedly that most customers would have their electricity restored by Sunday night. "We've been waiting on Duke Energy to get here and we haven't seen any sign of hope or any kind of workers maybe but once. Monday afternoon, Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks apologized for the missed deadline. This is the largest storm to ever hit the Duke Energy service area. As News 6 was leaving Sandy Shores, several Duke Energy line workers pulled up and began removing a tree that ripped down a powerline.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Duke Energy said it has changed its automated system so consumers can reach customer service employees more quickly. Hurricane Irma overwhelmed some systems Duke Energy said it relies on to provide information to customers. "We apologize profusely for any issues experienced with our customer service and appreciate our customers’ patience," Duke Energy said. The company spokesperson said Duke Energy received numerous customer reports that there was no opt-out option in the automated system allowing them to speak to a customer service representative. Customers can follow Duke Energy on Twitter and Facebook (Duke Energy) for updated information.

Duke Energy isn't denying it happened, but the fight is over how much the couple should be paid.