Full service
14.74¢
per kWh, 2025 average revenue
$87.48 / month at 594 kWh
Price +4.6% from 2024
Municipal · 472,309 residential customers · Washington
Why is my City of Seattle electric bill so high?
EIA respondent: City of Seattle - (WA). Reviewed October 14, 2026.
In 2025, City of Seattle reported 472,309 residential full service customers under the EIA name City of Seattle - (WA). Average revenue was 14.74¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill in that filing was $87.48 for 594 kWh.
14.74¢ is above Washington's 2025 statewide residential average of 13.17¢. In July 2026 the state residential price was 14.71¢, versus 13.45¢ a year earlier (+9.4%). The utility number is a 2025 annual average. The state number is one later month. They answer different questions.
From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed +3.3%. Average use changed −1.3% and average price changed +4.6%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for −$1.06 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for $3.84.
EIA Form 861, 2025 final · Reviewed October 14, 2026
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A · Reviewed October 14, 2026
The rate on the record
Municipal residential rates are often set by a city board, not the state commission. Needs verification. Average revenue per kilowatt-hour is total residential revenue divided by residential sales. It is not a tariff schedule.
| Service | Customers | Price | Monthly use | Monthly bill | Vs 2024 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full service | 472,309 | 14.74¢ | 594 kWh | $87.48 | +4.6% |
EIA-861 sales to ultimate customers, 2025 final, compared with 2024 · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Audit the full service average
Revenue 495,811 thousand dollars. Sales 3,364,383 MWh. Customers 472,309. Cents per kWh = revenue ÷ megawatt-hours × 100. Monthly bill = revenue × 1,000 ÷ customers ÷ 12.
Why a City of Seattle bill moved
Usage and price pulled in opposite directions
Hold a City of Seattle household to the filing average and the monthly full service bill changed +3.3% between those two EIA years. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change of −1.3% is worth −$1.06 a month. The price change of +4.6%, from 14.09¢ to 14.74¢, is worth $3.84 on 2025 usage.
Above the Washington average
14.74¢ per kWh is above Washington's 2025 residential average of 13.17¢. July 2026 in the state was 14.71¢, versus 13.45¢ a year earlier (+9.4%). The utility figure is a full year of average revenue. The state figure is one later month. A household that uses more than 594 kWh will not land on $87.48.
Not a typical investor-owned rate case
City of Seattle is municipal in the EIA filing, so retail rates are often set by a city council or utility board rather than a state commission docket. The 2025 full-service average was 14.74¢ per kWh. Which board adopted the current tariff needs verification unless a decision is cited below.
Needs verification
Season
The 2025 monthly average for this City of Seattle service was 594 kWh, and the Washington residential average was 945 kWh. A single month can sit far from either figure. Compare kilowatt-hours with the same month last year before you treat the whole increase as a rate hike.
Time-of-use is already on the EIA schedule
EIA's 2025 dynamic-pricing file shows residential time-of-use activity at City of Seattle, with 158 residential customers enrolled in dynamic pricing. The expensive window is in the tariff, not in that enrollment count. Shifting a dishwasher or an EV charger only helps if you are actually on that schedule.
EIA-861 2025 and 2024 residential sales · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Rate cases and hikes
Needs verification No rate case for City of Seattle has been reviewed for this page. Orders and pending dockets are public at Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. The UTC regulates investor-owned utilities. Public utility districts and municipal utilities are governed locally. Needs verification for the utility on your bill.
Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Assistance
LIHEAP is the federal bill program, and the state contact list is the place to start. A City of Seattle income discount, medical baseline, or budget-billing rule was not retrieved from Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. That offer needs verification.
LIHEAP · Reviewed October 14, 2026
How to lower the bill
- Read the kilowatt-hours against this filing's average of 594 kWh a month. If your use is the thing that moved, the dollar total can rise on an unchanged rate.
- On the statement, separate the base energy charge from fuel or rider lines. A rider can move the total in a month when no new base-rate order exists.
- Match this month's weather to last year's same month. A mild comparison month makes an ordinary bill look like a hike.
- Start with LIHEAP for Washington (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/map/liheap-map-state-and-territory-contact-listing). A City of Seattle discount beyond that program needs verification.
- 158 residential customers were already on a dynamic price in the 2025 EIA file. If you are one of them, the window on the tariff is the lever. If you are not, calling the utility to discuss the schedule is the first step, not shifting load you are not being charged extra for.
- If the read is marked estimated, the next actual read can true the account up or down. The tariff rule for that true-up needs verification.
Full service at the 2025 average price
| Monthly use | Estimated bill |
|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $73.70 |
| 750 kWh | $110.55 |
| 1,000 kWh | $147.40 |
| 1,500 kWh | $221.10 |
| 2,000 kWh | $294.80 |
Usage times the average price. At very low use, a real bill is often higher because a fixed customer charge does not shrink. The tariff needs verification.
Questions people ask
Why is my City of Seattle electric bill so high?
In 2025, City of Seattle reported 472,309 residential full service customers under the EIA name City of Seattle - (WA). Average revenue was 14.74¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill in that filing was $87.48 for 594 kWh. 14.74¢ is above Washington's 2025 statewide residential average of 13.17¢. In July 2026 the state residential price was 14.71¢, versus 13.45¢ a year earlier (+9.4%). The utility number is a 2025 annual average. The state number is one later month. They answer different questions. From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed +3.3%. Average use changed −1.3% and average price changed +4.6%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for −$1.06 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for $3.84.
What was City of Seattle's average residential rate?
Using 2025 EIA-861 revenue and sales, the full service average was 14.74¢ per kWh. Average use was 594 kWh a month and the average bill was $87.48. This folds in whatever customer charges and riders the utility reported. It is not the marginal rate on your tariff.
Did City of Seattle raise rates?
The full service average price changed +4.6% from 2024 to 2025, from 14.09¢ to 14.74¢. That is average revenue per kilowatt-hour, not a commission order. No 2025–2026 order for this utility was retrieved for this page. A separate rider can still move a single month.
What bill assistance can City of Seattle customers ask about?
LIHEAP is the federal program for home energy bills (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/liheap). City of Seattle may also offer an income-qualified discount, budget billing, or a medical baseline. The current offer, income cutoff, and how to apply need verification with the state LIHEAP office and Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
Are data centers why this bill went up?
Large computing load is raising U.S. electricity demand, and regulators can later recover new generation and wires costs from customers. EIA has not published a dollar line that isolates data centers on this utility's residential bill. That pass-through needs verification.