Rhode Island electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Rhode Island is 29.46 cents per kilowatt-hour, 59.8% above the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 4th highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +1.6% from 29.00¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- +59.8% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #4 of 51 · #48 cheapest
- Supply market
- ISO New England Retail choice statewide
Why Rhode Island pays what it pays
Rhode Island is small enough to function as one distribution territory, and it generates little of its own power from anything other than natural gas. That combination gives it very little insulation. When ISO New England's marginal price rises, Rhode Island's Last Resort Service price follows at the next procurement.
The state has been an early and aggressive offshore-wind buyer. Block Island was the first commercial offshore wind farm in the country, and the contracts signed for those projects sit in rates. They are small in absolute terms, but they are visible in a state with a small ratepayer base.
How Rhode Island compares
Rhode Island ranks #4 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 48th cheapest. Within the New England division, every other state is cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 24.89 | +4.8% | #11 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33 | +13.8% | #9 |
| Connecticut | 27.37 | -13.4% | #8 |
| Maine | 28.63 | +2.6% | #6 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82 | -3.6% | #5 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46 | +1.6% | #4 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State. Data period May 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
What a bill looks like at this rate
The figures below apply the May 2026 Rhode Island average to four usage levels. They are arithmetic, not quotes. A real bill also carries fixed customer charges, taxes and any rider specific to your utility.
Estimate your Rhode Island bill
Multiply your own usage by the May 2026 state average. Enter the kilowatt-hours from your last statement. This is a supply-and-delivery blended average, not a utility quote.
Rate used: …. U.S. average 18.44¢/kWh, May 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
Who sells electricity in Rhode Island
Rhode Island Energy, which acquired National Grid's Rhode Island business, is effectively the state's only electric distribution utility. Retail choice exists on paper for residential customers, but the competitive supplier market here is thin and the great majority of households remain on Last Resort Service.
Supply prices are set twice a year through a regulator-approved procurement, so the residential rate typically changes in two visible steps.
What you can actually do about it
Because the supplier market is thin, the practical levers are the same as Vermont's: usage and equipment. Rhode Island Energy's income-eligible discount rate is materially larger than most states' equivalents and is badly under-claimed.
Watch the October and April procurement filings at the Public Utilities Commission. They publish the next six months' supply price before it appears on a bill, which is enough notice to shift discretionary usage.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Rhode Island, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Rhode Island electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Rhode Island?
The average residential electricity rate in Rhode Island is 29.46 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is +59.8% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is a typical monthly electric bill in Rhode Island?
At the May 2026 average rate of 29.46¢/kWh, a household using 900 kWh a month would pay about $265, and one using 1,500 kWh about $442. Actual bills vary with usage, rate schedule, fixed customer charges and taxes.
Have electricity rates in Rhode Island gone up?
Rhode Island rates rose 1.6% over the year to May 2026, from 29.00¢ in May 2025 to 29.46¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Rhode Island?
Retail choice statewide. Residential customers in Rhode Island can buy supply from a competitive provider while the local utility continues to deliver it and maintain the wires.
Where does this Rhode Island rate figure come from?
It is the residential-sector average revenue per kilowatt-hour reported by utilities to the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Form EIA-861M and published in the Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. It blends supply and delivery across every residential customer in the state, so it is a statewide average rather than a quote for any individual household.