What lighting costs to run in New York
New York homes use 550 kWh a year on lighting. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $21.46 to $238.52 a year across 83 published New York plans — a $217.06 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
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Cheapest 25 of 83 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential✓ cheapesttime-of-use · tiered | $21.46 | — | 3.2¢ |
| SC1C (TOU)- All Zones Deliverytime-of-use · delivery charges only | $26.16 | +$4.70 | 10.1¢ |
| SC1- Delivery Only Service Low Income Rateflat rate · low-income rate | $32.04 | +$10.58 | 7.9¢ |
| SC-1 Residential & Religious Optional Demand-Based (Rate IV) - [NYC]demand charge | $32.84 | +$11.38 | 11.0¢ |
| SC-1 Residential & Religious Optional Demand-Based (Rate IV) - [Westchester]demand charge | $32.84 | +$11.38 | 11.0¢ |
| All Regions - SERVICE CLASSIFICATION NO. 12 Residential Service TOU-ESCOtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $36.48 | +$15.02 | 11.8¢ |
| All Regions - SERVICE CLASSIFICATION NO. 8 Residential - Day Night Service - ESCOflat rate · delivery charges only | $42.72 | +$21.26 | 11.6¢ |
| SERVICE CLASSIFICATION NO. 4 RESIDENTIAL SERVICE - TIME-OF-USE RATE RSS - Schedule Itime-of-use | $43.92 | +$22.46 | 12.8¢ |
| SERVICE CLASSIFICATION NO. 1 - RESIDENTIAL SERVICE ESCO Retail Optionflat rate · delivery charges only | $46.08 | +$24.62 | 11.7¢ |
| SC1- Delivery Only Serviceflat rate · delivery charges only | $47.28 | +$25.82 | 11.6¢ |
| SC1C (TOU)- Zone Dtime-of-use | $48.01 | +$26.55 | 14.0¢ |
| SC1C (TOU)- Zone Btime-of-use | $48.72 | +$27.26 | 14.2¢ |
| SC1C (TOU)- Zone Etime-of-use | $51.13 | +$29.67 | 14.6¢ |
| SERVICE CLASSIFICATION NO. 1 - RESIDENTIAL SERVICE RSSflat rate | $51.36 | +$29.90 | 13.5¢ |
| SC1C (VTOU)- Zone Atime-of-use | $51.48 | +$30.02 | 12.3¢ |
| SC1C (VTOU)- Zone Dtime-of-use | $51.48 | +$30.02 | 12.3¢ |
| SERVICE CLASSIFICATION NO. 4 RESIDENTIAL SERVICE - TIME-OF-USE RATE RSS - Schedule IItime-of-use | $51.84 | +$30.38 | 15.0¢ |
| SC1- Zone D Low Income Rateflat rate · low-income rate | $51.84 | +$30.38 | 11.5¢ |
| SC1C (VTOU)- Zone Btime-of-use | $52.20 | +$30.74 | 12.5¢ |
| SC1C (VTOU)- Zone Ctime-of-use | $53.64 | +$32.18 | 12.7¢ |
| SC1- Zone B Low Income Rateflat rate · low-income rate | $53.76 | +$32.30 | 11.9¢ |
| SC1- Zone C Low Income Rateflat rate · low-income rate | $54.36 | +$32.90 | 12.0¢ |
| SC1- Zone E Low Income Rateflat rate · low-income rate | $54.48 | +$33.02 | 12.0¢ |
| SC1C (VTOU)- Zone Etime-of-use | $54.60 | +$33.14 | 12.9¢ |
| SC1- Zone F Low Income Rateflat rate · low-income rate | $57.24 | +$35.78 | 12.5¢ |
58 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $238.52 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 $5.86 (Residential), dearest $64.85, a $58.99 spread
- Average — cheapest $21.46 (Residential), dearest $238.52, a $217.06 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $25.92 (Residential), dearest $288.88, a $262.96 spread
What lighting costs here
Across 83 plans priced in New York, lighting adds $21.46 to $238.52 a year — $1.79 to $19.88 a month. The median plan puts lighting at $93.56 a year.
Cheapest for lighting: Residential, City of Plattsburgh, New York (Utility Company). Dearest: SC-1 Residential & Religious Vountary TOD (Rate II) - Zone J [NYC], Consolidated Edison Co-NY Inc.
Those 550 kWh are billed at 3.9¢–43.4¢, against a 20.3¢ 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 23.1¢ per kWh.
What New York homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 550 kWh a year across 904 sampled homes that run one, 16% under the national 654 kWh. The middle half spans 149 kWh to 666 kWh, so lighting varies by 516 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 New York home uses. The remaining 6,366 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.
By provider
On each New York provider's cheapest plan: City of Plattsburgh, New York (Utility Company), $21.46; Consolidated Edison Co-NY Inc, $32.84; Rochester Gas & Electric Corp, $43.92; Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., $48.01; Long Island Power Authority, $76.11; New York State Elec & Gas Corp, $96.00.
New York State Elec & Gas Corp charges $74.54 a year more than City of Plattsburgh, New York (Utility Company) on Residential for the same 550 kWh.
Light and heavy use of lighting
A household in the lighter quarter runs lighting for 149 kWh a year and pays $5.86 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 666 kWh and pays $25.92 — $20.06 more for lighting on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for New York, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 83 New York 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 44.6995, -73.4529.