How to Read EIA's Electric Power Monthly — Electricity Prices, Sales and Generation by Source
EIA Electric Power Monthly, U.S. totals for August 2026 (preliminary): average retail price (revenue per kWh sold) 14.87 cents (+5.1% from a year earlier); utility-scale generation +6.8%.
Key figures (Electric Power Monthly, October 23, 2026 release for August)
As of 31 October 2026, 00:23 KST; most recently published release: Electric Power Monthly from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), with data for August 2026, release date October 23, 2026. The report page lists the next release date as November 24, 2026, without a time of day. Primary source: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/[1][4]
| Indicator (United States, August 2026) | Previous (July 2026, Table 5.3 cell) | Current (August 2026, cell) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago (August 2025, Table ES1.A cell) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average retail price, all sectors (cents per kWh) | 14.99 (F48) | 14.87 (ES1.A H57) | -0.8% (calculated from the rounded values shown) | +5.1% (published, J57 = 0.051) from 14.15 (I57) | levels and published % changes (cells shown): EIA primary statistical record; calculated %: this page |
| Average retail price, residential (cents per kWh) | 18.31 (B48) | 18.16 (ES1.A H53) | -0.8% (calculated from the rounded values shown) | +3.4% (published, J53 = 0.034) from 17.57 (I53) | levels and published % changes (cells shown): EIA primary statistical record; calculated %: this page |
| Average retail price, industrial (cents per kWh) | 9.77 (D48) | 9.64 (ES1.A H55) | -1.3% (calculated from the rounded values shown) | +7.3% (published, J55 = 0.073) from 8.98 (I55) | levels and published % changes (cells shown): EIA primary statistical record; calculated %: this page |
| Retail sales, all sectors (million kWh) | not in the tables used | 412,568 (ES1.A B57) | not in the tables used | +4.6% (published, D57 = 0.046) from 394,419 (C57) | levels and published % changes (cells shown): EIA primary statistical record; calculated %: this page |
| Net generation, all energy sources, utility-scale (thousand MWh) | not in the tables used | 449,406 (ES1.A C23) | not in the tables used | +6.8% (published, E23 = 0.068) from 420,651 (D23) | levels and published % changes (cells shown): EIA primary statistical record; calculated %: this page |
| Net generation, natural gas, utility-scale (thousand MWh) | not in the tables used | 209,843 (ES1.A C11) | not in the tables used | +8.4% (published, E11 = 0.084) from 193,570 (D11) | levels and published % changes (cells shown): EIA primary statistical record; calculated %: this page |
| Estimated total solar generation, all facilities (thousand MWh) | not in the tables used | 49,206 (ES1.A C27) | not in the tables used | +17.8% (published, E27 = 0.178) from 41,778 (D27) | levels and published % changes (cells shown): EIA primary statistical record; calculated %: this page |
Comparison basis: values are from the Excel tables, with cell addresses shown; Table ES1.A stores percentage changes as fractions (0.051 = 5.1%), rounded here to one decimal. Table ES1.A compares August 2026 only with August 2025, so the month-to-month price changes use July 2026 from Table 5.3 of the same release and are this page's calculation. The tables and report page are all from EIA and count as one source.[1][2][3]
In three lines
1. EIA's monthly report covers U.S. electricity generation by source, fuel use and stocks, and retail sales, revenue and average prices for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
2. In August 2026, the average retail price was 14.87 cents per kWh across all sectors, 5.1% above August 2025; residential was 18.16 cents (+3.4%).
3. Utility-scale net generation was 449,406 thousand MWh, 6.8% above August 2025, and 2026 values are preliminary.[1][2]
What the tables say (in EIA's words)
Preliminary vs final. "Values for 2026 are preliminary." "Values for 2025 are final." "Percentage change is calculated before rounding."[1]
Coverage and sample. "Geographic coverage is the 50 States and the District of Columbia." "Values include energy service provider (power marketer) data." "Values for 2026 are preliminary estimates based on a cutoff model sample."[2]
Generation vs sales. "Net generation is presented for the calendar month while sales of electricity to ultimate customers and associated revenue accumulate from bills collected for periods of time that vary depending upon customer class and consumption occurring during and outside the calendar month." "Sales of electricity to ultimate customers and net generation may not correspond exactly for a particular month for a variety of reasons (e.g., sales data may include imported electricity)."[1]
What the average price is. "Average price of electricity to ultimate consumers represents the cost per unit of electricity sold and is calculated by dividing electric revenue from ultimate consumers by the corresponding sales of electricity." "The average price of electricity to ultimate consumers reported in this publication by sector represents a weighted average of consumer revenue and sales within sectors and across sectors for all consumers, and does not reflect the per kWh rate charged by the electric utility to the individual consumers." Sales and revenue come from a monthly sample of utilities; the technical notes say: "Based on this sample, a model is used to estimate for the entire universe of U.S. electric utilities." "All monthly survey data are first disseminated as preliminary."[5]
Reading in pairs
Month to month vs year to year. The all-sector average price fell from 14.99 cents in July 2026 to 14.87 cents in August (-0.8%, this page's calculation from the values shown to two decimals, Table 5.3 cells F48 and F49) while standing 5.1% above August 2025 (published, ES1.A J57). The two comparisons answer different questions; the tables do not attribute the changes to specific causes.[1][2]
