Duke Energy serves roughly 8 million electric customers across six states, and its EV charger incentives are six genuinely different programs, not one rebate with regional footnotes. A North Carolina homeowner and a Kentucky homeowner searching “Duke Energy EV charger rebate” are looking at completely different numbers — in one case over $1,000, in the other, nothing. Here’s what each state actually gets.
North Carolina: the Charger Prep Credit, up to $1,133
North Carolina is Duke Energy’s largest and most developed EV market, and it shows in the incentive: the Charger Prep Credit reimburses residential customers up to $1,133 for the electrical work needed to support a Level 2 home charger — wiring, conduit, outlets, panel upgrades, and permit fees. It does not reimburse the charger hardware itself, only the infrastructure behind it.
- Two ways to claim it. Hire your own electrician, pay out of pocket, and submit the invoice for reimbursement — or let Duke coordinate an approved contractor who applies the credit directly, so you’re not fronting the full cost while waiting on paperwork.
- The program has run since June 2022 and had enrolled more than 1,000 North Carolina customers within its first year, according to Duke Energy’s own reporting — a sign this isn’t a small pilot likely to disappear without notice.
- It’s a real dent in installation cost. Our EV charger installation cost guide puts a typical hardwired Level 2 install at $1,200–$3,000; a $1,133 credit can cover most or all of that before you’ve spent anything on the charger itself.
Duke also runs a Charger Solution lease program in North Carolina, starting at $14.80/month over a 36-month term, which bundles the charger, installation, and maintenance into one payment — worth comparing against buying outright plus the Charger Prep Credit if you’d rather not deal with electrician quotes at all.
Florida: a smaller credit, plus an ongoing off-peak payment
Florida customers get two separate incentives, neither as large as North Carolina’s single credit. The Charger Prep Credit here is project-based with no fixed cap published, and — like North Carolina’s version — it covers make-ready electrical infrastructure only, not the charger hardware.
More useful for most households is the Off-Peak Charging Bill Credit: $7.50 a month, paid as an ongoing bill credit rather than a one-time payment, for customers with a Level 2 charger who enroll in off-peak charging. That means avoiding the 5–10 a.m. and 6–11 p.m. windows most days — Duke allows two peak-hour sessions a month before it affects the credit. At $7.50/month, it adds up to roughly $90/year for as long as you stay enrolled, which over a few years can outpace a one-time hardware rebate.
| State | Program | What it pays | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | Charger Prep Credit | Up to $1,133 (one-time) | Wiring, panel upgrade, permits |
| North Carolina | Charger Solution Lease | From $14.80/mo (36-mo term) | Charger + install + maintenance |
| Florida | Charger Prep Credit | Project-based, no fixed cap | Make-ready wiring only |
| Florida | Off-Peak Charging Bill Credit | $7.50/mo ongoing (~$90/yr) | Off-peak managed charging |
| South Carolina | EV Charger Prep Credit | Varies by project, not standardized | Electrical upgrades for L2 support |
| Indiana | Charger Solution Lease | From $17.95/mo (48-mo term) | Charger + install + maintenance |
| Ohio / Kentucky | — | No residential incentive (2026) | — |
South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky
South Carolina offers its own EV Charger Prep Credit for electrical upgrades supporting a Level 2 charger, but Duke hasn’t standardized the amount the way it has in North Carolina — the payout is assessed per project, so getting a specific number means contacting Duke directly or having your contractor apply on your behalf.
Indiana doesn’t currently have a direct cash rebate for residential customers. Instead, Duke offers the Charger Solution lease, starting at $17.95/month over 48 months, covering a utility-owned Level 2 charger plus installation and ongoing maintenance — a different value proposition than a rebate, since you never own the hardware but also never pay for a repair.
Ohio and Kentucky have no residential EV charger incentive as of 2026. Duke’s EV programs are approved state-by-state through separate regulatory filings, so this isn’t necessarily permanent — but for now, customers in those two states are buying and installing at full price, same as anyone outside Duke’s territory. Our EV charger rebate guide covers other utilities nationally if you want to double-check nothing local has been missed.
Buy a charger that fits either path
Whether you’re claiming North Carolina’s Charger Prep Credit or paying full price in Ohio, an ENERGY STAR-certified, Wi-Fi-connected unit keeps you eligible for Florida’s off-peak credit too if you ever relocate within Duke’s territory — and it’s simply the safer buy either way.
ChargePoint Home Flex
- ENERGY STAR certification and app-based scheduling make it a fit for Florida's off-peak credit if you enroll, and for any future connected-charger requirement Duke adds elsewhere.
- Adjustable 16–50A output means your electrician doesn't have to guess your final circuit size before the unit ships.
- Read our full ChargePoint Home Flex review for the six SKU variants and how it compares against the competition.
Ordering the receptacle, conduit, or a rebate-eligible charger before your electrician’s next visit? A free 30-day Amazon Prime trial gets the parts there with two-day shipping instead of holding up the appointment.
Emporia Classic Level 2 EV Charger
- The lowest-priced ENERGY STAR-certified charger in our lineup — since North Carolina's credit covers install labor rather than the charger, a cheaper qualifying unit keeps your total project cost down on top of the credit.
- Wi-Fi app scheduling handles Florida's off-peak window automatically once you're enrolled, instead of relying on manually timing charging sessions.
- See our full Emporia Classic review for the PowerSmart load-management tradeoffs.
The bottom line
Duke Energy isn’t one rebate — it’s six state programs with real gaps between them. North Carolina customers should apply for the Charger Prep Credit (up to $1,133) before paying an electrician out of pocket; Florida customers should stack the smaller Charger Prep Credit with the $7.50/month off-peak credit; South Carolina customers need to contact Duke directly since the amount isn’t standardized; and Indiana customers without cash-rebate access should compare the Charger Solution lease against buying outright. Ohio and Kentucky customers currently get nothing from Duke and should check our EV charger rebate guide for any state-level program instead. Whatever your state, our EV charger installation cost guide shows what the underlying project runs before any credit, and our best home EV charger picks cover the full lineup beyond the two ENERGY STAR options above.