What lighting costs to run in Colorado
Colorado homes use 669 kWh a year on lighting. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $49.49 to $109.36 a year across 5 published Colorado plans — a $59.87 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
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Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)✓ cheapestdemand charge | $49.49 | — | 8.2¢ |
| Residential Demand Service (Schedule RD)demand charge | $64.79 | +$15.30 | 12.0¢ |
| Residential Energy Time Of Use (Schedule RE-TOU)time-of-use | $102.73 | +$53.24 | 16.6¢ |
| Residential Service (Schedule R)time-of-use | $108.00 | +$58.51 | 17.3¢ |
| Residential General Service Opt-Out (Schedule R-OO)time-of-use | $109.36 | +$59.87 | 17.6¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $16.10 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $35.52, a $19.42 spread
- Average — cheapest $49.49 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $109.36, a $59.87 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $57.67 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $127.40, a $69.73 spread
What lighting costs here
Across 5 plans priced in Colorado, lighting adds $49.49 to $109.36 a year — $4.12 to $9.11 a month. The median plan puts lighting at $102.73 a year.
Cheapest for lighting: Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR), Public Service Co of Colorado. Dearest: Residential General Service Opt-Out (Schedule R-OO), Public Service Co of Colorado.
Those 669 kWh are billed at 7.4¢–16.3¢, against a 16.6¢ whole-bill average on the median plan, so on these plans the two rates are close.
What Colorado homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 669 kWh a year across 360 sampled homes that run one, near the national 654 kWh. The middle half spans 217 kWh to 779 kWh, so lighting varies by 562 kWh between one household and another.
Every light fixture and lamp in and immediately outside the home. That average covers all homes — 100% of homes here.
That makes lighting about 8% of the electricity a Colorado home uses. The remaining 7,475 kWh is what lighting 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 lighting
A household in the lighter quarter runs lighting for 217 kWh a year and pays $16.10 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 779 kWh and pays $57.67 — $41.57 more for lighting on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Colorado, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 5 Colorado 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 39.7392, -104.9903.