Natural gas costs rising helped propel US electricity prices to a record high.

According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), after experiencing the largest increase in electricity prices in nearly two years, household electricity expenses in the United States have reached a historic high. Data released on Tuesday showed that the average retail electricity price rose by 7.4% in September, reaching a record high of 18.07 cents per kilowatt-hour, the largest increase since December 2023. With rising fuel costs and increasing demand, it is expected that electricity costs will further rise in 2026, and transportation and commercial users are also facing similar trends. The rise in fossil fuel prices is driving the continuous increase in electricity costs. These data highlight that as the electricity consumption of data centers and industrial users increases, consumer pressure due to rising energy bills has intensified. Although electricity prices usually fluctuate monthly due to factors such as weather and fuel costs, data shows that electricity prices in the United States have been steadily rising over the past five years. Natural gas is a significant factor driving the increase in electricity prices. As the largest source of electricity in the United States, natural gas prices in September were 30% higher than the same period last year.