What air conditioning costs to run in Massachusetts
Massachusetts homes use 1,224 kWh a year on air conditioning. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $117.36 to $414.60 a year across 39 published Massachusetts plans — a $297.24 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Cheapest 25 of 39 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $110.76 | −$6.60 | 10.3¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $110.76 | −$6.60 | 10.3¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)✓ cheapestflat rate | $117.36 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $117.36 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential R-1 (01)flat rate | $117.36 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore Residential R-1 Annual BS (32)flat rate | $117.36 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $126.96 | +$9.60 | 11.5¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $134.28 | +$16.92 | 12.1¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $136.20 | +$18.84 | 12.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $138.24 | +$20.88 | 12.4¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $153.00 | +$35.64 | 13.7¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3 (A4)flat rate · needs electric heating | $153.96 | +$36.60 | 13.7¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $155.40 | +$38.04 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $156.12 | +$38.76 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $175.32 | +$57.96 | 15.5¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $196.20 | +$78.84 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $196.20 | +$78.84 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $203.76 | +$86.40 | 18.3¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $203.76 | +$86.40 | 18.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $293.16 | +$175.80 | 25.1¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $302.16 | +$184.80 | 25.9¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $302.16 | +$184.80 | 25.9¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $304.44 | +$187.08 | 26.0¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)flat rate | $308.76 | +$191.40 | 26.5¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $308.76 | +$191.40 | 26.5¢ |
14 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $414.60 a year at this usage.
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $56.76 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $200.40, a $143.64 spread
- Average — cheapest $117.36 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $414.60, a $297.24 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $157.32 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $555.36, a $398.04 spread
What air conditioning costs here
Across 39 plans priced in Massachusetts, air conditioning adds $117.36 to $414.60 a year — $9.78 to $34.55 a month. The median plan puts air conditioning at $304.44 a year.
Cheapest for air conditioning: Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1), NSTAR Electric Company. Dearest: Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1), NSTAR Electric Company.
Those 1,224 kWh are billed at 9.6¢–33.9¢, against a 26.0¢ whole-bill average on the median plan: they land in the last tier the household reaches, so the average rate understates them by up to 7.8¢ per kWh.
What Massachusetts homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 1,224 kWh a year across 491 sampled homes that run one, 47% under the national 2,318 kWh. The middle half spans 592 kWh to 1,640 kWh, so air conditioning varies by 1,048 kWh between one household and another.
All electricity used for cooling — central systems, heat pumps in cooling mode, and window or wall units — plus the air handler that runs with them. That average covers homes with air conditioning — 87% of homes here.
That makes air conditioning about 17% of the electricity a Massachusetts home uses. The remaining 6,013 kWh is what air conditioning is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
Light and heavy use of air conditioning
A household in the lighter quarter runs air conditioning for 592 kWh a year and pays $56.76 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 1,640 kWh and pays $157.32 — $100.56 more for air conditioning on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Massachusetts, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 39 Massachusetts tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 42.3601, -71.0589.