Data & methodology

Electricity prices

• Monthly residential price by state: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. Current data: August 2026 (preliminary) and August 2025.
• Average monthly use and bill by state: EIA Table 5A, 2024.
• Monthly price history (trend charts): EIA Open Data API, electricity retail sales, residential sector, September 2024 to August 2026. Year-to-date figures are simple averages of the monthly prices. EIA data browser
• Last checked: 2026-10-29. We check for new EIA data every month; the update is automatic and refuses to publish if any state is missing.
• EIA's price is total residential revenue divided by kWh sold, so fixed charges are spread across every kWh. Your utility's rate structure (tiers, time-of-use, fixed fees) can make your own price higher or lower.

Appliance wattages

Typical nameplate ranges from Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use (U.S. DOE, reprinted by Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2020). The label on your appliance is more accurate.

Limits

All results are estimates for planning. Your utility bill is the final word.