State average · reviewed October 14, 2026

Why are Tennessee electric bills so high?

In July 2026 the average residential price in Tennessee was 13.71¢ per kWh, compared with 13.21¢ in July 2025 (+3.8%). The 2025 average monthly bill was $156.03 for 1,180 kWh. A single household can sit far from those averages because of usage, a rider, or a different utility.

EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A · Reviewed October 14, 2026

EIA-861 2025 average bill · Reviewed October 14, 2026

July 2026: 13.71¢; +3.8% vs July 2025
2025 average bill: $156.03; 1,180 kWh a month
2025 average price: 13.22¢; 3,199,487 residential customers

Full service and delivery

Among distribution utilities in this extract, delivery-only residential customers were 0.0% of bundled plus delivery customers. A high share means many households buy energy from someone else. A low share means most reported customers are still full service. This is not a legal map of retail choice. Needs verification for a specific address.

Calculated from EIA-861 2025 residential customer counts · Reviewed October 14, 2026

Utilities

Utility	Customers	Average shown	Price
Entergy Arkansas	612,255	Full service	13.36¢
Nashville Electric Service	424,808	Full service	14.04¢
City of Memphis	385,015	Full service	13.24¢
Middle Tennessee E M C	311,520	Full service	12.47¢
Knoxville Utilities Board	196,674	Full service	13.83¢
City of Chattanooga	176,219	Full service	12.92¢
Volunteer Electric Coop	105,248	Full service	13.08¢
Cumberland Elec Member	101,734	Full service	13.76¢
City of Clarksville	77,509	Full service	13.67¢
Johnson City	72,729	Full service	13.22¢
Duck River Elec Member	71,969	Full service	13.59¢
South Kentucky Rural E C C	65,494	Full service	13.55¢
City of Lenoir	63,379	Full service	12.82¢
Upper Cumberland E M C	45,862	Full service	13.71¢
Tri-County Elec Member Corp (TN)	45,717	Full service	13.01¢
Appalachian Electric Coop	44,280	Full service	13.58¢
Southwest Tennessee E M C	43,847	Full service	13.72¢
Kingsport Power	43,364	Full service	12.28¢
French Broad Elec Member	37,052	Full service	16.21¢
Sevier County Electric System	36,001	Full service	12.06¢
Sequachee Valley Electric Coop	33,315	Full service	13.77¢
City of Greeneville	32,686	Full service	12.69¢
City of Jackson	32,264	Full service	12.57¢
Columbia Power System	32,032	Full service	12.73¢
Gibson Electric Members	32,014	Full service	13.74¢
City of Dickson	31,000	Full service	13.00¢
Fort Loudoun Electric Coop	30,743	Full service	12.83¢
Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop	30,485	Full service	14.24¢
City of Bristol	30,081	Full service	11.54¢
Caney Fork Electric Coop	29,863	Full service	13.60¢
City of Cleveland	29,740	Full service	13.34¢
City of Alcoa Utilities	28,498	Full service	12.99¢
Mountain Electric Coop	27,882	Full service	13.13¢
Powell Valley Electric Coop	27,788	Full service	12.20¢
City of Clinton	26,320	Full service	13.66¢
Holston Electric Coop	25,947	Full service	13.97¢
City of Gallatin	23,744	Full service	12.79¢
City of Elizabethton	23,381	Full service	12.30¢
Cumberland Valley Electric	22,582	Full service	13.11¢
City of LaFollette	20,083	Full service	14.33¢

Showing the 40 largest. The rest are linked from the utilities directory.

A bill at the July 2026 state average

Monthly use	At 13.71¢/kWh
500 kWh	$68.55
750 kWh	$102.83
1,000 kWh	$137.10
1,500 kWh	$205.65
2,000 kWh	$274.20

This uses the statewide average, not your utility's tariff. Fixed charges make low-use bills diverge. Needs verification against the bill.

Regulator and assistance

Many Tennessee distributors buy power from the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA and the local utility board may matter more than a state rate case. Which one sets a given rate needs verification.

Tennessee Public Utility Commission

LIHEAP contacts for Tennessee are on the federal list. A utility's own discount needs verification.