Updated April 2026 · EIA data
Energy Guides
Long-form, data-driven analysis of U.S. electricity markets and energy trends. Backed by 51 state profiles, an average residential rate of 17.92¢/kWh, and federal source data from EIA, EPA, and NREL. Cheapest state today: North Dakota (11.81¢/kWh). Greenest grid: Vermont (99.8% renewable).
In-Depth Guides
Guide
Understanding Your Electricity Rate
A complete breakdown of how electricity pricing works, from generation costs and transmission fees to the charges on your monthly bill.
Read guide →Guide
Renewable Energy by State: Where America Stands
A data-driven analysis of renewable energy adoption across all 50 states, including policy drivers, generation mix trends, and what the data reveals about America's energy transition.
Read guide →Guide
Why Some States Have Cheap Electricity (And Others Don't)
The factors behind America's wide variation in electricity costs, from fuel mix and regulation to geography and climate.
Read guide →How These Guides Are Researched
Every guide starts with the federal source data that backs the rest of the site. Retail-rate analysis pulls from EIA State Electricity Profiles; generation-mix discussion uses EIA Electric Power Monthly; emissions and clean-energy program context comes from the EPA Energy and the Environment hub; and resource-potential, technology-cost, and grid-integration analysis comes from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
The goal is to translate raw federal data into plain-English context — what a residential rate actually means for a typical household budget, what the renewable share number does and does not capture, and how state-level decisions add up to the national grid picture. Where federal data and popular intuition disagree, the guides side with the data and explain why.
When You Should Read These Guides
If you are trying to understand your electricity bill, start with “Understanding Your Electricity Rate” — it walks through the components of a typical rate (generation, transmission, distribution, taxes, surcharges) and shows how each one varies across states. If you are evaluating a move, “Why Some States Have Cheap Electricity” lays out the four forces (fuel mix, regulation, geography, policy) that drive the U.S. rate distribution.
For a sense of where the energy transition actually stands, “Renewable Energy by State” uses the EIA generation-mix data to show which states are moving fastest, which are flat, and what the data does not capture (interstate power flows, capacity factor differences, lifecycle emissions). Together the guides give you the vocabulary and the data points to evaluate utility offers, ballot measures, or relocation choices grounded in the federal record rather than headlines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are these energy guides written for?
The guides are written for households, small-business owners, and policy researchers who want to understand U.S. electricity markets without wading through federal raw data. Each guide uses the same EIA, EPA, and NREL datasets that power the rest of the site — currently covering 51 states with a national average residential rate of 17.92¢/kWh.
How do the guides differ from the blog?
Guides are evergreen long-form explainers — how electricity pricing actually works, why some states have cheap power, where renewable energy adoption stands across the country. The blog publishes shorter, more topical analysis on a faster cadence. Guides are revised when federal data refreshes materially; blog posts cycle with the news.
Are the underlying numbers in the guides up to date?
Yes. Each guide carries published and modified dates. When EIA publishes new monthly retail-rate or generation data, the figures referenced in the guide are recomputed and the modified date is bumped. The current dataset was last refreshed April 2026; North Dakota sits at 11.81¢/kWh and Vermont runs 99.8% renewable.
Do the guides give specific energy-purchase advice?
No. The guides explain how the federal data relates to common questions about electricity pricing, fuel mix, and renewable energy. They do not endorse specific utilities, retail electric providers, or solar installers. For purchasing decisions, the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Saver program and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory publish detailed buyer-side analysis, and a qualified contractor or utility energy advisor can help with site-specific guidance.
Where can I read the federal source data directly?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration at eia.gov publishes the rate and generation data the guides draw on. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at epa.gov/energy publishes emissions and clean-energy program context. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory at nrel.gov publishes resource potential, technology cost, and grid integration analysis. All three are federal public-domain sources.
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Renewable Energy Laboratory. All federal datasets are public domain.
Last updated 2026-04-12 · 3 guides published.