Blue states have higher electricity costs, and net zero policies are to blame, analysis shows

Proponents of renewable energy often claim that wind and solar are the cheapest forms of energy and will drive down electricity rates. However, electricity costs continue to rise faster than inflation, with no sign the trend is reversing, even as the amount of wind and solar grows in the grid. 

Last December, the Always On Energy Research and the Institute for Energy Research completed an analysis of electricity rates and found that residents of blue states see higher electricity bills than those of red states. 

Using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the analysis found that 86% of states with electricity prices above the national average voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in 2020 and 2024. By contrast, 80% of the 10 states with the lowest electricity prices voted for the Republican candidate in those same elections. 

In that analysis, the researchers highlighted five states to illustrate that the common factor between high-electricity-rate blue states was they tended to adopt stricter renewable energy requirements and climate policies.