Missouri Electric Rates Among the Lowest in the Nation
Missouri's electrical rates for 2008 were among the lowest in the in the nation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Missouri's 6.59 cents per per kilowatt-hour (kWh, the industry standard measurement) for commercial service made it the third lowest for the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
The Show-Me State's 8.03 cents/kWh for residential rates was seventh lowest in the nation.
Missouri's industrial electricity rate, at 4.98 cents per kWh, ranked the state 8th in that category.
An average of all the categories combined showed that Missouri was the 9th lowest in the nation for electric rates, at 6.85 cents per kWh.
Most and Least Costly
Hawaii's position as most expensive state for electricity hasn't changed since 2004. The net electricity importer Aloha State was again the most costly overall for electricity in 2008, at 29.2 cents/kWh.
West Virginia was the least costly state for 2008 on average across all rate categories at 5.59 cents/kWh.
Increase in Electricity Rates
Electricity rates increased by an average of 7.4 percent in the U.S. from 2007 to 2008, with increases in all but Maine (-6.0 percent) and Nevada (-.08 percent). Average electricity rates in Missouri increased by 4.4 percent over the year.
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy
December 2008 year-to-date averages
