Why is my electric bill so high in winter?
In most homes a winter jump comes from heat: electric heat, a heat pump running its backup strips, or space heaters. Price matters less than people expect: in December 2025 – February 2026, the average residential price was −3.6% against its 12-month average nationally. The numbers below are for your state.
Compare two of your bills to see how much of the change is price and how much is use, or answer four questions to find the likely cause.
1. Electric heat uses a lot of kWh
Baseboard heaters, an electric furnace and plug-in heaters turn one kWh into 3,412 Btu of heat. Spread over November to March, the heat a typical home in the middle state needs comes to about $384 a month with resistance heat. The same home with a heat pump (HSPF2 7.8, about 2.3 units of heat per unit of electricity) pays about $168. If your home heats with electricity, a winter bill several times your summer bill can be normal.
2. A heat pump on backup (aux or emergency) heat
Most heat pumps have electric resistance strips for very cold days, defrost and quick recovery after a big thermostat setback. While they run, the heat pump costs as much per unit of heat as baseboard heat. A thermostat showing "aux" or "emergency heat" for hours at a time, or a setting left on "emergency heat", can double or triple a bill. Turn the thermostat up in small steps (2°F at a time) and ask a technician to check the outdoor unit if aux runs on mild days.
3. Space heaters add up
A 1,500 W heater on high for 8 hours a day uses 360 kWh a month: about $57 in the middle state. Two of them double it. Check whether a heater saves money with your central heat.
4. Longer billing periods and estimated readings
A bill for 33 days uses more than one for 28. Holidays and weather delay meter reads, and a bill based on an estimate can be followed by a catch-up bill. Compare kWh per day, not the total.
5. Winter prices
Prices move through the year. Comparing December 2025 – February 2026 with the 12-month average, the price was higher in winter in 6 states and lower in 42 (the rest within 1%). Where it is lower, winter bills are high because of use, not price.
Winter heating costs by state
| State | Price | Winter vs year | Resistance heat / month | Heat pump / month | Space heater / month | Strip / hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16.49¢ | −2.5% | $235 | $103 | $59 | $1.65 |
| Alaska | 27.14¢ | −5.6% | $1,278 | $559 | $98 | $2.71 |
| Arizona | 15.46¢ | +1.6% | $124 | $54 | $56 | $1.55 |
| Arkansas | 13.56¢ | −8.0% | $299 | $131 | $49 | $1.36 |
| California | 32.58¢ | −4.4% | $286 | $125 | $117 | $3.26 |
| Colorado | 16.56¢ | −1.0% | $434 | $190 | $60 | $1.66 |
| Connecticut | 27.70¢ | +1.5% | $674 | $295 | $100 | $2.77 |
| Delaware | 18.13¢ | −8.2% | $367 | $160 | $65 | $1.81 |
| District of Columbia | 24.44¢ | −2.4% | $352 | $154 | $88 | $2.44 |
| Florida | 15.44¢ | +0.9% | $65 | $29 | $56 | $1.54 |
| Georgia | 15.10¢ | −6.8% | $278 | $122 | $54 | $1.51 |
| Hawaii | 44.39¢ | −6.6% | – | – | $160 | $4.44 |
| Idaho | 12.78¢ | −4.6% | $325 | $142 | $46 | $1.28 |
| Illinois | 19.07¢ | −10.4% | $630 | $276 | $69 | $1.91 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | −6.2% | $503 | $220 | $61 | $1.70 |
| Iowa | 14.16¢ | −10.5% | $401 | $175 | $51 | $1.42 |
| Kansas | 15.12¢ | −3.7% | $384 | $168 | $54 | $1.51 |
| Kentucky | 14.00¢ | −2.9% | $300 | $131 | $50 | $1.40 |
| Louisiana | 13.09¢ | −3.6% | $136 | $59 | $47 | $1.31 |
| Maine | 29.58¢ | +5.1% | $727 | $318 | $106 | $2.96 |
| Maryland | 21.32¢ | −5.7% | $465 | $204 | $77 | $2.13 |
| Massachusetts | 30.35¢ | +1.5% | $739 | $323 | $109 | $3.04 |
| Michigan | 21.19¢ | −7.1% | $768 | $336 | $76 | $2.12 |
| Minnesota | 16.29¢ | −7.4% | $520 | $228 | $59 | $1.63 |
| Mississippi | 14.99¢ | −4.2% | $255 | $112 | $54 | $1.50 |
| Missouri | 13.88¢ | −14.2% | $392 | $172 | $50 | $1.39 |
| Montana | 14.04¢ | −7.5% | $423 | $185 | $51 | $1.40 |
| Nebraska | 12.76¢ | −10.1% | $327 | $143 | $46 | $1.28 |
| Nevada | 13.67¢ | +2.7% | $171 | $75 | $49 | $1.37 |
| New Hampshire | 27.01¢ | −2.4% | $592 | $259 | $97 | $2.70 |
| New Jersey | 23.56¢ | −2.1% | $711 | $311 | $85 | $2.36 |
| New Mexico | 15.20¢ | −3.0% | $293 | $128 | $55 | $1.52 |
| New York | 28.54¢ | +0.1% | $657 | $287 | $103 | $2.85 |
| North Carolina | 14.89¢ | −6.5% | $265 | $116 | $54 | $1.49 |
| North Dakota | 12.56¢ | −10.9% | $432 | $189 | $45 | $1.26 |
| Ohio | 18.43¢ | −5.1% | $572 | $250 | $66 | $1.84 |
| Oklahoma | 13.70¢ | −8.0% | $291 | $127 | $49 | $1.37 |
| Oregon | 15.61¢ | −5.4% | $336 | $147 | $56 | $1.56 |
| Pennsylvania | 20.90¢ | −3.4% | $596 | $261 | $75 | $2.09 |
| Rhode Island | 29.54¢ | +2.4% | $946 | $414 | $106 | $2.95 |
| South Carolina | 15.83¢ | −2.1% | $230 | $100 | $57 | $1.58 |
| South Dakota | 14.34¢ | −8.8% | $382 | $167 | $52 | $1.43 |
| Tennessee | 13.70¢ | −5.6% | $299 | $131 | $49 | $1.37 |
| Texas | 16.02¢ | −2.4% | $188 | $82 | $58 | $1.60 |
| Utah | 13.25¢ | −1.5% | $306 | $134 | $48 | $1.33 |
| Vermont | 23.98¢ | −3.1% | $563 | $246 | $86 | $2.40 |
| Virginia | 16.70¢ | −6.0% | $366 | $160 | $60 | $1.67 |
| Washington | 14.24¢ | −3.5% | $329 | $144 | $51 | $1.42 |
| West Virginia | 15.70¢ | −7.1% | $469 | $205 | $57 | $1.57 |
| Wisconsin | 18.80¢ | −3.1% | $559 | $245 | $68 | $1.88 |
| Wyoming | 14.14¢ | −8.8% | $444 | $194 | $51 | $1.41 |
What to check first
- kWh on this bill vs the same month last year (not last month).
- Days in the billing period, and whether the reading was estimated.
- Thermostat: is it set to "emergency heat"? How often does it show "aux"?
- Space heaters, heated blankets, an electric water heater (colder incoming water in winter).
- The price per kWh on the bill: has the supply or delivery rate changed?
Related: heat pump vs gas, propane and oil · price increases by state · how we calculate