Electricity Rates in Tennessee

Electricity Rates, Plans & Statistics

Electricity Companies & Statistics in Tennessee

  • Population
    see rank
    6,975,218
  • Total Production
    see rank
    78,883,372 MWh / 11.31 MWh per capita
  • Total Consumption
    see rank
    102,244,810 MWh / 14.66 MWh per capita
  • Total Production from Renewable
    see rank
    10,898,679 MWh / 1.56 MWh per capita
  • CO2 Emissions from Consumption
    see rank
    32,523,084,812 kg / 4,662.66 kg per capita
  • Total Production from Non-Renewable
    see rank
    67,984,694 MWh / 9.75 MWh per capita
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Average Residential Electricity Bills & Rates in Tennessee

Tennessee residential electric rates are highest in January and the highest average bill is in August.

Historical Electricity Rates:

Price Per kWhAverage Bill$0.140/kWh$0.101/kWh$212.21/mo.$98.31/mo.
13th12.43¢Average residential price per kWh in the state of Tennessee
41st$152.41Average residential monthly electricity bill for Tennessee Residents

Tennessee Electricity Fuel Mix

Tennessee's Electricity Prices and Usage

The average residential electricity rate in Tennessee in 2023 is 12.43 cents per kilowatt hour, which is 18.98% less than the national average rate of 15.34 cents.. While there are 84 electricity providers who operate in Tennessee, the electricity market is regulated and residents only have one or two supplier choices determined by their home address. Producing 11.31 megawatt hours per citizen, Tennessee ranks as the 33rd highest per capita producer of electricity in the US. There is a deficiency of 23361437.674999997 megawatt hours in the state due to the fact that citizens are using 29.62% more electricity than is produced. This leads to the necessity to import extra megawatt hours from outside of the state. Tennessee has had a 2.86% drop in the previous 12 months in the usage of renewable fuels for electricity generation. Customers in the state experience 1.82 power outages on average, with outages lasting about 143.42 minutes. The national averages for these data points are 1.58 outages and 145.81 minutes.

Residential Electricity Providers in Tennessee

ProviderService TypeResidential Rate (¢)Residential Average Bill ($)Residential Sales (MWh)Residential Revenues ($)State Production (MWh)
Memphis Light, Gas and WaterBUNDLED11.99140.525,275,866632,501,718
Nashville Electric ServiceBUNDLED13.25144.335,102,284675,889,0002,652
Middle Tennessee ElectricBUNDLED11.46150.344,518,070517,597,000
Knoxville Utilities BoardBUNDLED12.25138.52,541,831311,393,000
EPBBUNDLED12.24140.262,164,205264,996,000
Cumberland ElectricBUNDLED12.78184.781,646,858210,539,000
Volunteer Electric CooperativeBUNDLED12.07145.821,473,584177,807,000
Duck River ElectricBUNDLED12.33171.881,146,370141,343,000
Clarksville ElectricBUNDLED12.53149.931,012,596126,845,000
BrightRidgeBUNDLED12.70151.271,002,129127,272,000

Commercial Electricity Providers in Tennessee

ProviderService TypeCommercial Rate (¢)Commercial Average Bill ($)Commercial Sales (MWh)Commercial Revenues ($)State Production (MWh)
Memphis Light, Gas and WaterBUNDLED11.781,353.026,022,337709,392,348
Nashville Electric ServiceBUNDLED12.131,338.595,992,702726,738,0002,652
Middle Tennessee ElectricBUNDLED11.37730.183,101,201352,479,000
Knoxville Utilities BoardBUNDLED11.90906.492,282,115271,638,000
EPBBUNDLED11.93829.642,113,000252,098,000
Sevier County ElectricBUNDLED10.63370.381,005,312106,913,000
Lenoir City Utilities BoardBUNDLED11.94552.04733,29087,581,000
BrightRidgeBUNDLED11.91613.99718,51385,556,000
Volunteer Electric CooperativeBUNDLED12.60294.22615,42977,523,000
Clarksville ElectricBUNDLED12.35648.73563,38669,603,000

Power Plants in Tennessee

PlantCity/CountyPrimary Fuel TypeProduction (MWh)Emission (KG)Emissions/MWh (KG/MWh)Toxic Chemical ReleaseClosing Date
Hamilton County Nuclear 18,829,591
Rhea County Nuclear 16,830,188
Cumberland City Coal 7,019,315.967,382,618,236.861,051.7612/2028
Memphis Natural Gas 5,189,4721,834,061,646.51353.4212/2023
Hawkins County Natural Gas 4,454,9521,665,455,716.54373.84
Sumner County Coal 4,369,3424,518,198,111.541,034.0712/2031
Haywood County Natural Gas 4,003,7941,572,837,143.49392.84
Roane County Coal 3,067,560.013,634,814,093.671,184.9212/2027
Hardin County Conventional Hydroelectric 1,573,801.02
Rhea County Conventional Hydroelectric 1,055,629.01

Quick Facts

When measuring CO2 emissions per capita, Tennessee had a 7.73% drop throughout the preceding year.

