Progress Energy is part of Duke Energy now, and the help moved with it
If you came here looking for Progress Energy's assistance programs, you're in the right place — the company just doesn't exist on its own anymore. Progress Energy merged into Duke Energy more than a decade ago, and its old customer programs either continue under a Duke name or were replaced by something newer. This page explains what happened to the name, which company you actually have now, and where the current help is.
The short version: in North Carolina and South Carolina, the name survived, and a Duke utility called Duke Energy Progress still serves much of both states. In Florida, it didn't — Progress Energy Florida was renamed Duke Energy Florida. The bill help for each group is on its own page, and the sections below point you to the right one.
What happened to the company
Progress Energy and Duke Energy were two of the biggest power companies in the Southeast, and plenty of people in the Carolinas have had service from both at different addresses. When the two merged, Duke kept using the Progress name in the Carolinas, so Duke Energy Progress still serves homes and businesses across central and eastern North Carolina, the Asheville area, and parts of South Carolina. That's why the name remains printed on bills there. Florida went the other way: the Progress name came off Florida bills entirely when the company there became Duke Energy Florida.
Look at the name at the top of your bill
If your bill says Duke Energy Progress or Duke Energy Carolinas and you live in North Carolina, everything current — the monthly bill credit, the Share the Light Fund, payment plans, and free weatherization and repairs — is covered on our Duke Energy North Carolina page. The programs there are the same for customers of both companies.
If your bill says Duke Energy Progress or Duke Energy Carolinas and you're in South Carolina, the help is different from North Carolina's, and our Duke Energy South Carolina page covers what's available there.
If you're in Florida and remember being a Progress Energy customer, your company is Duke Energy Florida now, and our Duke Energy Florida page has the current programs.
One way the Progress name still matters
Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas are run as two separate utilities, even inside North Carolina, and assistance is set up company by company. The clearest example: North Carolina's monthly bill credit doesn't follow you automatically if you move from a Progress address to a Carolinas address or the other way around. You reapply through the county office in your new home, and the credit starts again under the right company. If you moved recently and a credit disappeared from your bill, that's usually the reason.
The old program names, and where they went
The Energy Neighbor Fund — the emergency bill fund Progress customers donated to and drew from for years — was folded into Duke's Share the Light Fund, which does the same work through local agencies today. The Bill Extender plan, which let people on a fixed income match their due date to the day their check arrived, no longer exists by that name, but Duke's Pick Your Due Date option does the same thing, and a due date extension can add a few days in a month when money is running behind. The state pages above explain how to use all of it.
A caution about the two names
Confusion between an old company name and a new one is exactly what a scam caller can use. If someone contacts you claiming your account is "still under Progress Energy" and needs to be transferred, updated, or verified — for a fee, or by reading off your account number, Social Security number, or bank information — hang up. The merger required nothing from customers when it happened and requires nothing from you now. Anything real about your account can be checked by calling the number printed on your bill.
This page provides general educational information about the transition from Progress Energy to Duke Energy and where to find current assistance programs. It is not legal or financial advice. Program details change over time and vary by state and by utility. Confirm current information with Duke Energy or the agencies named on the state pages before making decisions based on this page.
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