Turning up the dial on your thermostat in the fall and winter months is bound to add major coin to your electric bill, so you power through. Unless you live in Utah, and then you really have nothing to worry about, according to new data released this week.

The Energy Information Association released its most recent data comparing how much Americans pay, on average, for electricity in each state. The results vary widely, and are not at all predictable.

Residents of Utah pay the least every month, with an average of $68.43, while residents of Hawaii pay the most, with a monthly average of $168.86, a more than $100 difference. Other states where you’d expect to see higher bills because of colder temperatures include Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, but these locations made the top five in lowest costs with averages between $77 and $78 a month. And New Mexico, where temperatures get very hot in the summer, came in second with a monthly average of $69.

On the other hand, states with milder temperatures, like Maryland, Alabama and Connecticut, ended up on the most expensive end of the spectrum with averages between $144 and $156. Texas was the fifth highest with $138, even though it is home to a huge supply of oil.

The reason for the large disparity in costs most likely has more to do with where the states are getting their power than what their seasonal temperatures are. Finding more renewable sources of electricity, like the use of hydropower in the Pacific Northwest, has helped states with varying, and sometimes extreme, temperatures keep costs low for residents, while keeping their living spaces comfortable.

[MSN]

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