Duke Energy has proposed raising the monthly electric bill of hundreds of thousands of customers in South Carolina that, they say, is related to making their grid more resilient and efficient.People gathered Monday at the Wade Hampton High School Auditorium for their first chance to share their feelings toward the proposed increase to the South Carolina Public Service Commission.”The thought of having a rate increase scares me,” resident Angela Terese said. Duke Energy officials said they have not asked South Carolina for a rate hike since 2018. The utility company has more than 650,000 customers in the Palmetto State. Spokesperson Ryan Mosier said the rate hikes are needed due to investments Duke Energy has made to keep up with energy demand and security. “Making upgrades at the Oconee Nuclear Station, improving the efficiency of Bad Creek Hydro, new poles, new wires, new technology that make outages both easier to respond …