What air conditioning costs to run in New Jersey
New Jersey homes use 1,748 kWh a year on air conditioning. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $120.47 to $475.84 a year across 10 published New Jersey plans — a $355.37 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHS - Water Heating Storage Serviceflat rate · needs electric heating | $38.88 | −$81.59 | 2.4¢ |
| RHS - Residential Heating Servicetime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $113.16 | −$7.31 | 7.9¢ |
| RS-TOU-3P - Residential TOU 3 Period Service✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $120.47 | — | 7.8¢ |
| RS - Residential Servicetime-of-use · tiered | $126.88 | +$6.41 | 8.1¢ |
| RLM - Residential Load Management (TOU)time-of-use | $149.86 | +$29.39 | 10.6¢ |
| WHS - Water Heating Storage Serviceflat rate · needs electric heating | $165.72 | +$45.25 | 9.6¢ |
| RLM - Residential Load Management (TOU)time-of-use | $363.78 | +$243.31 | 22.8¢ |
| RHS - Residential Heating Servicetime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $369.04 | +$248.57 | 22.3¢ |
| RS-TOU-3P - Residential TOU 3 Period Servicetime-of-use | $446.83 | +$326.36 | 26.4¢ |
| RS - Residential Servicetime-of-use · tiered | $475.84 | +$355.37 | 27.9¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $49.81 (RS-TOU-3P - Residential TOU 3 Period Service), dearest $195.04, a $145.23 spread
- Average — cheapest $120.47 (RS-TOU-3P - Residential TOU 3 Period Service), dearest $475.84, a $355.37 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $166.51 (RS-TOU-3P - Residential TOU 3 Period Service), dearest $658.88, a $492.37 spread
What air conditioning costs here
Across 10 plans priced in New Jersey, air conditioning adds $120.47 to $475.84 a year — $10.04 to $39.65 a month. The median plan puts air conditioning at $256.82 a year.
Cheapest for air conditioning: RS-TOU-3P - Residential TOU 3 Period Service, Public Service Elec & Gas Co. Dearest: RS - Residential Service, Public Service Elec & Gas Co.
Those 1,748 kWh are billed at 6.9¢–27.2¢, against a 16.7¢ 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 10.5¢ per kWh.
What New Jersey homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 1,748 kWh a year across 443 sampled homes that run one, 25% under the national 2,318 kWh. The middle half spans 723 kWh to 2,416 kWh, so air conditioning varies by 1,694 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 — 97% of homes here.
That makes air conditioning about 21% of the electricity a New Jersey home uses. The remaining 6,557 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 723 kWh a year and pays $49.81 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 2,416 kWh and pays $166.51 — $116.70 more for air conditioning on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for New Jersey, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 10 New Jersey 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 40.7357, -74.1724.