Here’s How Much Illinois Electric Bills Have Gone Up In 10 Years

Would it make you, an Illinois electricity consumer, feel better to know that the most expensive electric rates in the world aren't here in Illinois? How about knowing that the highest electric bills on Earth are not being paid by any of us in the United States?

I'm guessing that your answer is no, because mine is too. Just because some other country's electric costs are far greater than ours doesn't make me feel better when paying the monthly light bill here at home.

Before We Get To Illinois' Numbers, I Should Point Out That Denmark And Italy Share The Title For Countries With The Highest Electric Rates

Those two countries are paying 0.57 in U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour, while here in this country we average out at 0.18 in U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour.

So, we've got Denmark and Italy tied at number-one, followed closely by Germany (0.55), Belgium (0.51), Lithuania (0.49), the Netherlands (0.48), and Finland (0.45).

The United States and our 0.18 per kilowatt-hour doesn't even crack the top ten, coming in at #13 overall in the world. Qatar's citizens pay the least, at 0.03.

It's No Surprise That Electric Costs Across The Country Keep Going Up, But How Much They've Gone Up In Illinois And Other States In The Last 10 Years Is Pretty Shocking (pardon the pun)

Mr. Electric is a is a global franchise organization providing electrical installation and repair services, and they took the time to crunch 10 years worth of numbers from the U.S. Energy Information Administration to determine the average monthly household electricity cost in every state, and how that’s changed.

Would you feel better knowing that Illinois isn't in the top ten when it comes to how much electricity has gone up in a decade? These states have shown the biggest increases:

#1 Rhode Island (+36.7%)
#2 California (+36.3%)
#3 Massachusetts (+26.2%)
#4 South Dakota (+26.2%)
#5 New Hampshire (+26.1%)
#6 Maine (+24.9%)
#7 Louisiana (+24.8%)
#8 Montana (+22.0%)
#9 Minnesota (+22.0%)
#10 Arkansas (+21.9%)

Here's how Illinois stacks up against the top ten:

• Illinois has a monthly average of $950.96 per household.
• Illinois’s energy costs have increased by 15.14% since 2012, or an increase of $125.05 per household annually.
• Nationally, electric bills have increased by 10.8% over the past decade, for an increase of $113.29 per household per year.

Click here to read the full study by Mr. Electric.