Ranking: Electricity costs twice the national average in Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Electricity prices in Hawaii are more than the twice the national average, according to a new analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In 2016, Hawaii residents paid 27.5 cents per kilowatt hour on average for electricity.

That was the highest rate in the nation and compared to 12.5 cents on average nationally.

Alaska had the second-highest rates on average at 20.3 cents, and Connecticut rounded out the top three at 20 cents.

Meanwhile, the cheapest electricity on average nationally could be found in Louisiana (9.3 cents).

In Washington, the per kilowatt rate on average was 9.5 cents. And in Arkansas it was 9.9 cents.

The high prices for electricity for Hawaii, its temperate climate, and the growth of alternative energy sources mean that residential consumers in the islands are frugal, the energy administration said.

In fact, residential electricity users consumed just 6,061 kilowatt hours on average in 2016, the lowest in the nation.

Nationally, residents consumed 10,766 kilowatt hours annually on average.

Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama had the highest consumption rates.

In a write-up on Hawaii's energy use, the energy administration noted that the state is making headway toward developing more alternative energy sources, but that it has a long way to go.

Some four-fifths of Hawaii's energy comes from petroleum, largely because of its isolation, making it the most petroleum-dependent state in the nation.