Some Laramie residents may have noticed a sharp increase in utility bills during the coldest part of the winter months.
While it may seem obvious that utility charges would increase during dramatic temperature changes, it still leaves the question of just how much power companies are charging.
Rocky Mountain Power, the main power provider in most of Wyoming, Utah and parts of Idaho, actually increased its rates at the end of 2012.
In June of 2012, the power company requested to increase general rates in Wyoming by 10.4 percent, according to a document submitted to the Wyoming Public Service Commission by Rocky Mountain Power.
In October 2012, utility charges from Rocky Mountain Power also increased its charges in Utah by 5.67 percent for residential power users in Utah Department of Commerce.
Nationally, however, in 2012 residential electricity prices decreased by about .02 percent from 2011, but prices are expected to increase by about .05 percent in 2013, according to the Energy Information Administration.
With increased state rates also came an increase in power usage across the country.
Total consumption in the country went up to about 12 million kilowatt-hours per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. With rising electric prices, the increased usage could also be a factor into the increased prices.
Even with the increases, Wyoming residents are still paying less than others across the country as Rocky Mountain Power still claims that it has some of the lowest prices in comparison to other power providers across the country.
In 2011, Utah paid about 8.80 cents per kilowatt-hour and Wyoming paid about 9.10 cents per kilowatt-hour. These prices were compared to about 15.71 cents in California and 18.77 cents in New York, according to the Edison Electric Institute.
While Wyoming remains relatively low, it may still have to face even higher prices if Rocky Mountain Power continues to raise its rates.
As the price of electricity continues to go up and the months start to get warmer, time will tell if costs level out or if residents continue to face to higher costs.
