Cost of Electricity

[mickeyd]

Compare your electricity cost with the rest of the USA. Click on your state.

People in Hawaii pay the most for electricity, about 33 cents per kWh. A Hawaiian household whose electricity use was around the national average would have a monthly electric bill over $300. The high cost of crude oil used to generate the state's electricity is driving the price, EIA energy economist Tyler Hodge told me.

Idaho had the lowest price, at about 8 cents per kWh. So the typical US household would pay about $73 for electricity each month in Idaho. Hodge says Idaho generates much of its electricity from hydroelectric dams, which require virtually no fuel. Also, the cost of constructing the dams have been spread out over many decades. This all has kept electricity prices in Idaho low.

The Price Of Electricity In Your State : Planet Money : NPR

 

[Leonidas]

Their info is dated for my part of Texas. I could buy at 7.6 cents per kWh on a 3-month contract, 8.1 for 6-months, and 8.9 cents for a year. My 1-year contract, that I renewed just a few months ago, is 9.5 cents. If the current prices keep getting cheaper I likely will pay the penalty to break the contract and switch.

 

[NYEXPAT]

12 cents here ( no heating or cooling costs) so I average about $80.00 a month for a family of 6 with 6 TV's/4 computers and a lot of those hair straightener thingys!

 

[aaronc879]

This is the time of year I really hate. My electricty costs go from ~$50/mo May-Sept. to ~$150-$250/mo Nov-Mar. My lowest KWH/mo in this home has been 272 and the highest 1842. Wisconsin winters suck. I'm sure those of you in Texas or Florida are the opposite.

 

[JPatrick]

The good news for the Hawaiians is having those jalousies
that can be adjusted for FREE!

 

[meierlde]

JUst about .09 per kwh in a municipal utility area in Tx it was .10 for 4 months after the blackouts to pay for the expensive electricity during that time.

Btw note that in Hawaii the price varies greatly between Oahu and the neighbor islands, since they have smaller loads, and are more likley to be diesel powered. On Kauai for a residence its now .419 and on the Big Island its about $.42 (The price there depends on the amount used).

 

[haha]

This is the time of year I really hate. My electricty costs go from ~$50/mo May-Sept. to ~$150-$250/mo Nov-Mar. My lowest KWH/mo in this home has been 272 and the highest 1842. Wisconsin winters suck. I'm sure those of you in Texas or Florida are the opposite.

You can't get natural gas in your location?

ha

 

[Col. Klink]

Ouch Again

Once again in Connecticut I am paying up the rear end 2nd highest cost of electricity in the nation. Once my #2 kid graduates from UConn and I am at a decision point about ER, one things for sure... it will be time to move somewhere else. Too bad, lots to see and do in CT and New England as a whole, but it sure is costly to live here.

 

[DektolMan]

living in CT .18.1, 2nd highest in the country. Looking at the map you can see why new business does not move into the Northeast, it's just cheaper every where else.

 

[zinger1457]

living in CT .18.1, 2nd highest in the country. Looking at the map you can see why new business does not move into the Northeast, it's just cheaper every where else.

MA, NH, ME and VT have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. They must be doing something right to attract and keep business.

 

[Bram]

I'm never sure whether, or not, some of these comparisons don't have an apples/oranges factor.

We just got our monthly bill today & used 554 kwh for a $65.99 charge. That = 11.9 ¢/kwh.
However, they state on the bill to comparison shop the price, you'd need to get a price lower than 7.2 ¢/kwh (a figure which is apparently derived from only the "Generation" + "Transmission" charges). $40/554kwh=0.072¢/kwh

The OP's link says that Ohio's price is 11.2 ¢/kwh. So am I comparing 11.2¢ to 7.2¢ -or- to 11.9¢??
Are we comparing only Generation & Transmission, & leaving out the "Distribution Service" & "Customer Charge" (whatever that entails?) & along with whatever else might be added to your personal electric bill when I compare Ohio (cost per kwh) to say Hawaii (cost per kwh) or any other state or person's kwh costs??

