Today's Energy Thought

Ever wonder how electric rates in Minnesota compare to other states around the country? How about which state has the lowest rates and which state has the highest? Or maybe which state uses the most kWh on average and which state uses the least?

According to the website Compare Electricity Rates, the average usage in Minnesota is 832 kWh and the average retail price in our state is 9.18 cents per kWh.

Hawaii is listed as having the most expensive rates with 24.12 cents per kWh and in the lower 48 states, Connecticut's rates are the highest at 19.11 cents. The lowest rates in the country are found in Idaho at 6.36 cents.

Our neighboring Wisconsin is among the lowest at 6.73 cents per kWh. However, Wisconsin's average use is 1,138 kWh so their average electric bill sits at $76.63 which is almost identical to Minnesota with $76.40.

Looking at the average amounts of kWh used by state, Tennessee tops out with 1,344 and Maine is on the bottom of the list with 530 kwh. Hawaii is also on the bottom end with an average of 655 kWh used but with the highest rates, their average electric bill is $158.02.

For the complete listing of all the states and the three statistics (average kWh used, average retail price and average electricity bill) click here. It is interesting to see how the states stack up and how some states are actually higher or lower than you may think they are when it comes to electricity rates and usage.