Data · July 2026 · 47th of 51 jurisdictions

Tennessee Electricity Prices

At 13.71¢ per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, Tennessee carries the 5th-cheapest residential electricity price of the 51 reporting jurisdictions. That is 9.1% below the jurisdiction's all-time high of 15.08¢, recorded in March 2026. Since January 2001 the jurisdiction average has risen 124%, from 6.11¢ — a compound 3.2% a year — and month-to-month it has been among the steadiest third of jurisdictions. It runs 28.8% below the national benchmark — a gap that has widened from 22.4% below in July 2021. It is the cheapest jurisdiction in its border group, against Alabama at 16.40¢.

What we measure: Average residential retail price of electricity published by the EIA for each reporting jurisdiction, in cents per kilowatt-hour — a state- or DC-wide monthly average, not a personalized utility tariff or the rate any single household pays. EIA publishes jurisdiction-level retail-price data on a lag of roughly two to three months; the latest period shown reflects that lag.

Key facts — July 2026

Avg residential rate
13.71¢
National rank
47th of 51 jurisdictions reporting July 2026
Change (year over year)
+3.8%
vs national average
-28.8%
Est. annual bill
$1,440
All-time high
15.08¢ March 2026
National average
19.26¢
Months tracked
307

How Tennessee compares: below the national benchmark

Over the trailing twelve months the jurisdiction average ranged from 12.82¢ in February 2026 to 15.08¢ in March 2026 — a wide 17.6% spread within a single year.

Tennessee is the cheapest of the 5 jurisdictions in its immediate border group; the dearest, Alabama, averages 16.40¢.

Tennessee and its land-border neighbours, all at July 2026. A neighbour not reporting that month is omitted rather than compared at a different date.
JurisdictionAvg rate (¢/kWh)vs Tennessee
Mississippi14.54+6.1%
North Carolina15.16+10.6%
Georgia16.27+18.7%
Alabama16.40+19.6%

Tennessee is 9% off its record high

Record high
15.08¢ March 2026
Record low
6.11¢ January 2001
Change since January 2001
+124.4%
Compound annual rate
+3.2%/yr

Across the complete calendar years in the series (2001–2025), November is Tennessee's most expensive month relative to its own year and February its cheapest, a seasonal swing of about 8.3 percentage points. Each month is divided by its own calendar-year mean first, so the long-run price rise is not counted as seasonality. Partial years are excluded, so they are not part of the span named here.

Use Tennessee's 13.71¢/kWh jurisdiction average as comparison context. It is a public-data benchmark, not a household bill or solar result: a household figure requires documented annual use, address-specific production, same-scope price, utility cash flows, and source-event dates, and this page does not prefill them.

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Tennessee trend, last 36 reported months

Average residential price per kWh each month. Bars scale to the highest month shown.

Average residential electricity price by month in Tennessee
MonthAvg rate (¢/kWh)Rate relative to highest month
August 202311.93
September 202311.78
October 202312.49
November 202312.60
December 202312.11
January 202411.87
February 202411.81
March 202412.98
April 202412.58
May 202412.27
June 202412.37
July 202412.16
August 202412.25
September 202412.42
October 202412.74
November 202413.56
December 202412.93
January 202512.58
February 202512.54
March 202513.37
April 202513.91
May 202513.73
June 202513.82
July 202513.21
August 202513.02
September 202513.29
October 202513.06
November 202513.47
December 202512.87
January 202613.10
February 202612.82
March 202615.08
April 202614.94
May 202614.47
June 202614.07
July 202613.71

Tennessee electricity rates — common questions

Is electricity cheap in Tennessee?

Relatively, yes — 13.71¢ per kilowatt-hour in July 2026, 5th-cheapest of 51 and 28.8% below the national benchmark.

What is the average electricity bill in Tennessee?

At Tennessee's July 2026 average of 13.71¢/kWh, 10,500 kWh of annual use works out to $1,440 a year — around $120 a month. Running the same 10,500 kWh calculation at the July 2026 national benchmark rate gives $2,023 — a $583 gap between the two published averages, less for Tennessee, not a bill either way.

Are electricity rates going up in Tennessee?

Over the full EIA series the Tennessee jurisdiction average has risen 124% since January 2001, from 6.11¢ to 13.71¢ in July 2026 — a compound 3.2% per year. The path has been unusually smooth — Tennessee is among the steadiest third of jurisdictions month to month.

When were electricity rates highest in Tennessee?

March 2026, at 15.08¢ per kilowatt-hour. The July 2026 reading of 13.71¢ sits 9.1% below that peak. The lowest monthly average on record was 6.11¢ in January 2001.

What time of year is electricity most expensive in Tennessee?

November. Measured over the 25 complete calendar years the EIA series covers for Tennessee, 2001 through 2025, November runs highest relative to its own year and February runs lowest — a swing of roughly 8.3 percentage points.

Is electricity cheaper in states bordering Tennessee?

Among Tennessee and its land-border neighbours in July 2026, Tennessee posts the lowest average at 13.71¢ and Alabama the highest at 16.40¢. That makes Tennessee the cheapest in the group, at 13.71¢.

Is 13.71¢/kWh the rate I actually pay in Tennessee?

Almost certainly not exactly, and this is the one caveat that governs every figure on this page. The published value is the EIA residential average across every utility and residential rate class in Tennessee for July 2026 — a benchmark, never a billed amount. Even the jurisdiction figure is not one number — across the trailing year it moved between 12.82¢ in February 2026 and 15.08¢ in March 2026. Your own rate depends on your utility, tariff, usage tier, time-of-use schedule, and fixed monthly charges, none of which this index models. Read your bill for the rate that applies to you.

Use this data

Download Tennessee CSV — free to reuse with attribution. See how the Tennessee figure is calculated for the metric definition, refresh cadence, and limitations. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Electricity retail sales — average price by state.

Suggested citation

"Tennessee Electricity Prices." Geostellar Residential Electricity Price Index, July 2026, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity retail-sales data. https://geostellar.com/energy/electricity-rates/tennessee

← All jurisdictions: Residential Electricity Price Index