HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WhiteFence.com (www.whitefence.com), the nation’s leading site to compare, connect and save on home services, today released analysis of consumer sales data that identified which major U.S. cities paid the highest for utility bills from February to August 2011. The WhiteFence Index report determined that consumers in New York City, Houston, Boston and Charlotte had the highest bills for: home phone, cable television, high-speed Internet, electricity and natural gas utilities. Additional findings showed that some cities, such as Dallas, experienced a 99 percent increase in utility bills from May to June.
Geographical areas with warmer weather patterns led to the spikes seen in some of the cities listed in the Index. The data available in the WhiteFence Index is derived from the thousands of orders that are placed on any one of WhiteFence's website each month.
Cities with Highest Average Utility Bills From February to August
1. New York City - $309.42
2. Houston - $302.31
3. Boston - 296.32
4. Charlotte - $287.99
5. Dallas - $302.27
6. Phoenix - $281.96
7. Portland - $278.32
8. Washington, D.C. - $272.37
9. Chicago - $269.64
10. Indianapolis - $261.92
Electricity Costs Soar in Southern States as Temperature Climbs
The WhiteFence Index found that Orlando and Houston were the two major U.S. cities that paid the most for their electricity bills. The average cost of electricity for Orlando residents was $150.56 from February to August of 2011, followed by Houston residents who paid an average of $131.84 during the same period.
Cities also experienced astronomical spikes in electricity costs when weather became warmer in their region from the month of May to June. For example, Dallas residents paid a total of $305.29 in June – a 99 percent Increase from the month prior ($152 total in May). Charlotte experienced similar hikes as residents paid $143 in May and $285 in June – another 99 percent increase.
WhiteFence CEO Bob Harris advises consumers living in deregulated states such as Texas, New York and Connecticut to take advantage of the ability to shop around for the cheapest utilities provider. “Residents can save considerably on their utility costs by locking in their rates ahead of the peak season. For example, if you live in Texas you should sign up for a fixed rate electricity plan in early March to avoid the spike in utilities costs during the summer months.”
About WhiteFence
WhiteFence is a free service that helps homeowners and renters compare, connect and save money on phone, Internet, television, electricity, natural gas and other home services. By simply entering a street address into the secure site, people looking to save money or start new service can find the most comprehensive list of plans available for their specific address from over 300 nationally recognized partners. As a trusted home service shopping source for 20 million people annually, WhiteFence makes it easy to establish service directly on the site in a few simple steps. WhiteFence is an Internet Capital Group (NASDAQ: ICGE - News) partner company. WhiteFence is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.WhiteFence.com.