Duke Energy restores power to 131,000 following Fern, offers tips as colder weather continues to drive high energy use

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy crews are repairing damaged equipment and restoring service to customers across the Carolinas after Winter Storm Fern – and the company is offering simple ways for those with power to manage energy use as cold weather lingers.

Power restoration
Duke Energy restored power to more than 131,000 Carolinas customers as of 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26.

Nearly 22,000 customers are without power as of 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26.

• Most customer outages resulting from Winter Storm Fern will be restored today. Some outages, especially in the hardest-hit areas where road conditions are hindering crews, may extend into Tuesday.

The following outage figures are as of 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26. Refer to the Duke Energy Outage Map for up-to-date figures broken out by county.

Duke Energy serves about 4.7 million electric customers in the Carolinas – about 3.8 million in North Carolina and nearly 860,000 in South Carolina.

Rick Canavan, Duke Energy storm director:

• "Our crews are on track to restore most outages by tonight. We're seeing isolated pockets of more extensive equipment damage along the Blue Ridge Escarpment – in places like Hendersonville, Travelers Rest and Clemson – so some customers in those areas may not have service restored until Tuesday."
• "I also want to make customers aware of a text message scam that's circulating and targeting utility customers. It mentions rolling outages and includes a link. That message did not come from Duke Energy; please avoid clicking the link."
• "Thank you for your patience and cooperation as crews continue their work."

Energy efficiency tips
As Duke Energy crews restore service across the Carolinas, customers with power will likely use more energy this week as colder‑than‑normal temperatures push heating systems to run longer, which can lead to higher bills.

A few small changes can help reduce the impact of cold weather for customers – without affecting comfort:

• Set thermostats to the lowest comfortable setting – even a small drop saves energy.
• Check air filters to keep systems running efficiently.
• Open blinds and curtains on sunny days to warm spaces naturally, then close them at night to hold heat.
• Run ceiling fans clockwise to push warm air down.

More energy efficiency tips: duke-energy.com/WinterEnergySavings.

Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,100 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and energy storage.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

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SOURCE Duke Energy