End Use: February 2013

Retail Rates/Prices and Consumption

In this section, we look at what electricity costs and how much is purchased. Charges for retail electric service are based primarily on rates approved by state regulators. However, a number of states have allowed retail marketers to compete to serve customers and these competitive retail suppliers offer electricity at a market-based price.

EIA does not directly collect retail electricity rates or prices. However, using data collected on retail sales revenues and volumes, we calculate average retail revenues per kWh as a proxy for retail rates and prices. Retail sales volumes are presented as a proxy for end-use electricity consumption.

Average Revenue per kWh by state

• Percent Change
• ¢ Per KWh

Compared to February 2012, the average cost of electricity increased in a majority of States across the country. The two largest increases in average retail revenue were in Rhode Island and Louisiana, where average revenues increased 12.9 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively. These are the largest year-over-year increases we've seen since September of last year. The two largest decreases in average revenues occurred in Illinois and Nevada, where prices decreased by 6.7 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively. On the whole, average revenues across the country increased 1.8 percent from last year to 9.77 cents per kilowatthour. 20 States saw average revenues increase by more than 3 percent compared to February 2012.

The average cost of electricity rose in all sectors compared to February 2012, with the Transportation sector leading the change with a 5.9-percent increase to 10.11 cents per kilowatthour. The average cost of electricity in the Residential and Commercial sectors rose just 0.8 percent. Retail sales of electricity in the Residential sector appear to be following a weather-driven trend upwards, with increases over February 2012 of 4.6 percent. Sales in the Industrial sector dropped off 4.5 percent from last year, while Transportation sales increased by just 0.1 percent. Year-over-year industrial sales have been decreasing in recent months, but the 4.5-percent decline this month was the largest. Total retail sales across all sectors increased by just 0.9 percent from last February.

Retail Sales

• Percent Change
• Per Capita
• MWh

As seen in the map below of percent change in heating degree days (HDDs), February 2013 was colder for much of the country than in February 2012, especially in areas east of the Mississippi River. This lead to an increase in Residential and Commercial retail sales of electricity as people consumed electricity to heat their homes and businesses. In the Northwest, temperatures were warmer than they were last February, and there was a corresponding decrease in electric sales in that region over the same period. There has been a continued trend of year-over-year increases in retail sales in the Dakotas, particularly North Dakota, that seems to be driven more by population growth and increasing economic activity, rather than by changes in weather patterns.

• Change from 2012
• Change from normal