Electricity rates — Washington, DC
A household in Washington, DC using 1,000 kWh a month pays about $2,333 a year on the cheapest of 1 generally available plan — Residential - Schedule R from Potomac Electric Power Co, in effect since August 2025. Schedule retrieved October 8, 2026. A further 9 restricted and 3 older schedules are priced further down but not ranked.
- Average price
- 24.0¢ per kWh
- 12 months to June 2026
- Against the 12 months before
- +24.9%
- Shown beside the 50 states, unranked
- Average bill
- $152 a month
- 12 months to June 2026, up 20.6% on the 12 months before, though homes used 3.5% less
Every priced plan in Washington, DC, 1,000 kWh/mo
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential - Schedule R✓ cheapestpriced by season · tiered · in effect since August 2025 | $2,332.96 | — | 19.4¢ |
| Priced but not ranked — restricted, older, or not verifiable as a bill | |||
| Residential - Schedule Rpriced by season · tiered · in effect since August 2025 · delivery charges only | $781.34 | −$1,551.62 | 6.5¢ |
| Residential Aid Discount All-Electric Rider- Schedule RAD-AEpriced by season · tiered · in effect since June 2017 · delivery charges only | $865.75 | −$1,467.21 | 7.2¢ |
| Residential All - Electric Service - Schedule AEpriced by season · tiered · in effect since June 2017 · delivery charges only | $884.11 | −$1,448.85 | 7.4¢ |
| Residential Apartments -All Electric Service (Schedule AE)priced by season · tiered · in effect since June 2017 · delivery charges only | $884.11 | −$1,448.85 | 7.4¢ |
| Residential Apartments-Master Meter-Schedule MMAflat rate · in effect since August 2025 · delivery charges only | $903.84 | −$1,429.12 | 7.5¢ |
| Residential Aid Discount - Schedule RADtiered · in effect since June 2017 · delivery charges only | $916.80 | −$1,416.16 | 7.6¢ |
| Residential Apartments -All Electric Service (Schedule AE)priced by season · tiered · in effect since June 2017 · needs an all-electric home | $1,296.07 | −$1,036.89 | 10.8¢ |
| Residential All - Electric Service - Schedule AEpriced by season · tiered · in effect since June 2017 · older schedule, not ranked | $1,329.07 | −$1,003.89 | 11.1¢ |
| Residential Time Metered - Schedule RTMflat rate · in effect since June 2017 · delivery charges only | $1,370.40 | −$962.56 | 11.4¢ |
| Residential Aid Discount - Schedule RADpriced by season · tiered · in effect since June 2017 · older schedule, not ranked | $1,400.71 | −$932.25 | 11.7¢ |
| Residential Time Metered - Schedule RTMtime-of-use · in effect since June 2017 · older schedule, not ranked | $1,838.80 | −$494.16 | 15.3¢ |
| Residential Apartments-Master Meter-Schedule MMApriced by season · tiered · in effect since August 2025 · needs a multi-family or master-metered building | $2,226.86 | −$106.10 | 18.6¢ |
What the one Washington, DC plan ranked here costs at each level of use
- 500 kWh/mo — $1,189.74 (Residential - Schedule R), the one plan ranked here
- 1,000 kWh/mo — $2,332.96 (Residential - Schedule R), the one plan ranked here
- 2,000 kWh/mo — $4,619.47 (Residential - Schedule R), the one plan ranked here
What households in Washington, DC pay, by EIA's count
Washington, DC sits between New Jersey (23.8¢) and New Hampshire (26.3¢).
EIA lists one utility serving homes in Washington, DC: Potomac Electric Power Co (318,780). Investor-owned utilities supply about 90% of its households on full service.
Prices in Washington, DC jumped 24.9% in a year, from 19.2¢ to 24.0¢ per kWh. Over five years they rose 88.4%, well ahead of the US's 34.7%.
Washington, DC homes used the most electricity in July and the least in April (2021–2025): a summer peak, 1.7 times the lightest month. December was the dearest month per kWh, 18% above January.
