How much were the electric bills for the island's
Executive summary
Average residential electric bills vary sharply by island and utility: South Padre Island residents average about $155–$156 per month at roughly 13.6–14.4¢/kWh (poweroutage.us; TexasElectricityRatings) [1] [2]. Long Island households face much higher bills — LIPA projected average monthly bills near $194 in 2025, up about $7 from 2024 (Newsday) [3] [4]. Rhode Island reporting shows broad public anger about spiking winter bills, refunds and credits, and per-customer program charges that materially changed recent monthly totals (WPRI; Rhode Island Current; Providence Journal) [5] [6] [7].
1. Islands are not a single market — geography, regulation and utility structure matter
“Island” can mean very different things in these reports. South Padre Island (Texas) operates in a largely deregulated Texas market with multiple retail plans and an average listed residential rate about 13.57¢/kWh yielding an average bill near $155.84/month (poweroutage.us) [1]. By contrast, Long Island’s utilities are dominated by LIPA/PSEG Long Island, with a regulated budget projecting average residential bills near $193.98/month for 2025 (Newsday) [4]. Rhode Island’s concerns are tied to an island-state utility (Rhode Island Energy) and state-level policy charges; reporting highlights rising bills and political fallout (WPRI; Rhode Island Current) [5] [8].
2. South Padre Island: market rates, average use and the $155 number
Independent price aggregators list South Padre Island averages: ≈13.57¢/kWh and an average monthly bill of $155.84 based on about 1,148 kWh/month of usage, and other local sites advertise plans pegged to roughly $155/month or 14.4¢/kWh (poweroutage.us; TexasElectricityRatings) [1] [2]. Those numbers come from private market trackers and reflect typical consumption assumptions; individual bills will vary with usage, plan choice and any daily/connection fees not captured in the headline averages [1] [2].
3. Long Island: budget-driven increases and an average near $194
LIPA’s 2025 budget analysis and local reporting project average monthly Long Island bills of about $193.98 — an increase of roughly $7 from the prior year — driven by higher debt-service costs, power-supply and usage expectations tied to electrification trends (Newsday) [3] [4]. Fox 5’s earlier coverage also noted a LIPA proposal for a 3.9% rate hike that corresponded to an approximate $7 monthly increase, showing continuity across local outlets [9] [4].
4. Rhode Island: spikes, credits and political heat
Rhode Island reporting documents sharp consumer anxiety as winter prices rose. Local outlets chronicled large numbers of complaints, one-time credits that changed bill perceptions, and regulatory interventions that produced refunds and targeted credits for eligible customers (WPRI; Rhode Island Current; Providence Journal) [5] [6] [7]. For example, Rhode Island Energy planned refundable discounts that would cut eligible customers’ bills by roughly $46.61 for each month of December through February, summing to about $139.53 for the period — a direct policy response to a 16% winter electricity-price spike noted by state filings [6].
5. Why island bills can be higher: local supply, policy and debt-service
Reports point to several drivers. Long Island’s increase is tied to LIPA’s debt-service costs and power-supply pressures (Newsday) [4]. Rhode Island’s bills reflect program charges, public-policy choices and one-off credits that can amplify month-to-month swings (WPRI; NBC 10 coverage referenced by Turnto10) [5] [10]. Nationally, islands like Hawaii or remote Alaskan areas pay more because of fuel and distribution costs; poweroutage.us notes geography and limited resources as structural cost drivers [11].
6. Conflicting data and limitations in available reporting
Available sources do not provide a single, authoritative “island” bill figure; instead they give case-by-case snapshots. Poweroutage.us and TexasElectricityRatings report average bills for South Padre Island; Newsday and LIPA budget documents speak to Long Island projections; Rhode Island outlets document volatility, credits and refunds [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. These outlets use different methodologies (usage assumptions, inclusion/exclusion of credits or program charges), so direct comparisons are not apples-to-apples [1] [2] [4].
7. What readers should watch next
For consumers: verify your local utility’s posted rate and your actual kWh usage before assuming averages apply to you [1] [4]. For policy watchers: monitor LIPA board actions, state regulator filings in Rhode Island, and any announced relief programs because these materially affect monthly bills and public sentiment [3] [6] [7]. For journalists: demand transparency on which charges (supply, delivery, program fees, debt service) are included when outlets publish “average bill” numbers [4] [5].
If you want, I can pull together a side‑by‑side table showing the specific numbers and citation links from these sources (power rates, assumed usage, and monthly-bill calculations) so you can compare apples-to-apples. Available sources do not mention a single consolidated “island” bill figure beyond the specific local examples cited above [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6].