Electricity in Iowa

Electricity Rates, Plans & Statistics

Electricity Coverage & Statistics in Iowa

  • Population
    see rank
    3,190,369
  • Total Production
    see rank
    66,120,266 MWh / 20.72 MWh per capita
  • Total Consumption
    see rank
    53,497,059 MWh / 16.77 MWh per capita
  • Total Production from Renewable
    see rank
    37,959,290 MWh / 11.9 MWh per capita
  • CO2 Emissions from Consumption
    see rank
    19,120,346,603 kg / 5,993.15 kg per capita
  • Total Production from Non-Renewable
    see rank
    28,160,989 MWh / 8.83 MWh per capita
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Residential Electricity Bills & Rates in Iowa

Iowa residential electric rates are highest in January and the highest average bill is in March.

Historical Electricity Rates:

Price Per kWhAverage Bill$0.147/kWh$0.105/kWh$158.95/mo.$80.34/mo.
25th12.74¢Average residential price per kWh in the state of Iowa
16th$112.03Average residential monthly electricity bill for Iowa Residents

Energy Profile of Iowa

MonthlyWe report production data as it is published. Due to reporting methods and timing, data from 2021 and 2020 may be incomplete. Data is released in full each fall for the previous calendar year. For clarification on any data points, please contact our team.
AnnualAnnual data for 2020 will be finalized in the fall of 2021. Until that time, some data may be incomplete. Data for 2021 is a summation of all information released to date, which may only represent a portion of the actual production that has occurred. For clarification on any data points, please contact our team.

Iowa's Electricity Prices and Usage

Residents in Iowa enjoy a lower residential electricity rate than many people around the US, with an average state electric rate of 12.74 cents per kilowatt hour compared to the US average price of 13.99 cents. There are over 180 electric providers that call the state home, but due to the electricity market regulations in place residents most likely have only one or two electricity company choices determined by their location. The state ranks as the 29th highest polluting state in the US when considering total CO2 output, with over 19,120,346,602.63 kilograms of CO2 emissions emitted from electricity consumption. Producing 20.72 megawatt hours per resident, Iowa ranks as the 8th largest per capita generator of electricity in the US. The state has the 32nd highest population in the United States, with 3,190,369 citizens . The largest provider in the state based on megawatt hours sold is MidAmerican Energy.

Residential Electricity Providers in Iowa

ProviderService TypeResidential Rate (¢)Residential Average Bill ($)Residential Sales (MWh)Residential Revenues ($)State Production (MWh)
MidAmerican EnergyBUNDLED10.6888.766,120,125653,515,08135,909,781.35
Linn County RECBUNDLED11.81110.25302,63735,756,000
Eastern Iowa Light & PowerBUNDLED12.45143.19298,37937,136,400
North West Rural Electric CooperativeBUNDLED9.12213.97259,77623,686,500
Midland Power CoopBUNDLED12.17182.49205,06124,953,000
Ames UtilitiesBUNDLED11.6068.89173,42320,123,000246,346
Iowa Lakes Electric CooperativeBUNDLED12.32189.23172,46121,249,60075,204
Cedar Falls Electric UtilityBUNDLED9.4478.71172,29616,256,300205,265.93
Maquoketa Valley ElectricBUNDLED12.11133.33139,74816,923,400
East-Central Iowa Rural Electric CooperativeBUNDLED11.31157.19132,41014,973,000
178 providers total

