Retail Electricity Price Trends and Drivers
Retail Electricity Price Trends and Drivers
Low-cost electricity is critical for economic competitiveness and household affordability. Research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory seeks to better understand recent retail electricity price trends and the many drivers of changes in national-, regional- and state- level prices. The relative influence of various factors differs across states, and relationships may change in the future. Nonetheless, this research emphasizes the diverse trends and drivers of retail prices and highlights the value of continued research to inform effective policy and ensure customer affordability.
In 2025, LBNL published a journal article with our initial findings on recent retail price trends and drivers, as well as data-focused briefing materials summarizing key findings.
LBNL will periodically update its data compilation on retail price trends and drivers, including a data-focused PPT-style briefing and underlying data file. The most recent versions of these data updates can be found here:
LBNL also manages two related data visualization tools, one focused on state-level price trends and drivers, and the other allowing users to explore FERC Form 1 utility expenditure data.
Additionally, LBNL conducts topical analyses on retail prices and affordability, in some cases covering topics that are addressed in the recurring data products.
