CONSUMER PRICE INDEX — ENERGY By Zachary Westfahl
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onnecticut continues to be the fifth highest price per kWh in the United States. From the fall Economic Activity Report to January of 2020, Connecticut has experienced a rate increase of 64 cents per kWh. This is not such a stark contrast to the U.S. average increase of 2.5 percent in residential rates over the same period. However, once January 2020 hit, both major energy providers in Connecticut, Eversource and United Illuminating, increased their rates, so consumers will be paying 19-24 percent more per month for electricity. It is yet to be determined whether the COVID-19 pandemic will alter the electricity rates for Connecticut. Connecticut is pushing harder than ever to become “greener” in recent months. Legislators have begun work on setting goals even higher than Governor Ned Lamont had set. This “Green New Deal” for Connecticut requires emissions be lowered by 80 percent by 2050. An initiative that would traditionally be headed by the Energy and Technology Committee is being headed by the Labor and Public Employees Committee. Whether this will cause conflict is yet unforeseen, but the green goals are strongly backed by senators such as Julie Kushner, stating, “Everything we do affects all of the workers in Connecticut, and so moving to a green economy, a green deal is really critically important. Not just for those looking for future work but also for those working today” (Strong, 2020). The bill is quite comprehensive with a focus on education and spending in low-middle income areas and will establish an Environmental Equity Working Group to determine target areas for funding. Figure 7
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CONNECTICUT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY REPORT • SUMMER 2020
Table 3: Lowest Rates
STATE
CENTS/KWH
NORTH DAKOTA
9.01
LOUISIANA
9.05
OKLAHOMA
9.06
WASHINGTON
9.43
MISSOURI
9.52
Table 4: Highest Rates
STATE
CENTS/KWH
HAWAII
31.70
RHODE ISLAND
24.24
MASSACHUSETTS
22.91
ALASKA
22.48
CONNECTICUT
21.93
