Around 40 protesters gathered in front of the Mecklenburg County Courthouse on Wednesday evening to argue against Duke Energy Carolinas’ pending rate hike proposal.
If approved, the average monthly bill for residential customers would increase by more than $17 in 2027 and $6 in 2028. The proposed rate hike would also increase Duke Energy Carolinas' annual revenue by $1 billion, which the utility says would help pay for grid and power plant upgrades.
Some members of GreenFaith joined the crowd dressed as angels and devils. Angela James said she put on the horns to protest Duke Energy’s burning of natural gas and coal, which releases climate-warming pollution.
“I am dressed as fossil fuels from hell,” James said. “Do we want energy from heaven or energy from hell?”
GreenFaith’s Rev. Amy Brooks Paradise described the campaign as a “satirical dig” at the utility.
“If you look up in the sky and see wind and sun — that’s often what we equate with heaven,” Brooks Paradise said.
Charlotte resident Martha Zziwa came because she said her energy bills have increased since moving to Charlotte last summer.
“It’s the stress of thinking you have planned your monthly expenses out perfectly, and then all of a sudden you see another charge that you have to pay,” Zziwa said.
