Unites States Electric Rates

The price of residential electricity in the United States today is more than four cents less per kWh in real terms than it was in 1960 (Blueline, Figure 3). There have been fluctuations in prices due to the oil shocks of the 1970s and the move towards greater conservation in the1980s. Residential utility customer rates generally reflect the utility’s cost to produce or purchase power, plus associated transmission fees, ancillary services to increase reliability, and other costs incurred by the utility, plus a State-approved and regulated rate-of-return on the assets it owns. Most residential customers’ rates fluctuate on a seasonal basis, as overall demand increases and decreases, mainly in response to weather a

nd climate conditions. Price differences by State are often related to the cost and availability of the fuels used to generate, as well as the existence of retail competition

Table A1. Selected Electric Industry Summary Statistics by State, 2007

Total Net Summer

Capacity

Net Generation

Sulfur Dioxide

Emissions

Nitrogen Oxide

Emissions

Carbon Dioxide

Emissions

State

Primary

Fuel

Source (MW) Rank (MWh) Rank

(1000

Metric

Tons)

Rank

(1000

Metric

Tons)

Rank

(1000

Metric

Tons)

Rank

Alabama........................................ Coal 30,614 9 143,826,271 9 449 6 121 9 87,345 9

Alaska ........................................... Gas 1,961 48 6,821,392 48 4 48 17 42 4,302 46

Arizona ......................................... Coal 25,579 15 113,340,970 13 51 31 79 17 55,779 16

Arkansas ....................................... Coal 15,296 26 54,596,236 26 82 27 41 33 29,852 32

California ...................................... Gas 63,813 2 210,847,581 4 23 39 89 14 62,780 14

Colorado ....................................... Coal 12,288 31 53,907,492 28 59 30 67 22 42,990 24

Connecticut ................................... Nuclear 7,725 35 33,171,209 37 5 47 8 46 10,362 41

Delaware....................................... Coal 3,357 44 8,534,163 46 34 35 13 43 7,224 43

District of Columbia ..................... Petroleum 806 51 75,251 51 * 50 * 51 85 50

Florida........................................... Gas 55,451 3 225,416,060 3 322 11 203 3 127,662 4

Georgia ......................................... Coal 36,472 7 145,155,158 8 682 3 125 8 95,249 7

Hawaii........................................... Petroleum 2,436 47 11,533,350 44 22 40 23 37 8,934 42

Idaho ............................................. Hydroelectric 3,196 45 11,484,091 45 7 46 4 48 1,274 49

Illinois ........................................... Nuclear 42,731 5 200,260,681 5 302 12 120 10 104,620 6

Indiana .......................................... Coal 27,021 13 130,637,999 10 662 4 195 4 121,725 5

Iowa .............................................. Coal 12,287 32 49,789,217 32 136 19 58 29 43,859 23

Kansas........................................... Coal 11,241 33 50,122,196 30 105 23 64 25 38,927 26

Kentucky....................................... Coal 19,968 20 97,225,319 16 348 10 161 6 92,320 8

Louisiana ...................................... Gas 26,323 14 92,578,329 19 105 22 88 15 54,290 17

Maine ............................................ Gas 4,213 43 16,128,567 43 21 41 10 44 5,566 45

Maryland....................................... Coal 12,486 30 50,197,924 29 267 13 55 30 31,165 31

Massachusetts ............................... Gas 13,557 27 47,075,975 33 51 32 20 39 25,539 34

Michigan....................................... Coal 30,305 10 119,309,936 12 353 8 117 11 79,090 11

Minnesota ..................................... Coal 12,890 29 54,477,646 27 89 25 84 16 37,706 28

Mississippi .................................