CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — The U.S. Energy Information Administration says July is the highest energy consumption month of the year, followed by August. Naturally, this leads to higher energy costs, but across the country, energy costs are not the same. A new WalletHub study broke down households’ average monthly energy costs for electricity, natural gas, motor fuel and home heating oil.
West Virginia came in on the higher end, at number 10. The study found that each month, the average household in the Mountain State spends $146 on electricity, $64 on natural gas, $213 on motor fuel and/or $113 on home heating oil, for an estimated average monthly energy bill of $537.
Indiana ($550), New Hampshire ($550), Vermont ($571), Oklahoma ($576), Massachusetts ($577), Connecticut ($611), North Dakota ($611), Alaska ($625) and Wyoming ($738) made up the rest of the top 10.
The 10 least expensive, according to the study, are Oregon ($431), Arkansas ($430), California ($430), Louisiana ($419), Texas ($416), Arizona ($403), Kansas ($396), Nebraska ($390), New Mexico ($377) and Washington, D.C. ($277).
WalletHub calculated its average by multiplying the average monthly consumption of each type of energy by the average monthly retail price of each type of energy, then adding each of those totals together.
While West Virginians’ energy bills may be on the higher end, a doxo study released last month found that Mountaineers using its bill-paying app had the cheapest household bills in the nation.
Click here for more information about WalletHub’s study and its methodology.