The utilities with a ranked plan on this page serve about 100% of Washington, DC's households: Potomac Electric Power Co (318,780). Their median plan at 1,000 kWh a month works out to 19.4¢ per kWh, 19% below EIA's average, which is why this page compares that median with other states'.
| Average price, 12 months to June 2026 | 24.0¢ |
|---|---|
| Among the 50 states and DC | 42 of 51, 1 = lowest |
| US average, same months | 17.9¢ |
| Change on the 12 months before | ↑ +24.9% |
| Change over five years | ↑ +88.4% (US ↑ +34.7%) |
| Average price in 2001 | 7.8¢ |
| Households, 2024 | 318,158 |
| Average use per home, 2024 | 641 kWh a month (US 872) |
| Average bill per home, 2024 | $113.45 a month (US $143.64) |
Chart of this for reuse (PNG), free to republish under CC BY 4.0 with credit to WattClear.
Every year’s figure for Washington, DC
| Year | Washington, DC | US |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21.9¢ | 17.3¢ |
| 2024 | 17.7¢ | 16.5¢ |
| 2023 | 16.4¢ | 16.0¢ |
| 2022 | 14.2¢ | 15.0¢ |
| 2021 | 13.1¢ | 13.7¢ |
| 2020 | 12.6¢ | 13.2¢ |
| 2019 | 13.0¢ | 13.0¢ |
| 2018 | 12.8¢ | 12.9¢ |
| 2017 | 12.9¢ | 12.9¢ |
| 2016 | 12.3¢ | 12.5¢ |
| 2015 | 13.0¢ | 12.7¢ |
| 2014 | 12.7¢ | 12.5¢ |
| 2013 | 12.6¢ | 12.1¢ |
| 2012 | 12.3¢ | 11.9¢ |
| 2011 | 13.4¢ | 11.7¢ |
| 2010 | 14.0¢ | 11.5¢ |
| 2009 | 13.7¢ | 11.5¢ |
| 2008 | 12.8¢ | 11.3¢ |
| 2007 | 11.2¢ | 10.7¢ |
| 2006 | 9.9¢ | 10.4¢ |
| 2005 | 9.1¢ | 9.4¢ |
| 2004 | 8.0¢ | 8.9¢ |
| 2003 | 7.8¢ | 8.7¢ |
| 2002 | 8.0¢ | 8.4¢ |
| 2001 | 7.8¢ | 8.6¢ |
Highest in July, $148; lowest in April, $84.
Every month’s bill in Washington, DC
| Month | Average bill |
|---|---|
| January | $119 |
| February | $107 |
| March | $100 |
| April | $84 |
| May | $90 |
| June | $112 |
| July | $148 |
| August | $139 |
| September | $115 |
| October | $92 |
| November | $90 |
| December | $123 |
In the guides: Summer and winter bills, state by state
How Washington, DC compares
At 1,000 kWh a month the median plan in Washington, DC costs $2,332.96 a year: the 15th-highest of the 31 states whose indexed plans stand for them, and 3% more than their median of $2,274.24. It sits between New Mexico ($2,274.24) and Illinois ($2,743.60).
Its cheapest open plan, Residential - Schedule R from Potomac Electric Power Co at $2,332.96, is the 13th-highest of the 31 states' cheapest plans.
1 of its 13 priceable plans prices by the hour, the 4th-smallest share of any state here.
The largest fixed charge on any plan here is $17.52 a month, the 7th-smallest such charge of the 31 states.
In the guides: What published electricity plans cost, state by state · What a plan charges by the hour, and what moving a kilowatt-hour is worth · What a bill costs before a single kilowatt-hour
Who provides Washington, DC's plans
Every plan here comes from Potomac Electric Power Co, the one utility EIA-861 lists serving homes in Washington, DC. How each of its plans is built, and what changing between them saves, is set out on Potomac Electric Power Co's own page.