Texas set a new all-time daily peak electricity demand record of 91.1 gigawatts on July 22nd, driven by a heat wave that swept across the region, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's July 2026 electricity report released this month. Nationwide electricity generation climbed 1.7% compared to July 2025, while average retail electricity prices rose 4.4% to 14.99 cents per kilowatt-hour. The report tracks monthly changes in power generation, fuel consumption, wholesale markets, and retail costs across all U.S. regions.
Forty-four states and the District of Columbia saw higher revenue per kilowatt-hour compared to last July, with Hawaii posting the steepest increase at 25.4%, followed by Ohio at 15.2% and Maryland at 14.8%. Only six states recorded declines, led by Connecticut, which dropped 12.4%. Among the contiguous states, California had the highest average revenue at 30.71 cents per kilowatt-hour, while North Dakota had the lowest at 9.09 cents. Retail electricity sales nationwide increased 1.9% in July 2026 compared to the same month a year earlier, with the commercial sector showing the largest gain at 4.3%, followed by transportation at 4.0% and residential at 1.0%. The industrial sector was the only one to decline, falling 0.3% year-over-year. Nebraska led all states with a 12.8% increase in retail sales volume, while Rhode Island saw the steepest drop at 12.9%.
Total U.S. coal stockpiles fell 8.0% to 109 million tons compared to the previous month, a decline the report describes as typical during summer months when coal plants operate more heavily to satisfy seasonal electricity demand. Natural gas prices at Henry Hub decreased from $3.15 per million British thermal units in June 2026 to $2.93 in July, while the spot price for Central Appalachian coal held steady at $3.28 per million British thermal units. When adjusted for power plant efficiency, the Henry Hub natural gas price of $23.47 per megawatt-hour remained below the Central Appalachian coal price of $35.42 per megawatt-hour in July. Wholesale electricity prices at most regional trading hubs experienced wide monthly swings, with the Mid-Atlantic market ranging from around $42 per megawatt-hour to $479, and New England from approximately $43 to $420.
The regional patterns in electricity generation reflected divergent weather conditions across the country. The West, Texas, and Florida all recorded year-over-year increases in power generation, while the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Central regions saw decreases compared to the previous July. The report explains that these regional differences stemmed largely from warmer weather in western parts of the country compared to last July, and cooler conditions across much of the eastern United States. All regions except the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast saw natural gas generation increase compared to July 2025, while coal generation rose only in Texas and Florida and declined elsewhere. Renewable generation other than hydroelectric increased in all parts of the country except the West.
All electricity systems across the nation saw their daily peak demand reach the upper end of their twelve-month ranges during July 2026. Beyond Texas breaking its all-time record, New England, New York State, and the Mid-Atlantic hit the top of their twelve-month ranges early in the month, while the Midwest, Southern Company, Progress Florida, California, and Bonneville Power Administration each approached but did not quite reach their twelve-month highs. Coal plants saw their average days of forward-looking supply increase in July, with bituminous units rising from 117 days in June to 127 days, and subbituminous units climbing from 116 to 119 days—a measure of how long current stockpiles would last given past consumption patterns.