Electricity Rates and Consumption in Texas Versus the Rest of the United States
For years, the state of Texas has been hailed as an innovator in the energy market. As one of the first states to deregulate a majority of their state, Texas residents have been given the power to choose their energy provider for more than a decade. However, these aren?t the only statistics that separate Texas from the rest of the country when it comes to energy use.
First, lets take a look at the United States as a whole.
The U.S. has the second highest household electricity consumption rate in the world. According to a study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average home in the United States uses around 11,698 kWh per year. The average rate for the rest of the world is 4,500 kWh per year. This means the American average is more than twice as high as the average of the rest of the countries across the rest of the world.
According to recent reports from the EIA, Texas is the fifth highest state in the country when it comes to energy consumption per capita. On average, homes in the state of Texas uses approximately 1,174 kWh per month. The average Texas resident pays around $133.33 on their monthly energy bill. A
As of 2013, the average Texas energy customer was also paying around 11.35 cents per kWh (for today’s rates, go here).
How does this compare to other states?
In terms of per kWh rates, California, Delaware, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico are just a few of the many states that have higher per kWh rates than Texas. The state even fares better when it comes to per kWh rates than other deregulated states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey.
Upon further investigation, it seems as though using the least amount of energy doesn?t always mean that consumers pay the least amount.
Even though Hawaii as a state uses the second least amount of energy in the entire country, the average resident of the Aloha state pays far more than Texas residents on their monthly bill, with the average cost per residents coming in around $203 per month. High energy rates in this state, along with Alaska and the District of Columbia have residents in these areas paying a remarkably high amount in energy bills every month.
This is one of the many examples used to suggest that deregulation has in fact had a positive impact on the state of Texas. Overall, no matter what consumption may be, manageable electricity rates are always instrumental when it comes to keeping electricity bills low.
If you are using a significant amount more energy than the rest of the country, or the rest of the state of Texas, or paying far more for per kWh, it may be time to make some changes both with your energy plan and with the way you use and conserve energy in the home.