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California home energy costs
The average California household used 503 kWh of electricity a month in 2024 and paid an average bill of $160.86, at a blended average price of 31.97¢ per kWh — 13% above the U.S. average bill of $142.26. Piped natural gas delivered to California homes cost $19.14 per thousand cubic feet. Every figure on this page is an official EIA number, with its source and period named.
| California at a glance | Figure (with source period) |
|---|---|
| Average electricity price (2024) | 31.97¢ per kWh — U.S. average 16.48¢ |
| Latest monthly electricity price (July 2026, preliminary) | 33.61¢ per kWh |
| Average electricity use (2024) | 503 kWh per month — U.S. average 863 kWh |
| Average monthly electric bill (2024) | $160.86 — U.S. average $142.26 |
| Natural gas, residential delivered (2024) | $19.14 per Mcf (about $1.85 per therm) — U.S. average $14.50 |
| Heating oil, residential | Not published by EIA for California (survey covers states where oil heat is common) |
| Propane, residential | Not published by EIA for California (not a survey state) |
Electricity in California: price, usage, and the average bill
The average price — 31.97¢ per kWh in 2024 — is EIA's blended figure: total residential electricity revenue in California divided by total residential sales, across every utility and every home in the state. It blends fixed customer charges into the per-kWh number, so it will never match the energy rate printed on any single tariff. The latest monthly snapshot, July 2026 (preliminary), puts the average price at 33.61¢ per kWh; July is a summer month, so read it as a snapshot, not a new annual rate.
Usage is the other half of the bill: at 503 kWh a month, California usage runs 42% below the U.S. average of 863 kWh. Price times usage is why the average bill lands at $160.86 — read the two together, never the price alone. Our electricity guide puts all 50 states side by side.
Natural gas in California
Natural gas delivered to California homes cost an average of $19.14 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) in 2024 — 32% above the U.S. average of $14.50. "Delivered" means the full price at the meter: the gas itself plus transportation and the local distribution company's charges. On the unit your bill most likely uses, that is about $1.85 per therm (1 Mcf ≈ 10.37 therms). We publish the price but not an "average gas bill" for California: the annual price table carries no per-state household consumption figure we can stand behind, so the honest way to size a gas bill is your own therms in the calculator. The natural gas guide covers all 50 states.
Heating and cooling: where the money goes in California
California households use relatively little electricity — 503 kWh a month against a 863-kWh national average. Where usage is low, the monthly bill is driven more by the price per kWh than by volume: a high-price state can post a mid-pack bill, and a low-price state a small one, on the same modest consumption.
One caution for gas-heated homes: at $19.14 per Mcf, delivered natural gas in California is priced 32% above the U.S. average of $14.50, so a cold winter costs noticeably more here than the national figures suggest.
Heating oil and propane in California
EIA does not publish residential heating-oil or propane prices for California: its weekly survey covers the states where those delivered fuels are a common way to heat a home, and California is not on either survey list. That is a gap in the federal data, not a zero — homes in California do burn both fuels, but no official state average exists to print, so we don't estimate one. The published fuels for California are electricity and piped natural gas, above.
Before you compare your bill
- Averages blend every home size and every utility in the state — a small apartment and a large detached house are in the same average.
- Annual averages hide the seasons. A July bill in a cooling climate and a January bill in a heating climate can each be double the annual average month.
- The average price is not a tariff. Your utility's actual rate schedule — including its fixed monthly customer charge — is the number that prices your bill; the EIA average is the benchmark to compare it against.
Sources: EIA — Electric Sales, Revenue & Average Price 2024, Table 5A (Form EIA-861) · EIA — Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (July 2026) · EIA — Natural Gas Annual 2024, Table 23 (Form EIA-176) · EIA — Heating Oil and Propane Update (week of October 19, 2026). Researched October 2026 — energy prices move with seasons and markets; confirm the current rate on your own bill.
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