Are energy bills expected to rise this summer?

Summer is just around the corner, and major heatwaves have already affected communities across the country. This week, a heat dome has established itself over much of Ohio and Pennsylvania, bringing record-breaking temperatures to the area. This has pressured people’s finances as they turn on their air conditioners. Ninety percent of households in the US use AC to cool their houses in the summer, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

While there are some regions where prices are expected to rise, the EIA has reported that the average energy bill paid by households is not expected to exceed $173 a month, the same amount paid last year. The average seen in 2023 was $168. Though energy prices have fallen over the last year, the EIA believes that this downward trend will be “offset slightly [by] increased electricity consumption, a result of [their] assumption that summer temperatures will be warmer this year.”

Where are prices expected to increase?

While the report from the EIA is good news for most, some regions are expected to see sizeable increases in the value of their energy bills this summer.

Energy bills in the Middle Atlantic region, including New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, are expected to rise by nine percent over 2023 to $169. The second highest forecasted increase is expected in the Pacific region (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington), where households paid an average of $154 in 2023 and are forecasted to pay $165 this year.

The areas that will see some relief this summer include West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas), where the average energy bill is expected to fall by 2.6 percent to $203. Interestingly, these are some of the states with the highest amount of fossil fuel production, yet that provides little benefit to residents who pay some of the highest energy bills in the country during the summer months.