Exerpt from my AEP bill:

Tariff 022 - Residential Service 10/28/11
Service Delivery Identifier: XxxxX
Generation Service $ 34.85
Transmission Service 5.15
Distribution Service 22.17
Customer Charge 3.82
Current Electric Charges Due $ 65.99
Current Budget Amount Due $ 94.00
Total Account Balance $ -47.34
Total Amount Due $94.00

Price-to-Compare: For tariff 022, in order to save you money a new supplier must offer you
a price lower than 7.2 cents per KWH for the same usage that appears on this bill.

 

[rescueme]

Here, in eastern PA, the rates (not taxes) are conbined in generation, transmission, and distribution charges:

Distribution: 3.32300000¢ per kWh
Transmission: 0.75200000¢ per kWh
Genration: 7.68300000¢ per kWh

Take your pick on the rate you wish to measure/compare...

 

[W2R]

I paid 10.18 cents/kWh this month if everything (including Fuel Adjustment Charges and hurricane charges) is included.

I paid 5.84 cents/kWh this month if only the "energy charge" is included.

The average charge in Louisiana is supposed to be 8.9 cents/kWh according to the article.

My electric bill goes down to around $20/month in mid-winter, since I have gas heat (so my natural gas bill goes up instead). The electric bill is highest from June through September due to air conditioning.

 

[PaddyMac]

I like our bill. The electric company sends US a check for about $50 every month.

We have solar panels...

 

[aaronc879]

You can't get natural gas in your location?

ha

My condo has electric baseboard heat. No furnace, so no choice of using natural gas. People in this area who have furnaces(like my parents) do use natural gas.

 

[rescueme]

I like our bill. The electric company sends US a check for about $50 every month.

We have solar panels...

And how many years till you are equal in the amount you "invested" in solar panels, along with the time you will actually spend residing in your home?

Not to be contrary, but we investigated (for our home) and at our age, the cost was much more than we would ever get back to cover the cost of the panels.

Just wondering...

 

[PaddyMac]

RE solar panels: We expect to live in this house for at least 10-15 years (we just moved in in 2008). We reckon we'll have paid for them in about 9 years. Our electric bill used to be around $100. But, after 13 years, the electric company no longer has to pay us for the electricity we generate for ourselves, just the amount we put back on the grid. We jumped in during 2009 when we found out that the electric company were going to stop being so generous and we couldn't count on all the tax credits ($8K credit from federal income tax) being around forever. The cost of solar keeps dropping, so it's worth looking into occasionally if you plan on staying put for a bit. If the cost of electricity increases to the point where we are paying a bill, we can add more panels in the future at what will likely be far less cost (there's plenty of space on the roof).

 

[haha]

MA, NH, ME and VT have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. They must be doing something right to attract and keep business.

Education.

 

[haha]

My condo has electric baseboard heat. No furnace, so no choice of using natural gas. People in this area who have furnaces(like my parents) do use natural gas.

Yes, that is typical of condos. So I guess your electric bill is higther in winter than summer?

My new place also has electric resistence heating, as radient heat in ceiling. Not ideal, but I hope OK. Our rates are very low in Seattle. In my apartment we have a boiler, and I pay $65/mo for heat, water, hot water and trash hauling. So my eletric bills have been only $18-$24/2mos.


Schedule RSC is for residential City customers


ENERGY CHARGES:
First 10 kWh per day at 4.61¢ per kWh Summer Billing Cycles

(April - September)​

First 16 kWh per day at 4.61¢ per kWh Winter Billing Cycles

(October - March)​

All additional kWh per day at 9.56¢ per kWh

Base Service Charge: 11.55¢ per meter per day

 

[aaronc879]

Yes, that is typical of condos. So I guess your electric bill is higther in winter than summer?

My new place also has electric resistence heating, as radient heat in ceiling. Not ideal, but I hope OK. Out rates are very low in Seattle.


Schedule RSC is for residential City customers


ENERGY CHARGES:
First 10 kWh per day at 4.61¢ per kWh Summer Billing Cycles

(April - September)​

First 16 kWh per day at 4.61¢ per kWh Winter Billing Cycles

(October - March)​

All additional kWh per day at 9.56¢ per kWh

Base Service Charge: 11.55¢ per meter per day

Wow, .0461 per kWh? We pay .1297, that's almost 3X what yours costs and we need to use A LOT more in the winter. Luckliy I have a higher tolerance for heat so my summer bills are far below others in this area. My overall average for the year is $100/mo which, according to the companies website, is barely half the cost of comparable homes in my area.

