Residential rates by utility (EIA-861, average all-in ¢/kWh)
| Utility | 2023 ¢/kWh | 2024 ¢/kWh | Customers (2024) | Ownership | vs state avg, $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Plattsburgh | 5.05 | 5.02 | 8,801 | Municipal | -$2,068 |
| Town of Massena | 6.29 | 6.20 | 8,156 | Municipal | -$1,940 |
| Village of Fairport | 5.53 | 6.69 | 16,462 | Municipal | -$1,887 |
| Jamestown Board of Public Util | 8.12 | 8.43 | 15,562 | Municipal | -$1,699 |
| Village of Freeport | 13.71 | 14.12 | 13,353 | Municipal | -$1,085 |
| National Grid (Niagara Mohawk) | 16.97 | 17.22 | 1,430,208 | Investor-owned | -$749 |
| NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas) | 15.53 | 18.32 | 735,192 | Investor-owned | -$631 |
| Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) | 16.13 | 18.76 | 294,053 | Investor-owned | -$583 |
| Orange & Rockland Utilities | 23.46 | 23.31 | 170,465 | Investor-owned | -$92 |
| Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) | 22.33 | 24.57 | 1,029,943 | State-owned | +$44 |
| Central Hudson Gas & Electric | 25.12 | 25.14 | 229,592 | Investor-owned | +$106 |
| Con Edison | 31.58 | 35.66 | 2,715,069 | Investor-owned | +$1,242 |
Average price = residential revenue ÷ residential sales from each utility's federal EIA-861 filing (bundled service — supply + delivery + riders, not a quoted tariff rate). State average = 24.16¢/kWh, volume-weighted across these utilities (2024). Your distribution utility is fixed by address; these gaps measure what households in different territories actually paid. A further 61 competitive suppliers / solar lessors report energy-only or behind-the-meter sales in New York; their prices cover only part of the bill and are not comparable to the all-in figures above.
Can you choose your electric company in New York?
Electric supply choice: yes · Gas supply choice: yes
Full retail access for electric and gas via ESCOs in all major IOU territories (reset 2019 ESCO order: ESCOs must beat utility rate or be 100% renewable).
How to switch suppliers in New York (3 steps)
- Find the price to compare (default supply rate) on your utility bill — you only save when an offer beats it for the same period.
- Compare licensed supplier offers on the state's official shopping site: dps.ny.gov. Check term, early-exit fees, and whether the rate is fixed or variable.
- Sign up with the supplier — they handle the switch. Your utility still delivers the power, owns the wires, and responds to outages; only the supply line of the bill changes.
Heating: which fuel is cheapest per million BTU in New York?
| Fuel | Native price | As of | $ per MMBTU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility natural gas | $1.583 /therm | Feb 2026 | 15.83 |
| Propane | $3.747 /gal | Mar 30, 2026 | 40.97 |
| Heating oil (No. 2) | $5.874 /gal | Mar 30, 2026 | 42.41 |
| Electricity (resistance) | 29.99 ¢/kWh | Feb 2026 | 87.90 |
Utility natural gas is the cheapest heating fuel in New York at $15.83/MMBTU — heating oil costs 2.7× as much per BTU. Conversions: 1 kWh = 3,412 BTU; 1 therm = 100,000 BTU; heating oil 138,500 BTU/gal; propane 91,452 BTU/gal. Site-energy prices — appliance efficiency changes delivered-heat cost: a 95% AFUE gas furnace delivers heat near the gas figure, while a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.5–3 cuts the effective electric figure by 60–70%.
Electricity price trend, last 12 months
New York's average residential price went from 26.22¢/kWh in Feb '25 to 29.99¢/kWh in Feb '26 — up 14% year-over-year. The 12-month peak was 29.99¢ in Feb '26.
| Month | Feb '25 | Mar '25 | Apr '25 | May '25 | Jun '25 | Jul '25 | Aug '25 | Sep '25 | Oct '25 | Nov '25 | Dec '25 | Jan '26 | Feb '26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¢/kWh | 26.22 | 25.45 | 25.69 | 26.69 | 26.55 | 26.22 | 26.67 | 27.23 | 26.95 | 26.42 | 27.39 | 28.37 | 29.99 |
Head-to-head utility comparisons in New York
- Con Edison vs Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) — who's cheaper?
- Con Edison vs NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas) — who's cheaper?
- National Grid (Niagara Mohawk) vs NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas) — who's cheaper?
- National Grid (Niagara Mohawk) vs Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) — who's cheaper?
- National Grid (Niagara Mohawk) vs Central Hudson Gas & Electric — who's cheaper?
- NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas) vs Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) — who's cheaper?
- NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas) vs Central Hudson Gas & Electric — who's cheaper?
- NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas) vs Orange & Rockland Utilities — who's cheaper?
- Central Hudson Gas & Electric vs Orange & Rockland Utilities — who's cheaper?
Questions people ask
- Who has the cheapest electricity in New York?
- National Grid (Niagara Mohawk), at an average 17.2 cents per kWh for 2024 among New York utilities with at least 50,000 customers (EIA-861). The most expensive, Con Edison, averaged 35.7 cents — a difference of about $1,992 per year at 10,800 kWh.
- Can I choose my electric company in New York?
- You cannot choose the utility that delivers power — that is set by your address. New York does allow residential supply choice: you may buy the supply portion from a licensed competitive supplier if it beats your utility's price to compare. The official shopping site is dps.ny.gov.
- Is gas or electric heat cheaper in New York?
- Per million BTU of site energy, utility natural gas was $15.83 (Feb 2026) versus $87.90 for electric resistance heat, $42.41 for heating oil. A heat pump delivering 2.5-3 units of heat per unit of electricity brings electric heating to roughly $29-35 per MMBTU.
- What is the average electric bill in New York?
- At New York's February 2026 average price of 29.99 cents/kWh and typical usage of 900 kWh per month, a household pays about $270 per month ($3239 per year) for electricity. Actual bills vary with usage, utility territory, and tariff.