STUDY: Hawai‘i Uses Least Energy per Capita in US

A new study on US electricity consumption reports that Hawai‘i has the lowest monthly consumption of electricity in the nation.

In 2019’s Most and Least Energy Expensive States, the personal finance website WalletHub reported Hawai‘i residents consume the least average amount of electricity with their homes and vehicles each month (about 481 kWh), but pay the highest average price for electricity in the U.S.

On average, Hawai‘i residents pay about $273 per month on total electricity and gas expenses. Hawai‘i ranked the second highest in the nation—just behind California—for gas prices. On average, Hawai‘i residents pay $142 on their monthly electricity bill, and about $133 each month for gas, according to the study.

The WalletHub study compared the 50 US states and the District of Columbia and found the following comparisons with the Aloha State:

• Washington has the lowest average retail price for electricity, $0.0966 per kWh, which is 3.1 times lower than in Hawai‘i, the highest at $0.2950 per kWh;
• Montana has the lowest average residential price for natural gas, $7.62 per 1,000 cubic feet, which is 5.1 times lower than in Hawai‘i, the highest at $38.88 per 1,000 cubic feet;
• The District of Columbia has the lowest average monthly motor-fuel consumption per driver, 22.52 gallons, which is 3.3 times lower than in Wyoming, the highest at 74.25 gallons;
• In Northeastern states, between 9% and 62% of households use heating oil to heat their homes, compared with less than 3% of households in the rest of the US.