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A common monthly expense Americans can’t avoid is emerging as a strong midterm issue, as rising energy bills sharpen voter frustration and give candidates a new line of economic attack.
As candidates sweep across the country ahead of the midterms, energy bills are becoming a tangible sign of domestic pressure. Unlike other expenses that can be postponed or repaid, electricity costs hit every month because of the small amount of room for consumers to come out.
The issue gives both sides new campaign ammunition, with Republicans casting high debt as evidence of failed energy policies and Democrats pointing to debt relief and other measures aimed at easing pressure on the domestic budget.
This battle continues amid sharp regional differences in electricity prices. Federal energy data show that residential energy costs vary widely across the country, showing how affordability pressures vary by region.
The latest figures from the US Energy Information Administration put the national average at 17.24 cents per kilowatt-hour, up 6% from last year.
A COUNTRY WHERE AMERICANS PAY THE MOST – AND THE LOWEST – FOR ELECTRICITY
North Dakota has the lowest residential electricity rate in the country at 11.02 cents per kilowatt-hour, while Hawaii — an outlying area made up in part by zoning — has the highest rate, at 41.62 cents per kWh.
Nebraska, Idaho, Oklahoma and Arkansas also rank among the cheapest states, while California, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York join Hawaii among the most expensive.
Several of the cheapest states are deep red, a pattern Republicans are likely to pick up even though electricity prices are shaped more by geography, fuel mix, regulations and usage than politics.
Unlike other expenses that can be postponed or refunded, energy bills come every month with little room for consumers to opt out. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images)
Cheap electricity does not always mean affordable energy. Climate, home consumption, housing quality, grid development and country utility decisions all affect what families ultimately pay, meaning lower rates don’t always translate to lower monthly bills.
However, the partisan pattern may prove politically useful during a campaign season fueled by domestic spending concerns.
AMERICANS HAVE DRIVEN ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT INCREASING PRICES AS INFLATION CONTINUES AROUND THE COUNTRY.
Republicans have already begun making that case, saying countries with lower energy costs have benefited from greater domestic energy production and fewer restrictions on conventional fuels.
“Affordability varies by your ZIP code,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told an audience at a BlackRock infrastructure conference in Washington, DC, pointing to low-cost states like North Dakota as evidence that oil and gas should remain part of the nation’s energy mix. “That’s just the truth,” he added.
Secretary Chris Wright added, “Higher electricity prices are a political decision. They are not necessary.”
“If you look back 15 years, electricity prices in California were slightly higher than in Florida by about 15%. Since then, the two states have gone in completely different directions. Today, electricity in Florida costs less than half as much as it does in California, even though Florida produces about 20% more electricity.”
“Florida has low costs and high reliability, despite being in the middle of Hurricane Alley. It is an outstanding example of what smart decisions, strong performance and the deployment of considered technology can be achieved. Even if most of the world has gone during the last 20 years, Florida has not,” Wright added.
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Both Republican and Democratic candidates are expected to discuss rising electricity bills in the midterm campaign. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Democrats argue that federal debt relief programs, climate subsidies and grid investments could reduce outages and household energy waste over time, even if they don’t bring immediate relief to monthly bills.
Gas prices may hold many topics, but electricity bills can last a long time politically: they arrive every month, are difficult to cut quickly and are often tied to local utilities and regulators, giving elected officials a direct way to connect the national discourse of energy to domestic frustrations.
