Blue states pushing climate mandates and net-zero policies are saddling residents with electricity bills far higher than red states — and a new nationwide analysis shows the pattern is undeniable.
The “Blue States, High Rates” report from Always On Energy Research and the Institute for Energy Research analyzed all 50 states and Washington, D.C., tracking renewable portfolio standards, carbon pricing, natural gas restrictions, and utility net-zero pledges.
The findings: 86% of states with above-average electricity prices voted Democrat in both 2020 and 2024. Meanwhile, 90% of the ten cheapest states voted Republican in both elections.
“While there are many factors that influence electricity rates, the one constant we see is that states that have pursued climate or net-zero policies above all else have some of the highest rates in the country.”
Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, said the correlation is impossible to ignore.
California and New York illustrate the cost of climate ideology. California mandates 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045 and runs a cap-and-trade program — its average electricity price has climbed from 16.6 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2018 to 27.6 cents today.
New York requires a zero-emissions grid by 2040. Its rates jumped from 14.8 cents to 21.6 cents in the same period.
Amy Cooke, president and CEO of Always On Energy Research, said the numbers confirm what energy-policy watchdogs have warned for years.
“Bad energy policy leads to higher electricity rates.”
The analysis breaks down policy impacts state by state. North Dakota has the lowest rates at just $0.082 per kilowatt-hour. The state has no binding renewable portfolio standard, no carbon pricing, no cap-and-trade, and no utility net-zero pledges. North Dakota consumers get 83.4% of their electricity from coal and natural gas.
Renewable-energy advocates often point to North Dakota’s 40% renewable generation as proof that wind and solar lower costs — but that’s generation exported to other states, not what North Dakotans actually consume.
Hawaii has the highest rates in the nation, partly due to its remote location and reliance on imported petroleum. But the state compounds those costs with aggressive climate policies — renewable mandates, limited natural gas infrastructure, and utility net-zero pledges.
Rhode Island ranks third-highest with a renewable portfolio standard, net metering, carbon pricing, hostility to natural gas pipelines, and utility net-zero pledges.
An Ipsos poll released in May showed 79% of respondents would support a political candidate who promises to lower their utility bill. The same poll found 58% of Americans don’t understand what drives their utility costs.
Alex Stevens, manager of policy and communications for the Institute for Energy Research, said the report gives voters clarity heading into the midterms.
“Every decision made at the local and state level carries real financial consequences for that state’s residents,” Pyle said. “Understanding the connection between state policy and electricity prices helps provide greater transparency and accountability and empowers ratepayers to push back against bad energy policies.”
The average American household consumes about 899 kilowatt-hours per month. In California, that’s a $248 monthly bill. In North Dakota, it’s $74.
Patriots watching their electricity bills climb now have the receipts showing exactly who’s responsible.
