California Energy Price Data for August 2021

For the 12 months ending June, the California CPI rose 4.4%. In the same period, the US CPI rose 5.4%. In both instances, inflation is at its highest level since 2008.

The August average price per gallon of regular gasoline in California rose 6 cents from July to $4.40. The California premium above the average for the US other than California ($3.08) rose to $1.32 cents, a 42.9% difference.

In August, California had the highest gasoline price among the states and DC. Californians paid $1.61 a gallon more than consumers in Mississippi, the state with the lowest price.

The August average price per gallon of diesel in California rose 10 cents from July to $4.38. The California premium above the average for the US other than California ($3.21) rose to $1.16, a 36.2% difference.

In August, California had the 2nd highest diesel price among the states and DC, behind only Hawaii.

The cost premium above the US (other than California) average price for regular gasoline ranged from $1.27 in the Central Valley Region (average August price of $4.35), to $1.45 in the Central Sierra Region (average August price of $4.53).

California average Residential Price for the 12 months ended June 2021 was 21.60 cents/kWh, 68.8% higher than the US average of 12.80 cents/kWh for all states other than California. California’s residential prices remained the 6th highest in the nation and the 4th highest among the contiguous states.

For the 12 months ended June 2021, the average annual Residential electricity bill in California was $1,478, or 48.7% higher ($484) than the comparable bill in 2010 (the year the AB 32 implementation began with the Early Action items). In this same period, the average US (less CA) electricity bill for all the other states grew only 6.2% ($84).

In 2010, California had the 9th lowest residential electricity bill in the nation. In the latest data, it had the 20th highest.

Residential bills, however, vary widely by region, with the estimated annual household usage in 2019 as much as 76% higher in the interior regions compared to the milder climate coastal areas, and substantially higher when comparing across counties.

For the 12 months ended June 2021, California’s higher electricity prices translated into Residential ratepayers paying $8.4 billion more than the average ratepayers elsewhere in the US using the same amount of energy.

California average Commercial Price for the 12 months ended June 2021 was 18.55 cents/kWh, 80.4% higher than the US average of 10.28 cents/kWh for all states other than California. California’s commercial prices remained the highest among the contiguous states.

California average Industrial Price for the 12 months ended June 2021 was 14.78 cents/kWh, 127.0% higher than the US average of 6.51 cents/kWh for all states other than California. Among the contiguous states, only Rhode Island was higher.

For the 12 months ended June 2021, California’s higher electricity prices translated into Commercial & Industrial ratepayers paying $12.4 billion more than ratepayers elsewhere in the US using the same amount of energy. Compared to the lowest rate states, Commercial & Industrial ratepayers paid $15.9 billion more.