Which States Have the Most Expensive Energy Bills

For most Americans, summer is the time to take a moment to soak up the sun and travel to spend time with friends and family.  While those are all things that most of us look forward to, the energy bill that comes along with blasting the A.C. and driving cross-country puts a definite damper on the summer fun.  In the United States, the average consumer drops more than 7 percent of their total income on energy every year.

While the summer months, especially July and August, are the most energy expensive in the U.S., just how much Americans spend on energy depends a lot on where they live.  The price of electricity, natural gas, and gasoline varies from state to state and the climate of the region as well as local infrastructure play a role in what monthly energy bills actually look like across the country.

In a new report, WalletHub, a web research organization that specializes in comparison studies, ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on how much the average consumer shells out every month to keep the home comfortable and the car running.  To make the ranking, WalletHub looked at the price of electricity, natural gas, and gasoline in every state as well as how much of each of these energy sources was used each month. 

The numbers used in the study came from the Energy Information Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, a well as the AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

When both the price of energy and the use of energy was factored in, Colorado came out on top as the least energy expensive state in the nation.  Consumers in Colorado spent an average of $301/month on electricity, natural gas, and gasoline.  Hawaii on the other hand came in dead last, with an average energy bill of $451/month.  People in Hawaii do use less natural gas than in any other state and are also the second lowest consumers of electricity, but because all of the energy sources have to be transported in via ship, the bill still ends up the highest.

Which States Have the Most Expensive Energy Bills