Illinois' Taxes Are Going Up, But Our Energy Costs Are Lower Than Most States

I have been giving myself too much credit. I thought, being the dad in my household, that my constant demands that my family "turn off that light if you're not in the room," or "close that door, I'm not heating/cooling the outside," or the classic "if you're that cold, put on a sweater" were actually keeping our energy bills lower. It turns out that it is because Illinois is one of America's least energy expensive states.

It may not seem that way when you tear open the bill (sorry, I'm somewhat old-school, maybe you just open your e-bill on your computer), but there are a lot of people in other states that are paying a higher energy cost than we do here in Illinois.

The numbers-crunchers at personal finance site WalletHub took a look at all 50 states along with the District of Columbia to come up with their list of the Most and Least Energy Expensive States.

Here's what they looked at:

To better understand the impact of energy on our finances relative to our location and consumption habits, WalletHub’s analysts compared the total monthly energy bills in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Our analysis uses a special formula that accounts for the following residential energy types: electricity, natural gas, motor fuel and home heating oil.

Let's look first at the 5 most energy expensive states:

1) Connecticut

2) Alaska

3) Rhode Island

4) Massachusetts

5) Wyoming

As for Illinois, we're on the other end of the spectrum. Here are the 5 least energy expensive states:

47) Illinois

48) Oregon

49) Colorado

50) Washington

51) District of Columbia

Here's a look at Illinois' specifics:

Energy Consumption & Costs in Illinois (1=Most Expensive; 25=Avg.):
Avg. Monthly Energy Bill: $247
21st – Price of Electricity
36th – Electricity Consumption per Consumer
51st – Price of Natural Gas
17th – Price of Motor Fuel
40th – Motor-Fuel Consumption per Driver

Have a great weekend, and hey, let's close that door. Were you born in a barn?