Washington Electric Utilities

Washington Electric Utilities serves 12,000 customers. Its service area encompasses much of the Washington area north of the river, including Washington Park, Bath, Pinetown, and Terra Ceia, and extends into portions of Martin and Pitt counties. The distribution system contains 388 miles of lines.

Operating budget is $24 million annually, of which $17 million represents power costs. The City of Washington is a member of the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency - NCEMPA. This organization of municipal-owned electric systems in eastern North Carolina holds ownership interests in generating plants on the Progress Energy (formerly Carolina Power & Light Co.) system.

Washington is one of 72 public power communities in North Carolina. Public power is locally-controlled and locally-operated. Friends and neighbors are the utility employees. The electric revenue stays in towns and helps these public power communities grow and prosper. In most cases, public power communities are able to restore power faster and respond better to customer's needs and concerns because the utility employees also live in the towns in which they work. North Carolina's public power communities are united in power to ensure they provide their citizens with a safe, secure, and reliable supply of electricity.

Use Energy Depot, a free energy audit tool, to find out where to reduce energy usage and make your home more energy efficient. In addition, Energy Depot can be used to compare the amount of energy used by different appliances.

For more information about Public Power in North Carolina, including information about saving money on your electric bill, safety around electricity, and children's activities, visit the NC Public Power website.