Dive Brief:
- The average residential price of electricity rose 5.5% in November, to 17.78 cents/kWh, compared with the same month the prior year, while the price of gas at the Henry Hub rose 88.5%, to $3.79 per million British thermal units, in the same period, according to a monthly update from the Energy Information Administration.
- Coal consumption also rose 17.9% in November year over year, EIA said, and total net generation rose 3.9%, to 334,779 thousand MWh.
- Per kilowatt-hour, 46 states and the District of Columbia saw higher rates in November, EIA said. On a national basis, electricity rates rose 6.8% year over year. In D.C. they rose the most, increasing 25.9%, followed by Pennsylvania and Ohio, where they rose 20.3% and 18.6%, respectively.
Dive Insight:
Those increased rates represent an average across the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors. Of the four, the residential sector saw the lowest increase in rates, at 5.5%, while transportation saw the highest increase, at 10.3%.
“All electricity systems across the country experienced daily peak electricity demand at or near their lowest levels for the annual range ending November 2025,” EIA said. “Florida, in particular, saw peak electricity demand very close to the lowest that the region has observed over the preceding twelve month period.”
Demand for natural gas in the U.S. rose in 2025, taking prices with it. The 2024 annual average for natural gas spot prices was the lowest on record, adjusted for inflation; in 2025, that spot price average increased 56%, EIA said.
Net generation in November 2025 increased 3.9% compared with November 2024, EIA said, and all areas of the country except Florida saw an increase in electricity generation year over year. Florida’s net generation decreased 4.7%, “as most of the state experienced very warm temperatures last November, while experiencing more moderate temperatures during November 2025.”
Thirty-one states plus D.C. experienced colder temperatures in November 2025 than in November 2024, and more heating degree days, EIA said. The remaining 18 states saw more mild temperatures year over year.
All parts of the U.S. except for the Northeast and Texas saw more generation from coal, EIA said, and all parts of the country except the Northeast saw less generation from natural gas. Generation from nuclear power plants rose 3.1% compared with November 2024, “while electricity generation from other renewables had a year-over-year increase in all regions when compared to the previous November,” the report said.
More electricity was also delivered to customers year over year, EIA said. Retail sales increased 1.1% overall, with the residential and commercial sectors both showing a 2.4% increase. The transportation sector saw a 0.2% increase and the industrial sector saw a 2.2% decrease.
However, the increase in retail sales wasn’t distributed evenly across all states.
“Rhode Island had the highest year over year percent increase in retail sales, up 14.5%, followed by Ohio, up 9.2%, and Nebraska, up 8.9%,” the report said. “Eighteen states saw a decrease in retail sales volume compared to last year.”
