Tennessee households paid an average of 13.42¢ per kWh in August 2026, 26% below the US average and +2.5% on a year earlier. That ranks #46 of 51, most expensive first.
Source EIA, residential retail priceLatest month August 2026
Average residential priceTN
13.42¢/kWh
Typical bill
$161/mo
Average use
1,186kWh
EV, 1,000 mi
$37/mo
Thirteen months of prices
Average residential price by month, ¢/kWh (EIA). Highest 15.08¢ in March 2026, lowest 12.82¢ in February 2026. Download the data (CSV)
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).
Each row prices a utility’s standard plan for a typical home. The Tennessee average of 13.61¢/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.
NES sets the monthly customer charge by usage band; the plan shown uses the 500–2,000 kWh band.
Prices include TVA's fuel charge for September 2026, which changes every month.
Prices include TVA's September 2026 fuel cost adjustment; it drops from $0.02535 to $0.02164/kWh on October 1, 2026.
Prices include TVA's fuel cost adjustment for September 2026, which changes every month.
Against the national average and states with similar prices
Average residential ¢/kWh, August 2026 (EIA).
Tennessee13.42¢
United States18.16¢
Idaho13.37¢
North Dakota13.31¢
Utah13.31¢
Nebraska13.54¢
Charging an electric car in Tennessee
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 $37 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.
Some utilities, such as EPB, sell EV plans with cheaper overnight hours. The table shows, for each utility, the plan with the lowest total bill for a typical Tennessee home that adds 1,000 EV miles a month, averaged over the year, and what plugging in at 6 pm would cost instead.
Over the last 12 months the average price was 13.61¢ per kWh and the average home used 1,186 kWh a month, so a typical Tennessee household spent about $161 a month on electricity, or $1,937 a year. Use is 36% above the US average of 875 kWh a month, peaking in February at 1,602 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 NES’s page to see its plans, prices by hour and fixed charge, or run the calculators below with Tennessee preloaded.
Natural gas for homes averaged $1.31 per therm over the 12 months to August 2026 (EIA, all charges included), and a typical gas-heated home uses about 450 therms a year for heating. The heat pump calculator compares that with electric heating on your plan.
A south-facing, 20° rooftop array in Tennessee produces about 1,363 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.
Tennessee electricity: common questions
How much does electricity cost in Tennessee?
Homes in Tennessee paid an average of 13.42¢ per kWh in August 2026, against 18.16¢ for the US, which ranks the state #46 of 51 from most expensive. Over the last 12 months the average was 13.61¢. 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 Tennessee?
About $161 a month ($1,937 a year): the average Tennessee home used 1,186 kWh a month over the last 12 months at an average 13.61¢/kWh. Use peaks in February, at 1,602 kWh.
Are electricity prices going up in Tennessee?
Tennessee's average residential price was 13.42¢/kWh in August 2026, 2.5% higher than a year earlier. Over the last ten years the 12-month average has changed by +2.8% a year, against +3.7% a year for the US.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car in Tennessee?
Driving 1,000 miles a month in a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD takes 275 kWh from the wall, about $37 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 Tennessee utilities offer time-of-use plans?
Yes. MLGW offers RS TOU (peak 1 pm–7 pm on summer weekdays); EPB offers TRS, NRS (peak 3 pm–7 pm on summer weekdays on TRS); Middle Tennessee Electric offers NITEFLEX (peak 4 am–10 pm on summer weekdays). Each utility's page shows every period and price.