Evan Haning, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – If you’ve noticed your electric bill going up, it has been.
For the fifth straight year, the price of electricity outpaced the rate of inflation, costing the average American household $1,419 annually, a USA TODAY analysis finds.
Electric bills in 2010 were $300 higher, on average, than they were in 2009.
The cost of electricity is at record levels — 11.3 cents per kilowatt hour, nationally, taking about $1.50 out of every $100 in take-home pay.
The breakdown in the WTOP listening area shows Virginians pay the lowest rate, 10.45 cents per kilowatt hour. The cost for D.C. residents is 14.01 cents, and Marylanders pay 14.32.
Although households have added many energy-efficient appliances, analysts tell USA TODAY that bigger houses, more air conditioning and home electronics, along with soaring power rates, are overpowering conservation efforts.
Replacing coal-burning power plants also is costly.
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