Electricity Rates in Rhode Island: Cost per kWh and What Appliances Cost
Rhode Island households pay 29.46 cents per kilowatt-hour on average, which is 59.8 percent above the national figure. That single number decides what every appliance in the house costs to run, so this page works it through for all of them.
The average residential rate in Rhode Island is 29.46¢ per kWh, ranking 48 of 51 from cheapest to most expensive, among the most expensive in the country. Commercial customers pay 25.41¢. The average monthly household bill is $179.
Calculate any appliance at Rhode Island rates
Change any box. The result updates as you type.
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Planning estimate. The rate box is prefilled with a regional average; the figure on your own bill is the one that matters. Power is draw while running, not while switched on.
How Rhode Island compares
Residential rate
29.46¢/kWh
US average
18.44¢/kWh
Difference
+59.8%
Rank, cheapest to dearest
48 of 51
Northeast regional average
25.91¢/kWh
Commercial rate
25.41¢/kWh
Average monthly bill
$179
Retail choice
Deregulated: you can shop for a supplier
You can change your supply rate in Rhode Island
Rhode Island has a competitive retail market, which means the 29.46 cent average above is a blend of people on the default utility rate and people on shopped plans. If you have never switched, you are probably on the default, which is usually the more expensive of the two.
The delivery portion of your bill does not change when you switch, and neither does who fixes the line when it goes down. Only the generation charge moves. Look at your bill for the supply rate in cents per kWh and compare that figure, not the total.
What every appliance costs to run in Rhode Island
All figures below are computed at the Rhode Island rate of 29.46 cents. The last column shows the annual difference against the same appliance at the national average, which is where the effect of living here actually shows up.
At 29.46 cents, Rhode Island is one of the states where residential solar economics work most easily. Every kilowatt-hour a rooftop array offsets is worth 29.46 cents rather than the 18.44 cents it would be worth nationally, and payback periods shorten accordingly.
Typical peak sun hours across the Northeast region run around 3.5 to 4.5 hours a day as an annual average, though the spread within a region can be wide. For a figure based on your actual location rather than a regional band, use the location-based solar production calculator, and the solar payback calculator for the financial side.
Questions people actually ask
What is the average electricity rate in Rhode Island?
29.46 cents per kilowatt-hour for residential customers, which is 59.8 percent above the US average of 18.44 cents.
What is the average electric bill in Rhode Island?
About $179 a month. That reflects both the rate and how much electricity households here typically use, which is driven mostly by climate and heating fuel.
Can I choose my electricity provider in Rhode Island?
Yes. Rhode Island has a deregulated retail market, so you can shop for a supplier. Your utility still delivers the power and handles outages.
Why is my electricity bill higher than the Rhode Island average?
The state average blends every household, including small apartments. Electric heating, electric water heating, a pool pump, an older refrigerator or an EV will each push a bill well above it. The appliance table above shows what each of those costs at the Rhode Island rate.
Costs on this page use a national average residential rate of 18.44¢ per kWh (August 2026, EIA-derived state residential averages). Your own rate is printed on your electricity bill and is the number that actually matters. Every figure here is recalculated from one central rate setting, so these tables move when the national average moves.