Power Plants in Iowa

PlantCity/CountyPrimary Fuel TypeProduction (MWh)Emission (KG)Emissions/MWh (KG/MWh)Toxic Chemical ReleaseClosing Date
Walter Scott Jr Energy CenterCentral Iowa Power Cooperative (10.55%)New Hampton Electric (0.27%)Spencer Municipal Utilities (0.56%)Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (3.37%)Lincoln Electric System (6.17%)Sumner, Iowa Electric Utility (0.07%)MidAmerican Energy (69.63%)Eldridge Electric (0.26%)Atlantic Municipal Utilities (1.28%)Montezuma, Indiana Electric Utility (0.20%)Alta Municipal Utilities (0.07%)Cedar Falls Electric Utility (2.63%)Waverly Utilities (0.19%)West Bend Electric (0.07%)Corn Belt Power Cooperative (4.68%)
Council Bluffs Coal 6,362,8486,069,946,201.98953.97Yes
LouisaCentral Iowa Power Cooperative (4.60%)Geneseo Municipal Utilities (0.50%)Waverly Utilities (1.10%)Harlan Municipal Utilities (0.80%)Alliant Energy (4.00%)Tipton Utilities (0.50%)MidAmerican Energy (88.00%)Eldridge Electric (0.50%)
Louisa County Coal 4,353,1434,337,704,579.3996.45Yes
OttumwaMidAmerican Energy (52.00%)Interstate Power and Light (48.00%)
Wapello County Coal 4,175,4854,278,033,337.021,024.56
Emery StationInterstate Power and Light (100.00%)
Cerro Gordo County Natural Gas 1,944,548754,580,108.66388.05
Marshalltown Generating StationInterstate Power and Light (100.00%)
Marshalltown Natural Gas 1,921,675743,766,799.02387.04
Orient Wind FarmMidAmerican Energy (100.00%)
Orient Wind 1,848,469
George Neal NorthAlliant Energy (28.00%)MidAmerican Energy (72.00%)
Woodbury County Coal 1,702,4511,743,401,662.621,024.05Yes
Highland Wind Project (IA)MidAmerican Energy (100.00%)
O'Brien County Wind 1,607,171
George Neal SouthNorthWestern Energy (8.68%)Coon Rapids Municipal Utilities (0.52%)Algona Municipal Utilities (2.94%)MidAmerican Energy (40.57%)Bancroft Municipal Utilities (0.35%)Spencer Municipal Utilities (1.21%)Laurens Municipal Power and Communications (0.52%)Corn Belt Power Cooperative (8.70%)Grundy Center Municipal Utilities (0.33%)Milford Electric (0.35%)Interstate Power and Light (25.70%)Webster City Utilities (2.60%)Cedar Falls Electric Utility (2.50%)Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (4.86%)Graettinger, Iowa Electric Utility (0.17%)
Woodbury County Coal 1,448,0061,411,074,556.22974.49
Palo Alto Wind FarmMidAmerican Energy (100.00%)
Palo Alto County Wind 1,417,956
68 power plants total

Quick Facts

During the past year population has risen by 1.12% in Iowa, bringing the total number of citizens in the state to 3,190,369.

Customers in Iowa use 16.77 megawatt hours per year each, which ranks the state at 7th in the nation in electricity use per person.

Iowa produces 8.83 megawatt hours of electricity per person in the state from non-renewable electricity fuel sources. They are the 33rd highest state in the nation for non-renewable generation per capita.

Iowa generates 23.60% more electricity than the state consumes, leading to the need to export the surplus.

The monthly residential electric bill average in Iowa is $112.03 compared to the national average bill of $123.86. Iowa consumers enjoy a 9.55% lower average bill every month compared to the rest of the country.

Roughly 22,121,016.9 megawatt hours of electricity in Iowa are created per year using natural gas. This is 6.93 megawatt hours per customer in the state a year.

