California Energy Price Data for December 2019

The December average price per gallon of regular gasoline in California dropped 30 cents from November to $3.62.  The California premium above the average for the US other than California ($2.49) dropped to $1.13, a 45.3% difference, as prices elsewhere in the US were little changed.

In December, California had the 2nd highest gasoline price among the states and DC, behind only Hawaii.  Californians paid $1.40 a gallon more than consumers in Missouri, the state with the lowest price.

The December average price per gallon of diesel in California eased 9 cents from November to $3.95.  The California premium above the average for the US other than California ($2.94) eased to $1.01, a 34.4% difference.

In December, California had the 2nd highest diesel price among the states and DC, behind only Hawaii.

The cost premium above the US (other than California) average price for regular gasoline ranged from $1.00 in the Sacramento Region (average December price of $3.49), to $1.26 in Central Sierra Region (average December price of $3.75).

California average Residential Price for the 12 months ended October 2019 was 19.20 cents/kWh, 52.5% higher than the US average of 12.59 cents/kWh for all states other than California.  California’s residential prices remained the 7th highest in the nation.

For the 12 months ended October 2019, the average annual Residential electricity bill in California was $1,226, or 23.3% higher ($232) than the comparable bill in 2010 (the year the AB 32 implementation began with the Early Action items).  In this same period, the average US (less CA) electricity bill for all the other states grew only 2.7% ($37).

Residential bills, however, vary widely by region, with the estimated annual household usage in 2018 as much as 59% higher in the interior regions compared to the milder climate coastal areas.

For the 12 months ended October 2019, California’s higher electricity prices translated into Residential ratepayers paying $5.8 billion more than the average ratepayers elsewhere in the US using the same amount of energy.

California average Commercial Price for the 12 months ended October 2019 was 16.79 cents/kWh, 66.1% higher than the US average of 10.11 cents/kWh for all states other than California.

California’s commercial prices rose to the 4th highest in the nation.

California average Industrial Price for the 12 months ended October 2019 was 13.40 cents/kWh, 105.5% higher than the US average of 6.52 cents/kWh for all states other than California.  California’s industrial prices remained the 6th highest in the nation.

For the 12 months ended October 2019, California’s higher electricity prices translated into Commercial & Industrial ratepayers paying $10.8 billion more than ratepayers elsewhere in the US using the same amount of energy.