CT Energy Prices

How Connecticut electricity rates compare to the US average and neighboring states

Period
Sector
CT Residential
cents/kWh
US Average
cents/kWh
CT Premium
above US average
Latest Month
cents/kWh

Residential Electricity Prices Over Time

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Latest Residential Prices: CT vs. Neighboring States

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CT vs. US by Sector

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CT Energy Generation Mix

What fuels generate Connecticut's electricity, and how that has changed over time

CT Generation Mix Over Time

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CT vs US Generation Mix

Connecticut

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United States

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Understanding CT's Price Premium

Why Connecticut electricity costs so much more than the national average

CT Price Premium Over US Average

How much more CT pays than the US average, shown as the shaded gap in cents per kWh

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Fuel Costs vs. Non-Fuel Factors

Computed from EIA data: how much of CT's premium is explained by higher delivered natural gas costs vs. other factors

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Fuel cost impact estimated from EIA delivered natural gas costs using a standard heat rate of 7,800 BTU/kWh. Actual fuel impact may be higher due to ISO-NE marginal pricing and seasonal volatility not captured in annual averages.

Known Non-Fuel Contributing Factors

The red portion above reflects structural and policy costs documented in regulatory filings. No single source provides a complete decomposition, but the major contributors are well established:

Transmission & Congestion ISO-NE transmission charges and interface congestion costs for importing power into CT's constrained load zone. ISO-NE regional network service rates are among the highest in the US. Source: ISO-NE Open Access Transmission Tariff, FERC filings
Pipeline Constraints (Marcellus Shale Access) Limited pipeline capacity from Marcellus Shale via the Algonquin system constrains gas supply into New England. Winter delivery prices at Algonquin Citygate can spike $7-35/MMBtu above Henry Hub. Annual averages mask this seasonal volatility, which drives wholesale price spikes that flow through to retail rates. Source: EIA Natural Gas data, FERC pipeline capacity reports
Public Policy Charges State-mandated per-kWh charges for energy efficiency programs, renewable portfolio standard compliance, net metering, and low-income assistance. These appear as line items on CT utility bills and are applied as flat rates across all customer classes. Source: CT PURA rate schedules, utility tariff filings
Distribution Infrastructure Capital recovery for grid modernization, storm hardening, and aging infrastructure replacement, spread across CT's customer base. Source: CT PURA rate cases
Capacity Market ISO-NE Forward Capacity Market payments ensuring adequate generation and demand response resources are available to meet New England's peak demand. Source: ISO-NE Forward Capacity Auction results

Wholesale Electricity Prices: CT vs ISO-NE Hub

Day-ahead wholesale LMPs from ISO-NE, broken into energy, congestion, and loss components. The congestion component directly quantifies transmission constraint costs for CT.

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Monthly average day-ahead LMPs ($/MWh). Hub = ISO-NE system-wide weighted average. CT = Connecticut load zone. Source: ISO-NE Web Services API (2010–present).

Natural Gas Citygate Prices: CT vs US

Monthly citygate prices (what local utilities pay for gas delivery) reveal the seasonal volatility that annual averages hide. Winter pipeline constraints through the Algonquin system cause dramatic price spikes in CT.

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Citygate price = cost at the entry point to the local distribution system ($/Mcf ≈ $/MMBtu). Source: EIA Natural Gas Prices Summary (monthly, back to 2001).