It’s the goal of nearly every homeowner or renter to cut down their monthly energy bills. Residents are going to great lengths in Southern California to implement zero-energy homes, and there are plenty of cost-cutting tips people can take, such as turning off unused lights and carpooling to work.
With this in mind, CareerTrends — part of the Graphiq network — has found the 50 locations with the highest average monthly energy bills. The data comes from the Council for Community and Economic Research’s most recent Cost of Living Index (2015). The report is compiled by pricing the cost of natural gas, fuel oil, electricity and any other forms of energy across different locations. Locations are ranked according to the average monthly cost for those items.
Two locations in Connecticut–Hartford and Stamford–ranking in the top 10 most expensive bills, coming in at seventh ($268.27 per month) and eighth ($258.95 per month). New Haven ($190.77 per month) came in in the top 50.
From a geographical perspective, the west coast and Northeast were the most represented regions. Eight cities in California made the top 50 — three in Southern California, five in the northern part of the state — though none were among the top 10.
The three cities at the top of the list had average monthly energy bills significantly higher than the rest of the top 50. In Fairbanks, Alaska, citizens have clamored for lower energy bills for years, while Hawaii’s isolation and rural island living requires the state’s residents to be more dependent on imported resources.