 

[haha]

Wow, .0461 per kWh? We pay .1297, that's almost 3X what yours costs and we need to use A LOT more in the winter. Luckliy I have a higher tolerance for heat so my summer bills are far below others in this area. My overall average for the year is $100/mo which, according to the companies website, is barely half the cost of comparable homes in my area.

I guess typically in your area someone with electric resistance heating and AC would also pay quite a lot in summer.

Most of us here do not have AC in our homes or apartments, although some of the new high rises have AC as they tend to have insufficient natural airflow. I have never lived with AC, boiling in the East, and generally comfortable anywhere on the West Coast. In the past 50 years I have not lived more than 1.5 miles from the salt water, which out here is a great cooling influence and saves a lot of money on utilities. I think that the difference in real estate prices is often neutralized by the difference in power needs. Then you get the more pleasant living conditions as a bonus.

City light operates as a city owned utility, and has 2 owned dams which provide about 50% of needs. Overall, this is the mix:

Generation TypePercentage Hydro91.2% Nuclear4.4% Wind2.3% Coal1.4% Natural Gas0.6% Biomass0.1%

 

[Leonidas]

Most of us here do not have AC in our homes or apartments, although some of the new high rises have AC as they tend to have insufficient natural airflow. I have never lived with AC, boiling in the East, and generally comfortable anywhere on the West Coast. In the past 50 years I have not lived more than 1.5 miles from the salt water, which out here is a great cooling influence and saves a lot of money on utilities.

That cold current flowing down the West coast has a lot to do with all that I suppose, because there is no cooling effect from the Gulf of Mexico. People did live here without AC, but I wouldn't want to try it.

Good thing, because to get a cooler summer I guess we would have to move someplace where colder winter weather is the norm with snow and such. We're unfamiliar with such things and might not survive.

 

[aaronc879]

Good thing, because to get a cooler summer I guess we would have to move someplace where colder winter weather is the norm with snow and such. We're unfamiliar with such things and might not survive.

Think of it this way. If your preferred temp is 70 degrees and it's 100 for a high duing the summer then you have to cool your home 30 degrees to be comfortable. If you live in the north with an average low in the winter of 10 degrees then you have to heat your home by 60 degrees to be comfortable. So, to me, that means winter extremes are twice as uncomfortable as summer extremes. Others may disagree, but that's how I feel about it.

 

[Leonidas]

Think of it this way. If your preferred temp is 70 degrees and it's 100 for a high duing the summer then you have to cool your home 30 degrees to be comfortable. If you live in the north with an average low in the winter of 10 degrees then you have to heat your home by 60 degrees to be comfortable. So, to me, that means winter extremes are twice as uncomfortable as summer extremes. Others may disagree, but that's how I feel about it.

My youngest son would agree with you. He was complaining last night that the AC in his dorm was still on while the outside temperature was dipping into the 50's. After discussing why the heating and cooling of two 18-story buildings didn't switch as easily as it does at home I reminded him it would be 80 something by the middle of the week.

"That's why I love living here. Lots of people die from hypothermia, but with hyperthermia you have a shot of surviving if you stop exercising and let your body cool off naturally. Do that in a blizzard somewhere up North and you just go to sleep - forever."

 

[W2R]

That cold current flowing down the West coast has a lot to do with all that I suppose, because there is no cooling effect from the Gulf of Mexico. People did live here without AC, but I wouldn't want to try it.

I did live here without AC one entire summer, (2004?) because it broke and I was in extreme LBYM mode. It was nice to find out that the experience wasn't as severe as I had anticipated, because the body acclimates to heat. AC is a nice luxury, but I do know now that I can live without it if necessary, and even enjoy life and forget the oppressive heat surrounding me occasionally.

Still, I wasn't doing physical work in the heat, like the settlers did. I don't think I could. I admire those pioneers and marvel at their strength.