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“This is another reminder that New York’s energy policy is failing households.”
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Already stretched household budgets in New York are under additional pressure from residential electricity prices that are 58% above the national average, according to the Energy Information Administration.
A home consuming 800 kilowatt-hours each month would spend $275 more on electricity over a year, per U.S. Energy Information Administration data analyzed by the Empire Center for Public Policy.
Against a median nationwide increase of $82, New York’s estimated annual electricity cost increase was over three times as large. 
The Empire Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, put New York’s increase in electricity bills at 11%; in dollar terms, it ranked behind only those of Hawai’i and New Hampshire.
The nationwide annual price increase was 3.4%, while New York recorded a 7.5% rise. 
EIA data shows the state’s average residential electricity price was 28.65 cents per kilowatt-hour.
To estimate a year’s costs, the Albany-based organization used monthly averages for residential electricity prices.
While the conservative organization used the data to suggest natural gas as a better alternative, residential solar can help households drive energy costs much lower, including with $0 upfront solar leases potentially saving hundreds of dollars per month depending on the home and agreement. EasyHome‘s free explorer tool lets you estimate your possible savings and find vetted local installers.
With energy prices through the roof, there’s never been a better time to go solar — and EasyHome can help you find the best prices from the best installers in your area.
EasyHome takes the guesswork and headaches out of energy upgrades by showing you estimated savings from a network of vetted local partners. To get started, just enter your ZIP and share a few details about your home — seeing your estimate is really that easy.
Nationwide household electricity prices rose 36.5% since August 2019, compared with 55.9% in New York, according to the EIA.
At $28.04 per 1,000 cubic feet in August, New York’s average residential natural gas price was 3.7% higher than the U.S. average. 
That does put the state much closer to the national average for gas than for electricity, meaning at the very least that electric resistance baseboard heating would be a far costlier choice in the long run compared to natural gas heating.
“The latest prices reinforce the cost disadvantage of heating with electricity compared with the alternatives,” Zilvinas Silenas, president of the Empire Center for Public Policy, said.
That said, electric heat pumps operate at 300% to 500% more efficiently than electric resistance as well as gas and oil heating since they use the electricity to move heat in or out of the house, depending on the season, even when it feels cold outside. The others each spend all the energy creating heat.
When paired with solar panels, a heat pump‘s value increases even further, too, because it can run on effectively “free” energy from the sun, and most areas in New York allow for net metering, which allows a home to earn credit for solar power that goes beyond the home’s need so it “rolls over” for the household to draw back from the grid later at no cost. A comparison-shopping site like EasyHome makes it simple to compare options for solar alongside backup battery storage. 
In areas with no net metering or less favorable terms, adding a battery could be extra useful, allowing households to store the electricity they generate for later use while also providing backup electricity during outages.
Still, the potential value depends on a household’s electricity use, system configuration, and costs.
“New Yorkers with already stretched household budgets now face another burden from rising electricity costs,” Silenas said. “This is another reminder that New York’s energy policy is failing households.”
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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