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California electricity prices, September 2022

Average price, sales and bills for the month against the same month a year earlier and the US. Final

In September 2022, residential customers in California paid an average of 25.96¢ per kilowatthour, up 10.5% on the same month a year earlier (23.49¢). The US average for the month was 16.19¢; California was 60% above that. It ranked 5th highest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Residential sales were 10,324,498 MWh, up 14.2% on a year earlier, and the average residential bill for the month was $191.51 on 738 kWh. Weather moves monthly sales far more than prices do, so bills swing with the season.

EIA marks this month as final. Final monthly figures are benchmarked to the annual Form EIA-861 census of utilities.

25.96¢residential, per kWh+10.5% on Sep 2021
$191.51average residential bill for the monthon 738 kWh
10.3 TWhresidential sales+14.2% on a year earlier
5thhighest residential price of 51US 16.19¢

Average price is revenue divided by sales for the sector and year; it is not a tariff rate. Reliability figures are as reported by utilities to EIA on Form 861 and may use different calculation methods. Monthly figures come from the Form EIA-861M sample and are revised when EIA finalises the year.

Price by sector

SectorSep 2022Sep 2021ChangeUS, Sep 2022
Residential25.96¢23.49¢+10.5%16.19¢
Commercial24.20¢21.79¢+11.1%13.28¢
Industrial19.30¢16.81¢+14.8%9.06¢
All sectors24.04¢21.48¢+11.9%13.31¢

Sales and customers

MeasureSep 2022Sep 2021Change
Residential sales10.3 TWh9 TWh+14.2%
Sales, all sectors26 TWh23.6 TWh+10.2%
Residential customers13,997,10813,871,870+0.9%
Average residential bill$191.51$153.05+25.1%
Average residential use, kWh738652+13.2%
US residential price16.19¢14.14¢+14.5%

The two years to September 2022

0¢10¢20¢30¢Sep 2020Jan 2021May 2021Sep 2021Jan 2022May 2022Sep 2022

California residentialUS residential

Cents per kWh, Form EIA-861M.
← August 2022October 2022 →

Questions and answers

What was the average electricity price in California in September 2022?

25.96¢ per kilowatthour for residential customers, 24.20¢ for commercial and 19.30¢ for industrial customers. EIA marks the month as final.

How does that compare with a year earlier?

The residential average was 23.49¢ in September 2021, a change of +10.5%. Residential sales changed by +14.2% over the same period.

What was the average residential bill that month?

$191.51, on average use of 738 kWh. This is residential revenue divided by residential customers for the month.

Provenance

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861M sales and revenue workbook (state by sector and month), status "Final" for this month, series published through July 2026. Public domain. Price = revenue ÷ sales; bill = residential revenue ÷ residential customers. Utility-level annual figures are on the California page.