Colorado commercial electricity rates

Analyst note

The Colorado commercial price sat above the U.S. average in 0 of 10 years; the gap was -0.76 ¢ in 2015 and -1.04 ¢ in 2024. In the 2024 ranking Colorado sits between Illinois (11.81 ¢) one place above and West Virginia (11.62 ¢) one place below; the top of the list is 26.47 ¢ away and the bottom 4.52 ¢. Colorado was 27th in 2015 with 9.88 ¢ and is 25th now; a rise in the table. Colorado commercial prices rose in 7 of 9 years. The largest rise was +6.8% in 2022, and the largest fall -2.8% in 2016. The Colorado price peaked at 11.71 ¢ in 2024 and bottomed at 9.60 ¢ in 2016; 2024 is the peak and +22.0% from the low. Compounded, that is +1.91% a year in Colorado, -0.12 points against the U.S. Colorado buys 1.46% of all U.S. commercial electricity with 2.08% of the accounts, so the average Colorado account uses 0.70 times the national average.

A middle price: 11.71 ¢/kWh for Colorado commercial accounts, rank 25 of 51, -8.2% against the U.S. Colorado: +18.5% over nine years, or +1.9% a year, matching the national +19.8% by 1.3 points; 2022 was the biggest single move (+6.8%) and 2024 the high.

Last year's change in Colorado was +0.6% and flat. Against the residential price of 14.92 ¢ the gap is 3.21 ¢. Commercial sales are 37.2% of Colorado electricity sold, and an average Colorado account used 4,349 kWh a month, an implied bill near $509.

Counting revenue instead of kWh, Colorado commercial accounts bring in 36.2% of Colorado sector revenue on 37.3% of the kWh, a discount of 1.1 points that comes from the price level: 11.71 ¢ here against 14.92 ¢ for residential and 8.62 ¢ for industrial accounts. The average Colorado commercial account uses 4,349 kWh a month, 42 of 51 among states on that measure; a residential account uses 0.16 times as much and an industrial account 19.35 times. Commercial accounts are 13.62% of the 2,978,175 accounts in Colorado.