Utilities and rate plans
Each utility’s current residential tariffs, transcribed from its tariff sheets, with periods, tiers, fixed charge and a typical bill. Customer counts from EIA-861 (2025).
Cheapest utility for a typical Iowa home (848 kWh a month) | Utility | Cheapest plan open to all | Typical bill | All-in ¢/kWh | Fixed/mo |
|---|
| MidAmerican | RST | $96 | 11.3 | $8.50 |
| Alliant Energy | 400 | $160 | 18.8 | $15.51 |
Each row prices a utility’s standard plan for a typical home. The Iowa average of 14.20¢/kWh (EIA, 12 months) is what every household in the state actually paid, including utilities not modeled here and discounted low-income bills, so it can sit below every row.
Charging an electric car in Iowa
Driving a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD 1,000 miles a month takes 275 kWh from the wall (EPA 27.5 kWh/100 mi), about $39 at the state average. A 25.5 mpg gasoline car covering the same distance at $4.17 a gallon (Midwest (PADD 2) average, October 2026) costs about $163.
On a time-of-use plan, charging in the cheapest hours beats the flat average. The table shows, for each utility, the plan with the lowest total bill for a typical Iowa home that adds 1,000 EV miles a month, averaged over the year, and what plugging in at 6 pm would cost instead.
Other models: cost to charge by model. Your car, miles and plan: EV charging cost calculator.
Average electric bill in Iowa
Over the last 12 months the average price was 14.20¢ per kWh and the average home used 848 kWh a month, so a typical Iowa household spent about $120 a month on electricity, or $1,445 a year. Use is close to the US average of 875 kWh a month, peaking in July at 1,209 kWh.
The state average hides the real spread. Utilities in the same state charge different prices, and on a time-of-use plan the same kWh costs more in the peak hours than off-peak; each utility page shows by how much. Open MidAmerican’s page to see its plans, prices by hour and fixed charge, or run the calculators below with Iowa preloaded.
Natural gas for homes averaged $1.09 per therm over the 12 months to August 2026 (EIA, all charges included), and a typical gas-heated home uses about 546 therms a year for heating. The heat pump calculator compares that with electric heating on your plan.
A south-facing, 20° rooftop array in Iowa produces about 1,373 kWh per installed kW a year (NREL PVWatts at the state’s population center). What that is worth depends on your utility’s export rule, shown on each utility’s page.
Iowa electricity: common questions
How much does electricity cost in Iowa?
Homes in Iowa paid an average of 17.06¢ per kWh in August 2026, against 18.16¢ for the US, which ranks the state #23 of 51 from most expensive. Over the last 12 months the average was 14.20¢. These are EIA averages of what households actually paid, fixed charges included; your utility and plan set your own price.
What is the average electric bill in Iowa?
About $120 a month ($1,445 a year): the average Iowa home used 848 kWh a month over the last 12 months at an average 14.20¢/kWh. Use peaks in July, at 1,209 kWh.
Are electricity prices going up in Iowa?
Iowa's average residential price was 17.06¢/kWh in August 2026, 10.2% higher than a year earlier. Over the last ten years the 12-month average has changed by +1.8% a year, against +3.7% a year for the US.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car in Iowa?
Driving 1,000 miles a month in a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD takes 275 kWh from the wall, about $39 at the state's average home price, against about $163 of gasoline for a 25.5 mpg car. On a time-of-use plan, charging overnight can cost less than that.
Do Iowa utilities offer time-of-use plans?
Yes. MidAmerican offers RST (peak 1 pm–6 pm on summer weekdays); Alliant Energy offers 407 (peak 2 pm–7 pm on summer weekdays). Each utility's page shows every period and price.