New Hampshire’s average residential electricity rate rose 13.1% in August from a year earlier, reaching 27.64 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration released Oct. 23.
The increase was nearly four times the national rise. The average U.S. residential rate reached 18.16 cents per kilowatt-hour in August, compared with 17.57 cents a year earlier, a gain of 3.4%.
New Hampshire among largest increases
Residential electricity prices increased in 44 states and the District of Columbia compared with August 2025. Rates declined in seven states. New Hampshire’s increase was the third largest among the states listed in the comparison, behind Hawaii and Maine.
| Location | August 2025 | August 2026 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 38.53 cents | 47.18 cents | 22.5% |
| Maine | 28.14 cents | 32.11 cents | 14.1% |
| New Hampshire | 24.44 cents | 27.64 cents | 13.1% |
| Virginia | 15.85 cents | 17.64 cents | 11.3% |
| U.S. average | 17.57 cents | 18.16 cents | 3.4% |
The comparison attributed the higher rates in New Hampshire and Maine in part to their exposure to fuel costs on the New England electricity grid. Natural gas supplies most of the region’s generation, leaving prices more sensitive to changes in fuel costs than in states with substantial hydroelectric or nuclear generation.
Electricity prices vary widely by state because rates are set through local utility and regulatory systems. The August figures show the difference in the cost of using the same amount of electricity: 1,000 kilowatt-hours cost about $472 at Hawaii’s average rate and about $127 in Nevada, where the average rate was roughly 12.7 cents per kilowatt-hour.
- New Hampshire’s August rate was 3.20 cents per kilowatt-hour higher than a year earlier.
- The national average increased by 0.59 cents per kilowatt-hour over the same period.
- Hawaii’s 22.5% increase was the largest among the states in the comparison.
