Last reviewed: September 2026 · By the HVAC Brief Editorial Team · Our sourcing and editorial standards
The median US household with air conditioning uses 1,667 kilowatt hours a year for cooling, which costs about $303 at 2026 electricity prices. In 2020 dollars it was $224.
The spread by state is roughly tenfold: about $1,161 in Hawaii against $51 in Alaska. Climate decides the bill far more than equipment does.
No single national figure describes what air conditioning costs, because usage and electricity prices both vary enormously. What does exist is EIA’s household-level estimate of how much electricity went to cooling in every sampled home, from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey. This page publishes that distribution by state and reprices it at current electricity prices.
The national figure
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Households using air conditioning | 109.51 million |
| Median cooling electricity | 1,667 kWh |
| Mean cooling electricity | 2,318 kWh |
| Median cooling cost, 2020 prices | $224 |
| Mean cooling cost, 2020 prices | $299 (standard error $1.9) |
| Median, repriced at 2026 national average (18.19¢/kWh) | $303 |
The mean sits well above the median because cooling use is skewed: most households use a modest amount and a minority in the hottest states use a great deal. For a typical household, the median is the better guide.
By state
| State | Median kWh | 2020 cost | 2026 price | Cost at 2026 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 2,508 | $486 | 46.28¢ | $1,161 |
| Arizona | 4,480 | $554 | 15.44¢ | $692 |
| Florida | 3,721 | $417 | 15.30¢ | $569 |
| Texas | 3,523 | $395 | 16.06¢ | $566 |
| Louisiana | 3,806 | $374 | 13.35¢ | $508 |
| Mississippi | 3,192 | $341 | 15.19¢ | $485 |
| Alabama | 2,610 | $348 | 16.54¢ | $432 |
| South Carolina | 2,615 | $333 | 15.93¢ | $417 |
| Nevada | 2,983 | $322 | 13.53¢ | $404 |
| California | 1,203 | $194 | 33.25¢ | $400 |
| Georgia | 2,560 | $330 | 15.40¢ | $394 |
| Oklahoma | 2,552 | $280 | 13.58¢ | $347 |
| New Jersey | 1,418 | $233 | 23.98¢ | $340 |
| Maryland | 1,555 | $197 | 21.30¢ | $331 |
| Arkansas | 2,368 | $271 | 13.61¢ | $322 |
| Kansas | 2,070 | $291 | 15.21¢ | $315 |
| North Carolina | 2,080 | $243 | 14.94¢ | $311 |
| New York | 1,030 | $196 | 29.38¢ | $303 |
| Virginia | 1,794 | $217 | 16.83¢ | $302 |
| Massachusetts | 999 | $195 | 30.14¢ | $301 |
| Tennessee | 2,120 | $230 | 13.87¢ | $294 |
| Missouri | 2,068 | $240 | 13.96¢ | $289 |
| Kentucky | 2,016 | $230 | 14.27¢ | $288 |
| District of Columbia | 1,120 | $138 | 24.66¢ | $276 |
| Delaware | 1,508 | $193 | 17.86¢ | $269 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,272 | $164 | 21.04¢ | $268 |
| Connecticut | 913 | $198 | 27.97¢ | $255 |
| Indiana | 1,479 | $210 | 17.04¢ | $252 |
| Illinois | 1,268 | $170 | 19.22¢ | $244 |
| Rhode Island | 830 | $170 | 29.22¢ | $243 |
| Ohio | 1,255 | $151 | 18.70¢ | $235 |
| New Mexico | 1,510 | $192 | 15.08¢ | $228 |
| New Hampshire | 809 | $145 | 26.79¢ | $217 |
| Michigan | 979 | $170 | 21.53¢ | $211 |
| West Virginia | 1,288 | $159 | 15.47¢ | $199 |
| Utah | 1,479 | $166 | 13.16¢ | $195 |
| Nebraska | 1,404 | $161 | 12.90¢ | $181 |
| Colorado | 1,079 | $105 | 16.72¢ | $180 |
| Iowa | 1,236 | $156 | 14.20¢ | $176 |
| Maine | 581 | $102 | 29.99¢ | $174 |
| Wisconsin | 813 | $117 | 19.00¢ | $154 |
| South Dakota | 1,055 | $121 | 14.50¢ | $153 |
| Vermont | 630 | $114 | 23.95¢ | $151 |
| Idaho | 1,044 | $103 | 12.96¢ | $135 |
| Minnesota | 827 | $114 | 16.25¢ | $134 |
| Oregon | 759 | $92 | 15.40¢ | $117 |
| Wyoming | 832 | $101 | 13.95¢ | $116 |
| Washington | 628 | $64 | 14.40¢ | $90 |
| North Dakota | 621 | $64 | 12.36¢ | $77 |
| Montana | 516 | $64 | 13.95¢ | $72 |
| Alaska | 188 | $45 | 27.09¢ | $51 |
The 2026 column multiplies each state’s median cooling kilowatt hours by its 2026 year-to-date residential price from EIA. It holds 2020 usage constant and changes only the price, which is the part of the bill that has moved most since 2020. Our electricity price tracker carries the underlying prices.
