\t\tState residential rates reach nearly 30 cents per kilowatt-hour as Warwick-area households continue to contend with high energy costs<\/p>\n
By Myrek Zastavnyi<\/p>\n
New Yorkers are paying some of the highest residential electricity prices in the country, with the state\u2019s average rate climbing to third highest in the nation this spring, according to newly released federal energy data.<\/p>\n
In May, the average residential electricity price in New York reached 29.93 cents per kilowatt-hour, trailing only Hawaii and California, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration analyzed by the Albany-based Empire Center for Public Policy. The EIA released its May figures on July 23.<\/p>\n
The figure represents a roughly 12 percent increase from May 2025, about twice the rate of increase nationally, according to the Empire Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cThird highest in the nation is not where New York should want to be on electricity prices,\u201d Empire Center President Zilvinas Silenas said in releasing the organization\u2019s latest Energy Data Bulletin. \u201cIf this is affordability, New Yorkers cannot afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Empire Center argues that state energy policies are contributing to rising costs. That assessment represents the organization\u2019s policy position; electricity bills are influenced by a combination of factors, including wholesale energy prices, fuel costs, transmission and distribution expenses, infrastructure investments, weather, demand and state-regulated utility charges.<\/p>\n
The federal data nevertheless demonstrate the size of the gap between New York and much of the country.<\/p>\n
At 29.93 cents per kilowatt-hour, New York\u2019s May residential price was approximately 62 percent above the national average. Neighboring New Jersey averaged 23.27 cents per kWh, while Pennsylvania averaged 21.55 cents.<\/p>\n
New York residential electricity prices have also been moving away from the national average over the longer term. An earlier Empire Center analysis of EIA data found that the state\u2019s average electricity price had increased approximately 70 percent since 2019, roughly twice the rate of increase nationally.<\/p>\n
What It Means in Warwick<\/p>\n
For Warwick-area residents, the statewide average should not be confused with the exact rate appearing on an individual electric bill.<\/p>\n