New England Tops Regional Electricity Prices
Except for the non-contiguous Pacific states (Alaska and Hawaii), New England tops the rest of the country in electrical prices. New Englanders pay 16.22 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) as opposed to a national average of 12.12 per kWh. Alaska and Hawaii pay 28.50 cents/kWh but they are exceptional in that their fuel has to be transported over great distances. New England has driven up its electrical prices by closing down coal plants and the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor and leaving itself at the mercy of natural gas. But the region does not have sufficient pipeline capacity and so far has refused to build anymore. Since home heating utilities are locked into long-term contracts and get first dibs at natural gas, the electric utilities have had to bid against each other for the remaining gas, driving prices higher. Electric utility bills nearly doubled in Boston last winter.
The cheapest electricity is in the South and Southwest, where coal and nuclear still provide the bulk of the power.
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/5-charts-that-explain-us-electricity-prices/378054/