By climate
| Climate zone | Median cost | Households sampled |
|---|---|---|
| Hot-Humid | $410 | 2,318 |
| Hot-Dry | $286 | 1,404 |
| Mixed-Humid | $246 | 5,263 |
| Mixed-Dry | $195 | 130 |
| Cold | $148 | 6,250 |
| Marine | $80 | 512 |
| Very-Cold | $63 | 288 |
Climate explains most of the variation. Our cooling degree day index shows where summer heat runs highest, and summer 2026 ran 25% above normal nationally, which would push actual 2026 bills above a 2020-usage estimate in most states.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run air conditioning for a year?
The median US household that uses air conditioning spent about $224 on cooling electricity in 2020, from EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey. Repricing its 1,667 kilowatt hours at the 2026 national average of 18.19 cents gives about $303. The mean is higher, $299 in 2020, because a minority of households in hot states use far more.
Which state spends the most on air conditioning?
Hawaii, at a median of 2,508 kilowatt hours a year, about $1,161 at 2026 prices. Alaska is lowest at about $51.
How many kilowatt hours does air conditioning use?
The median air-conditioned US home used 1,667 kWh for cooling in 2020, and the mean was 2,318 kWh. State medians range from under 400 kWh to more than 4,000. Those kWh are also the starting point for sizing solar panels for an air conditioner.
Why are these figures from 2020?
RECS 2020 is the most recent survey with end-use detail; the 2024 cycle’s cooling data arrive in spring 2027. Kilowatt hours are a physical quantity that changes slowly, so this page reprices 2020 usage at each state’s 2026 electricity price to give a current-dollar estimate. Weather in any given summer will move actual bills.
How are these numbers produced?
EIA models end-use consumption from each household’s actual utility bills and its equipment and building characteristics, then calibrates the results. They are estimates of cooling’s share of the bill, not readings from a meter on the air conditioner.
Does a bigger home cost more to cool?
Generally, yes, but climate dominates. A small home in Arizona typically spends more on cooling than a large one in Washington. The state table shows the climate effect is far larger than any other factor.
Methodology and limitations
- Source: EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020 public use microdata v7, variables KWHCOL (calibrated electricity for space cooling) and DOLELCOL (calibrated cost of that electricity), weighted with NWEIGHT.
- These are EIA’s calibrated end-use estimates, modelled from each household’s billing data and characteristics. They are not appliance-level meter readings.
- A small share of calibrated costs are negative, an artefact of EIA’s calibration (0.07% of air-conditioned households). Medians are used as the headline because they are unaffected.
- State estimates are tested against EIA’s reliability standard (relative standard error at or below 50 and at least 10 sampled households); all 51 jurisdictions pass for this measure.
- Repricing: 2026 cost equals median 2020 cooling kilowatt hours times the state’s 2026 year-to-date average residential price from EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.B. It assumes 2020 usage, and actual 2026 bills will differ with that summer’s weather.
- Medians of kilowatt hours are multiplied by a single state price, so the repriced figure is the median at that price.
Sources
- US Energy Information Administration, RECS 2020 public use microdata, end-use consumption and expenditure estimates.
- US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B.
The HVAC Brief is an independent trade publication. We do not sell equipment, take manufacturer advertising, or accept payment for placement in our research. Corrections welcome.
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