There are four categories of electric industry consumers traced by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA); residential, commercial, industrial and transportation.  Residential consumers account for the largest share of electric sales at 37.2% with commercial consumers a close second at 35.9%.  Industrial consumers account for 26.7% of sales.

The average monthly electric bill for residential properties in Hawaii was $203.15, the highest in the nation, with New Mexico having the lowest with an average of $74.62 per month.

Residential consumers generally pay the highest prices and the average retail price in 2012 was 11.88 cents/kWh.  The average price paid by commercial consumers was 10.09 cents/kWh while industrial consumers paid 6.67 cents per kWh.

In 2012, the state with the highest average monthly consumption was Louisiana at 1,254 kilowatt-hours and the state with the lowest average monthly consumption was Maine at 531 kilowatt-hours.  However, according to EIA over 80% of the homes in the Northeast rely on heating oil for space heating instead of electricity.

The electric bill is a large part of the residential energy expenditures.  Energy efficiency is becoming a top priority for many homeowners.  A recent study by NAHB showed home buyer preferences found that nine out of ten buyers would pay a 2 percent to 3 percent premium for a home with energy-efficient features and permanent lower utility bills.