Electricity
- EIA expects the average U.S. residential customer will use an average of 1,026 kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity per month during the summer cooling season that runs from June through August, 2019, about 5% less than the same period last year. EIA uses the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s weather forecast, which indicates that temperatures will be cooler than last summer in all regions of the United States. The cooler forecast temperatures contribute the lower expected electricity use.
- EIA forecasts that U.S. residential electricity prices will average 13.4 cents/kWh during the summer cooling season, about 2% higher than last summer. The higher forecast prices primarily reflect higher actual generation fuel costs from 2018 that affect retail rates with a time lag, as well as rising electric transmission and distribution costs.
- EIA forecasts that all renewable fuels, including wind, solar, and hydroelectric generation, will produce 18% of U.S. electricity in 2019, and almost 20% in 2020. EIA expects that wind generation will surpass hydroelectric generation to become the leading source of renewable electricity in both years.
