Tired of Western Carolina Power bills? Here are your solar and backup options
Western Carolina Power is the electric utility owned by Western Carolina University. It serves more than 3,800 customers in the Cullowhee Valley. Here is how it handles solar and why backup matters here.
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Who runs Western Carolina Power
Western Carolina Power is owned by Western Carolina University and serves the campus and more than 3,800 customers in the Cullowhee Valley of Jackson County. Its general manager is the university's director of energy and utilities. Since January 1, 2022 its full power supply has come from Carolina Power Partners under a long-term purchase agreement, largely from the Kings Mountain Energy Center, a natural gas plant.
WCP is an ElectriCities member and has received multiple ElectriCities Public Power Awards of Excellence, recognized for smart meters, an outage management system and expanded outage communication.
How WCP handles rooftop solar
WCP uses buy-all, sell-all. You buy all your electricity from WCP, and all your solar output goes to the grid. Two meters track production and use, and you pay the difference. WCP posts its solar interconnection documents online, so ask for the current credit rate and steps before you sign.
Cullowhee homes sit on valley floors and steep wooded slopes along the Tuckasegee River. Ridges and tall trees shade a lot of roofs, especially in winter when the sun is low, so a shade check comes before any quote.
Outages in the Cullowhee Valley
WCP posts outage notices online, such as recent work in the Tilley Creek area, and takes outage reports by phone. Hurricane Helene in late September 2024 knocked out power across much of western North Carolina.
If backup power is the goal, plan for a battery or a standby generator. Grid-tied solar stops producing during an outage unless it is paired with equipment built to island safely. Ask the contractor to size backup around the loads you cannot do without, such as heat, the fridge, a sump or well pump, and to confirm the layout with Western Carolina Power before anything is installed.
Start with a $349 home energy evaluation
Getting a solar contractor out to Cullowhee can take a while. Booking a paid evaluation on HomeBackupPros changes that. For $349 a contractor does an electric audit, reviews your energy use and writes up a quote for a system that fits Western Carolina Power's rules. If you buy from that same contractor, the $349 is credited toward the system.
Have your kWh by month handy from your Western Carolina Power bills, and note what runs on electric versus gas or propane. Every contractor on HomeBackupPros is reviewed and approved by our team, and we check their NC electrical contractor license. Contractors are independent businesses and HomeBackupPros does not install anything. Some contractors also offer a free site visit or an estimate, and the choice is yours.
Where Western Carolina Power serves in our area
- Cullowhee Valley
- Jackson County
Questions
Who owns Western Carolina Power?
Western Carolina University owns WCP. It serves the campus and more than 3,800 customers in the Cullowhee Valley, and its general manager is the university's director of energy and utilities.
Does Western Carolina Power offer net metering?
No. WCP uses buy-all, sell-all with two meters. You buy all your power and all your solar output goes to the grid, and you pay the difference.
Where does WCP get its electricity?
Since January 1, 2022, Carolina Power Partners has supplied WCP's full requirements under a long-term agreement, largely from the Kings Mountain Energy Center.
What backup makes sense in Cullowhee?
Many homes here are on wells and wooded slopes. A propane generator covers multi-day outages, and a battery covers short ones quietly. Put the well pump on the critical list.