Lubbock Residents Pay 12th Highest Electric Bill Among Small U.S. Metros
Nobody in Lubbock should be surprised to learn that we actually pay the 12th highest electric bill among small U.S. metropolitan areas, which are defined as a city with between 100,000 and 349,000 residents. With temperatures rising each year, our bills will only continue to do the same.
According to recent research published by commodity.com, Laredo, Texas is currently in the number one position for the highest electric bill at an average of $200 per household, followed by Midland, Texas. Coming in third is Tuscaloosa, Alabama, then Rocky Mount, North Carolina, all notoriously hot places. Lubbock is sandwiched at number 12 (between Waco and San Angelo) when it comes to how much we pay for our electricity, with an average of $180 per household.
I don't know about you guys, but I've had some pretty steep electric bills this summer. I have a three-bedroom house with concrete floors and high ceilings. My thermostat is usually set to around 74, and my bill is typically about $250. I can only imagine what it's like to pay for cooling on some of the monster houses here in town.
It may be worth noting that in a larger metro, with a population between 350,00 and 999,000, the 12th place position goes to Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi, and it has the same average price as Lubbock: $180.
It doesn't seem to matter much what the size of the city is, the bill is still pretty high, and there aren't any notoriously cold climates on the list. It's the hot cities that are stuck with these lousy bills. Maybe Lubbock Power & Light (LP&L) really isn't to blame for everything. (I'm still not letting them off the hook completely.)