CountyPopulationProvidersPlantsResidential Rate (¢)Residential Avg. Electric Bill
Adair County7,4967213.38$164.45/mo
Adams County3,704712.60$130.97/mo
Allamakee County14,0614215.40$149.98/mo
Appanoose County12,317414.86$131.61/mo
Audubon County5,6749112.05$147.78/mo
Benton County25,575612.57$149.25/mo
Black Hawk County131,1448110.62$100.11/mo
Boone County26,7154113.66$165.34/mo
Bremer County24,9881013.75$170.72/mo
Buchanan County20,5658111.97$150.52/mo
Buena Vista County20,823912.54$172.93/mo
Butler County14,334813.14$209.67/mo
Calhoun County9,927612.67$184.01/mo
Carroll County20,760913.83$186.27/mo
Cass County13,12711112.33$135.41/mo
Cedar County18,505613.69$136.97/mo
Cerro Gordo County43,1277215.99$149.26/mo
Cherokee County11,6588111.89$166.82/mo
Chickasaw County12,0121214.54$187.18/mo
Clarke County9,748313.83$142.18/mo
Clay County16,3845113.19$174.42/mo
Clayton County17,043815.36$143.75/mo
Clinton County46,4608113.34$138.09/mo
Crawford County16,525913.15$182.51/mo
Dallas County99,678711.60$108.96/mo
Davis County9,110415.90$166.59/mo
Decatur County7,645613.64$136.55/mo
Delaware County17,4886112.70$112.39/mo
Des Moines County38,9106113.89$136.01/mo
Dickinson County17,703613.21$177.17/mo
Dubuque County99,2665112.86$112.31/mo
Emmet County9,3885112.89$179.53/mo
Fayette County19,509415.05$145.44/mo
Floyd County15,627813.54$191.49/mo
Franklin County10,0198114.10$196.55/mo
Fremont County6,605511.36$95.50/mo
Greene County8,771612.98$176.74/mo
Grundy County12,3298112.73$171.22/mo
Guthrie County10,6236111.90$138.78/mo
Hamilton County15,0391113.07$155.78/mo
Hancock County10,7954213.63$167.71/mo
Hardin County16,8783113.39$168.58/mo
Harrison County14,582712.86$190.61/mo
Henry County20,482513.90$134.91/mo
Howard County9,4694115.53$161.16/mo
Humboldt County9,597711.73$153.65/mo
Ida County7,005419.31$198.71/mo
Iowa County16,6626212.92$131.50/mo
Jackson County19,4857112.53$110.68/mo
Jasper County37,813713.93$121.16/mo
Jefferson County15,663313.40$140.09/mo
Johnson County152,8548212.32$121.53/mo
Jones County20,646412.96$112.73/mo
Keokuk County10,033614.08$126.92/mo
Kossuth County14,82813213.13$162.75/mo
Lee County33,5559115.08$133.24/mo
Linn County230,2997313.80$117.56/mo
Louisa County10,8373213.45$139.82/mo
Lucas County8,634414.27$135.86/mo
Lyon County11,93499.95$226.45/mo
Madison County16,548812.58$136.53/mo
Mahaska County22,1907111.06$95.41/mo
Marion County33,4146111.43$108.40/mo
Marshall County40,1055215.07$145.13/mo
Mills County14,484310.68$88.76/mo
Mitchell County10,5654212.47$185.48/mo
Monona County8,751613.47$183.49/mo
Monroe County7,577612.88$119.07/mo
Montgomery County10,330611.39$109.67/mo
Muscatine County43,2356112.92$138.01/mo
O'Brien County14,1821119.72$179.57/mo
Osceola County6,1928311.70$247.41/mo
Page County15,211611.94$111.06/mo
Palo Alto County8,9968112.61$176.87/mo
Plymouth County25,69889.37$193.12/mo
Pocahontas County7,07810112.54$162.94/mo
Polk County492,4018111.15$99.55/mo
Pottawattamie County93,6676111.75$125.36/mo
Poweshiek County18,6629214.17$119.13/mo
Ringgold County4,663612.93$135.03/mo
Sac County9,81410213.11$174.25/mo
Scott County174,6699112.63$117.41/mo
Shelby County11,746813.40$179.54/mo
Sioux County35,87289.47$184.25/mo
Story County98,5376314.64$145.73/mo
Tama County17,135813.32$149.82/mo
Taylor County5,8968113.10$133.94/mo
Union County12,1386114.12$141.80/mo
Van Buren County7,203815.02$154.09/mo
Wapello County35,4378115.86$142.22/mo
Warren County52,403511.47$104.19/mo
Washington County22,565515.67$133.22/mo
Wayne County6,497613.69$131.31/mo
Webster County36,9991211.64$128.49/mo
Winnebago County10,6795212.28$187.77/mo
Winneshiek County20,070315.68$158.91/mo
Woodbury County105,9418213.51$176.83/mo
Worth County7,443514.22$163.83/mo
Wright County12,9439112.57$186.10/mo