Level error vs change. The technical notes say: "Note that reported RSEs are always estimates themselves, and are usually, as here, reported as percentages." Table A.8.A prints relative standard errors for the August 2026 average price of 0.19% for the U.S. total (cell F65), 1% for residential (B65), 0.16% for commercial (C65) and 0.22% for industrial (D65); the cells themselves carry no unit. These describe sampling uncertainty in the August level; they are not a test of whether the change from July or from August 2025 is significant. Among the states listed, the residential values printed for New Mexico (20%, B55) and Colorado (16%, B51) are the largest.[3][5]
Utility-scale vs all facilities. Most generation lines cover utility-scale facilities; small-scale solar is estimated separately (10,387 thousand MWh in August 2026, ES1.A C25), and estimated total solar for all facilities was 49,206 thousand MWh (C27).[1]
Natural gas vs total. Natural gas generated 209,843 of 449,406 thousand MWh at utility-scale facilities in August 2026, or 46.7% (this page's calculation from ES1.A C11 and C23).[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
The U.S. average retail price of electricity across all sectors was 14.87 cents per kWh in August 2026, compared with 14.15 cents in August 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The U.S. average residential electricity price was 18.16 cents per kWh in August 2026, compared with 17.57 cents in August 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
U.S. utility-scale net generation from all energy sources was 449,406 thousand megawatthours in August 2026, compared with 420,651 thousand in August 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
U.S. retail sales of electricity to ultimate customers were 412,568 million kWh in August 2026.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
EIA lists the next Electric Power Monthly release date as November 24, 2026.[4] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
The U.S. all-sector average electricity price fell 0.8% from July 2026 (14.99 cents per kWh) to August 2026 (14.87 cents).[2] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from Table 5.3
Natural gas accounted for 46.7% of U.S. utility-scale net generation in August 2026.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from Table ES1.A
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- Why did the average retail price rise 5.1% from August 2025?
- How much will the preliminary August 2026 values change?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 10/31/2026, 00:27
- Body characters
- 6,630
- Sources
- 5 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/31/2026, 00:40
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (3)
| 10/31/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 10/31/2026 | First version. Read in full EIA Electric Power Monthly Tables ES1.A, 5.3 and A.8.A for the August 2026 data release, every row and note, with values cited by cell address, plus the report page with release dates; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
| 10/31/2026 | Revised after review: added EIA's technical notes (read in full) as a source; the summary and price answer explain that the average price is revenue divided by kWh sold and preliminary; relative standard errors are given in percent as the technical notes describe, still marked as level measures rather than tests of change; month-to-month changes are marked as computed from the rounded values shown; source notes record that the xlsx values were read by program. | Updated |
Frequently asked
What was the U.S. average retail electricity price for all sectors in August 2026?
14.87 cents per kWh (Table ES1.A cell H57), preliminary; EIA calculates it as revenue from ultimate customers divided by kWh sold, a weighted average rather than a rate any customer pays, and it was 5.1% above August 2025 (14.15 cents).[1][5]
What was the U.S. average residential electricity price in August 2026?
18.16 cents per kWh, up 3.4% from 17.57 cents in August 2025 and down from 18.31 cents in July 2026 (Table 5.3 cell B48).[1][2]
Is the 5.1% year-over-year rise in the August 2026 U.S. average electricity price statistically significant?
The tables do not test it: Table A.8.A gives a relative standard error of 0.19% for the August 2026 U.S. total price level, which describes the level, not the change.[1][3][5]
Why can August 2026 U.S. electricity sales and net generation differ?
Net generation (449,406 thousand MWh) is for the calendar month, while sales (412,568 million kWh) accumulate from bills covering periods that vary by customer class, and sales may include imported electricity.[1]
Are the August 2026 U.S. electricity figures final?
No: values for 2026 are preliminary, and 2026 prices are preliminary estimates based on a cutoff model sample; values for 2025 are final.[1][2]
How much U.S. electricity came from solar in August 2026?
An estimated 49,206 thousand MWh from all facilities, including 10,387 thousand MWh of estimated small-scale solar photovoltaic, 17.8% above August 2025.[1]
Official links
Sources
- [1] Electric Power Monthly, Table ES1.A: Total Electric Power Industry Summary Statistics, August 2026 (EIA, Excel) primary
- [2] Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.3: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector (EIA, Excel) primary
- [3] Electric Power Monthly, Table A.8.A: Relative Standard Error for Average Price of Electricity, August 2026 (EIA, Excel) primary
- [4] Electric Power Monthly report page (EIA, page as current on 2026-10-31) primary
- [5] Electric Power Monthly, Appendix C: Technical notes (EIA, PDF) primary