Alabamians' heavy use of air conditioning in the summer and electric heat pumps in the winter ends up costing us, according to a state-by-state analysis performed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Alabama residents, on average, spent more on electricity than any other state except South Carolina, according to the study, with the average residential customer in Alabama spending $1,747 per year on electricity, or $145.58 every month.

The high total spending in Alabama was driven by heavy usage -- third highest among states -- and average rates slightly below the national average of 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour.

Southeastern states as a whole dominated the usage statistics, with heavy use of air conditioning in the summer cited in the report as a primary factor.

Louisiana topped the list of highest residential electricity usage states, followed by Tennessee and then Alabama. Mississippi and Texas rounded out the top five.

Though Louisiana reported the highest electricity usage in the country, it also had the nation's lowest average electricity rate at 9.3 cents per kilowatt hour. It was not among the top five states in total spending.

Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee were also among the 10 lowest states in terms of electricity rates. Florida (10.98 cents per kW/h) and Georgia (11.50 cents) also reported lower average electricity rates than Alabama (11.99 cents). South Carolina reported higher average rates than Alabama at 12.65 cents per kilowatt hour.

Hawaii reported the highest rates at 27.5 cents per kW/h, due to obvious logistical challenges, followed by Alaska and then Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The report examined data from Alabama's 2.2 million residential customers, about 1.4 million of which are served by the state's largest utility, Alabama Power.

Alabama Power spokesman Ike Pigott said the combination of heavy air conditioning use and electric heating options are a significant factor in the state's rankings.

"Alabama's temperature range makes our state ideal for heat pumps, and that means more of our customers use electricity for comfort year round," Pigott said. "Also, we offer a competitive value for the price, so our customers choose to do more with electricity."

The EIA's state electricity profile for Alabama noted that three in five Alabama households use electric heating rather than natural gas or other fuels.

Pigott said that Alabama residents looking for ways to decrease their energy usage can visit alabamapower.com/tips.

For more information on state electricity rates and usage or the data used to generate these statistics, see the full EIA report.