In this paper, we propose a novel on-demand energy-aware routing protocol, utility-based power control routing (UBPCR), which reduces the trade-offs that arise in the other energy-aware route selection mechanisms that have recently been proposed for mobile ad hoc networks. Our approach is based on an economic framework that represents the degree of link's satisfaction (utility). With UBPCR, the utility function for any transmitter–receiver pair is defined as a measure of the link's preference regarding the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), the transmit power, and the transmitter's residual battery capacity. During a route-searching process, each intermediate node between the source and the destination is executed via two consecutive phases: the scheduling phase and the transmit power control phase. The scheduling algorithm finds the proper qualified data slot for the receiving channel so that the transmissions of independent transmitters can be coordinated. The transmit power control determines the optimal power, if one exists, that maximizes the corresponding link's utility. Extensive simulations show that the UBPCR protocol can achieve incompatible goals simultaneously and fairly.