District of Columbia commercial electricity rates

Analyst note

The D.C. commercial price sat above the U.S. average in 10 of 10 years; the gap was +1.37 ¢ in 2015 and +4.32 ¢ in 2024. In the 2024 ranking D.C. sits between Maine (18.22 ¢) one place above and New Jersey (14.64 ¢) one place below; the top of the list is 21.11 ¢ away and the bottom 9.88 ¢. D.C. was 12th in 2015 with 12.01 ¢ and is 11th now; a rise in the table. D.C. commercial prices rose in 6 of 9 years. The largest rise was +20.0% in 2022, and the largest fall -3.3% in 2020. The D.C. price peaked at 17.07 ¢ in 2024 and bottomed at 11.66 ¢ in 2017; 2024 is the peak and +46.4% from the low. Compounded, that is +3.98% a year in D.C., +1.95 points against the U.S. D.C. buys 0.50% of all U.S. commercial electricity with 0.14% of the accounts, so the average D.C. account uses 3.51 times the national average.

District of Columbia commercial customers paid 17.07 ¢ in 2024, which puts the state 11th of 51, a middle position, 4.32 ¢ over the U.S. Nine years moved the D.C. commercial price +42.1% (+4.0% a year), ahead of the U.S. by 22.3 points. The sharpest year was 2022 at +20.0%; the peak came in 2024.

The latest D.C. year moved +0.8%, so the price is flat. The D.C. residential price of 17.71 ¢ sits 0.64 ¢ above. A D.C. commercial account uses 21,781 kWh a month; priced at 17.07 ¢ that is about $3,718, and the sector buys 70.9% of D.C.'s power.

Counting revenue instead of kWh, D.C. commercial accounts bring in 73.0% of District of Columbia sector revenue on 73.2% of the kWh, a discount of 0.2 points that comes from the price level: 17.07 ¢ here against 17.71 ¢ for residential and 10.80 ¢ for industrial accounts. The average D.C. commercial account uses 21,781 kWh a month, 1 of 51 among states on that measure; a residential account uses 0.03 times as much and an industrial account 717.24 times. Commercial accounts are 7.95% of the 346,302 accounts in D.C.