PUF's Where's Energy

A Kilowatt-hour, Up or Down?

May 12's Consumer Price Index shows that what American consumers paid for a kilowatt-hour rose an average of 3.6 percent over the twelve months through April. This high a rate of inflation in electricity isn’t surprising since natural gas prices have been rising in recent months. Gas prices matter a lot in what electricity costs.

Residential Rates Really

April 13th's Consumer Price Index report showed that consumer prices overall averaged a 2.6 percent increase during the twelve months ending in March. And the report also showed that electricity prices — residential electric rates — averaged a virtually identical 2.5 percent increase during that same period. Economists would say that the real inflation-adjusted increase is thus approximately zero.