Power Plant Fuel Types, Emissions & Pollution Factors

In Iowa, Wind is 55.32% of the fuel utilized for electricity generation. Coal (33.46%) is also used for electricity generation, as well as Natural Gas (9.00%). Electricity use in the state results in the release of 19,120,346,602.63 kilograms of CO2 emissions per year, which is 29th largest emissions amount in the country. Additionally, the state ranks 16th worst in the nation in pollution per capita, which could be argued to be the more important statistic. Iowa has the 7th most electricity generation plants of any state in the nation, with 68 total plants. This equates to the 5th most power plants per resident in the nation.

WIND
Wind
Wind
Wind
Wind
Wind
Wind
55.32%
COAL
Coal
Coal
Coal
Coal
33.46%
NATURAL GAS
Natural Gas
9.00%
CONVENTIONAL HYDROELECTRIC
Conventional Hydroelectric
1.44%
SOLAR
Solar
0.34%
OTHER
Other
0.44%

Iowa Net Metering

About 33.71% of the electric companies in Iowa offer net metering to their consumers. The state has decent net metering and feed in tariffs that make solar and other types of electricity generation more feasible.

Energy Loss

The average energy loss for providers in Iowa is 1.85%. This includes data from 19 providers, including MidAmerican Energy, Linn County REC, and Ames Utilities. The national average is 2.76%, resulting in Iowa having a rank of 8th best in the country for energy loss efficiency.

Solar Taxes And Rebates

States that want to support solar panel installs at private residences can do this by passing solar related tax and rebate incentives. With over $2000 or 20% in tax credits for solar purchases, Iowa has decent options for state solar tax credits. Offering no rebates for solar panel purchases, the state is currently dropping the ball for its citizens who want to install private solar panels. Iowa offers consumers a 100% tax exemption that lasts less than 10 years. There is currently a 100% sales tax exemption in place for the install of solar panels.

State Level Initiatives

Policies enforced at the state level affect whether customers who are looking for renewable energy sources can easily find alternatives. States that have Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) have requirements in place for electric suppliers who sell electricity in the state. These standards dictate that a percentage of electricity must be produced from green energy. Sadly, Iowa only has limited or discretionary standards program set up. In addition, there are currently no low income solar programs to assist low income families to install solar panels.

Learn about going solar in Iowa, find out which system size is best for you, compare local installers and see which incentives are available in your area.

FAQ: Common Questions About Energy in Iowa

How much does electricity cost in Iowa?

Anything below the Iowa average of 12.74 cents per kilowatt hour would be a good electricity rate. The rates in the state range from 7.27 cents to 23.72 cents per kilowatt hour, with Coggon, Iowa Electric Utility currently having the lowest rates.

Which electricity company is the largest provider in Iowa?

By total customer count, MidAmerican Energy is the largest electricity company in Iowa.

What is the average electric bill in Iowa?

In 2022, Iowa has an average electric bill of $112, and the nationwide average is $124.

Does Iowa have a deregulated electricity market?

No, Iowa has a regulated electricity market where consumers often have only a single supplier choice for their electricity needs.

Where does Iowa get its electricity?

The primary fuel type used for electricity production in Iowa is Wind, making up 55.32% of the fuel used in the state. Coal and Natural Gas also account for 33.46% and 9.00% respectively.

How many electric companies offer service in Iowa?

There are 178 electricity suppliers offering service in Iowa.

How many power plants are within Iowa?

There are 68 electricity plants located in Iowa.

What electricity companies are in Iowa?

What is the cheapest electricity company in Iowa?

Last Reviewed By: Alex Zdanov
Published: 2021-03-16Last Updated: 2022-06-30