Data · May 2026 · 40th of 51 jurisdictions

Tennessee Electricity Prices

Residential electricity in Tennessee averaged 14.47¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, and its distance from the national benchmark has been widening. That is 4.0% below the jurisdiction's all-time high of 15.08¢, recorded in March 2026. Since January 2001 the jurisdiction average has risen 137%, from 6.11¢ — a compound 3.5% a year — and month-to-month it has been among the steadiest third of jurisdictions. It is the cheapest jurisdiction in its border group, against Alabama at 16.77¢.

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 — May 2026

Avg residential rate
14.47¢
National rank
40th of 51 jurisdictions reporting May 2026
Change (year over year)
+5.4%
vs national average
-25.5%
Est. annual bill
$1,519
All-time high
15.08¢ March 2026
National average
19.41¢
Months tracked
305

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 16.77¢.

Tennessee and its land-border neighbours, all at May 2026. A neighbour not reporting that month is omitted rather than compared at a different date.
JurisdictionAvg rate (¢/kWh)vs Tennessee
North Carolina15.09+4.3%
Georgia15.84+9.5%
Mississippi16.16+11.7%
Alabama16.77+15.9%

Tennessee is 4% off its record high

Record high
15.08¢ March 2026
Record low
6.11¢ January 2001
Change since January 2001
+136.8%
Compound annual rate
+3.5%/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 14.47¢/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
June 202312.34
July 202312.22
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

Tennessee electricity rates — common questions

Is electricity cheap in Tennessee?

Relatively, yes — 14.47¢ per kilowatt-hour in May 2026, 12th-cheapest of 51 and 25.5% below the national benchmark.

What is the average electricity bill in Tennessee?

At Tennessee's May 2026 average of 14.47¢/kWh, 10,500 kWh of annual use works out to $1,519 a year — around $127 a month. Running the same 10,500 kWh calculation at the May 2026 national benchmark rate gives $2,038 — a $519 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 137% since January 2001, from 6.11¢ to 14.47¢ in May 2026 — a compound 3.5% 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 May 2026 reading of 14.47¢ sits 4.0% 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 May 2026, Tennessee posts the lowest average at 14.47¢ and Alabama the highest at 16.77¢. That makes Tennessee the cheapest in the group, at 14.47¢.

Is 14.47¢/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 May 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, May 2026, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity retail-sales data. https://geostellar.com/energy/electricity-rates/tennessee

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