Investor-owned utilities charge 23% more for electricity than public providers

Source: kadoa.com
533 points by hubraumhugo 18 hours ago on hackernews | 386 comments

In 2025, homes paid 17.8¢ a kilowatt-hour at investor-owned utilities, 14.5¢ at public utilities and 14.1¢ at co-ops. Since 2020, investor-owned prices rose 34% and public ones 19%, against 24% inflation.

Average home price by utility owner

Change since 2020 against inflation, or cents per kilowatt-hour since 2015.

Home prices in 2025

Share of homes by their utility's average price per kilowatt-hour, in 2-cent bands.

Investor-owned 67% of homes paid 12 to 20 cents, and 11% paid 30 cents or more.

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Public 61% paid under 14 cents. The bump at the high end is LADWP and Long Island Power Authority, 13% of public homes.

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Co-op 52% paid under 14 cents.

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Price change by state, 2020 to 2025

Investor-owned prices rose faster than nonprofit (public and co-op) prices in 38 of the 48 states with both: investor-owned against nonprofit.

Largest utilities, 2020 to 2025

Change in the average home price at utilities with 250,000 or more homes: investor-owned, public and co-op.

About the data

  • Public power is common where electricity is cheap, so we also compared utilities within each state. Investor-owned prices rose faster in 38 of 48 states.
  • Most of the gap opened from 2020 to 2023, during the energy price spike: 25% at investor-owned utilities, 11% at public utilities and co-ops. Before and since, both rose at about the same pace.
  • After inflation, investor-owned prices rose 7.9%. Public and co-op prices fell 4.3%.
  • Co-op homes have the highest bills, $159 a month in 2025, because they use the most power.
  • Homes that buy power from a retail supplier aren't in the investor-owned figures. Counting them, prices on investor-owned lines rose 36%.
  • Price is what homes paid divided by the kilowatt-hours they used, from EIA's yearly survey of utilities. Federal utilities and the smallest ones are left out.
  • The data shows what homes paid, not why. Investor-owned utilities earn a return for shareholders on what they build. Public utilities and co-ops have no shareholders. See the rate cases for increases utilities are asking for now.