Alaska household power prices hit their highest point since at least 2010

Alaska households paid an average of 29.41 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity in August, the highest monthly figure in federal data going back to 2010, according to figures the U.S. Energy Information Administration released Friday.

That's 5.8% more than in August 2025, and above July's average of 28.83 cents. The four highest monthly averages in the data have all come since May.

Alaska's price per kilowatt-hour tends to run highest in summer. But every month this year has come in above the same month last year.

Only four states had higher household prices in August: Hawaii, at 47.18 cents, followed by Maine, Massachusetts and California. The national average was 18.16 cents, about 11 cents below Alaska's.

The average Alaska residential customer used about 470 kilowatt-hours in August, about the same as a year earlier. Utilities took in about $139 per residential customer for the month, up from about $132 in August 2025.

Businesses paid more, too. Commercial customers averaged 23.90 cents per kilowatt-hour, up from 23.09 a year earlier. Industrial customers averaged 23.13 cents, up from 20.49.

The statewide average blends very different places, from Juneau, which runs largely on hydropower, to high-cost rural communities where the state's Power Cost Equalization program lowers what eligible households pay.

EIA's prices are averages of what utilities collected per kilowatt-hour, not the rate on any one bill. They aren't adjusted for inflation, and this year's figures are preliminary.