With a population of 6,975,218 residents, Tennessee is the 16th largest state by population in the nation.

Wind turbines produce 0 megawatt hours per year per person for Tennessee residents, which is 40th highest in the US.

Tennessee ranks 33rd in the US for solar electricity production per capita, averaging 0.1 megawatt hours produced per person per year.

With 19.60% of Tennessee 's total electricity coming from the use of coal, the state ranks 22nd in the country in total megawatt hours produced from coal.

Residents of the state consume 102,244,810 megawatt hours for statewide electricity needs, making the state the 11th highest consumer of megawatt hours in the US.

CountyPopulationProvidersPlantsResidential Rate (¢)Residential Avg. Electric Bill
Anderson County76,6832512.63$148.31/mo
Bedford County49,754212.26$169.78/mo
Benton County15,8721113.07$138.88/mo
Bledsoe County14,863311.67$136.84/mo
Blount County134,0424110.89$139.17/mo
Bradley County107,845312.20$145.79/mo
Campbell County39,388412.04$131.29/mo
Cannon County14,309211.47$149.71/mo
Carroll County28,370210.75$130.20/mo
Carter County56,3143210.93$120.70/mo
Cheatham County40,8783112.47$162.25/mo
Chester County17,278312.47$161.97/mo
Claiborne County31,958211.02$118.07/mo
Clay County7,5682111.38$144.41/mo
Cocke County35,896212.15$134.58/mo
Coffee County57,227412.20$167.66/mo
Crockett County14,012212.84$171.70/mo
Cumberland County60,568312.05$145.50/mo
Davidson County708,4902413.24$144.92/mo
DeKalb County19,8754111.81$142.17/mo
Decatur County11,460111.08$118.93/mo
Dickson County54,000210.52$132.64/mo
Dyer County36,975612.39$163.87/mo
Fayette County41,5843210.43$143.61/mo
Fentress County18,385112.07$145.82/mo
Franklin County42,5283112.29$170.50/mo
Gibson County50,278512.27$161.75/mo
Giles County30,197412.06$149.79/mo
Grainger County23,3773112.26$146.10/mo
Greene County69,926111.90$147.93/mo
Grundy County13,471311.64$136.83/mo
Hamblen County64,184312.14$147.02/mo
Hamilton County363,7903412.18$140.95/mo
Hancock County6,6951110.42$110.28/mo
Hardeman County25,6123112.31$147.97/mo
Hardin County26,7223211.54$130.64/mo
Hawkins County56,8035111.48$139.94/mo
Haywood County17,9125412.36$165.04/mo
Henderson County27,800311.37$130.67/mo
Henry County32,298211.87$131.13/mo
Hickman County24,848211.58$139.48/mo
Houston County8,238311.67$141.93/mo
Humphreys County18,9561111.73$140.61/mo
Jackson County11,626212.35$151.43/mo
Jefferson County54,358412.55$154.69/mo
Johnson County17,912110.84$110.43/mo
Knox County475,2863112.25$141.67/mo
Lake County7,187412.80$171.00/mo
Lauderdale County25,406312.41$163.37/mo
Lawrence County43,967110.90$132.78/mo
Lewis County12,485211.77$142.58/mo
Lincoln County35,0422111.06$139.76/mo
Loudon County54,3494311.17$142.63/mo
Macon County24,954111.23$143.36/mo
Madison County98,3734112.55$161.59/mo
Marion County28,6793211.68$136.98/mo
Marshall County33,909312.17$167.79/mo
Maury County99,011412.03$160.49/mo
McMinn County53,0653111.62$140.64/mo
McNairy County25,9161411.38$140.07/mo
Meigs County12,622112.07$145.82/mo
Monroe County46,0414111.06$147.92/mo
Montgomery County216,1723112.72$179.66/mo
Moore County6,481112.33$171.88/mo
Morgan County21,158512.12$124.26/mo
Obion County30,722312.81$170.77/mo
Overton County22,364312.31$150.66/mo
Perry County8,313111.73$140.61/mo
Pickett County5,021212.12$146.77/mo
Polk County17,5022312.39$135.90/mo
Putnam County78,955412.11$145.82/mo
Rhea County32,7233211.72$136.42/mo
Roane County53,3136112.07$141.09/mo
Robertson County72,309312.74$180.75/mo
Rutherford County335,5953111.57$150.66/mo
Scott County21,855111.99$115.76/mo
Sequatchie County15,727211.69$136.44/mo
Sevier County98,0884110.61$124.93/mo
Shelby County929,1781411.99$140.52/mo
Smith County19,8203112.33$151.39/mo
Stewart County13,5692112.72$182.10/mo
Sullivan County157,8436411.32$142.85/mo
Sumner County193,0365212.43$167.71/mo
Tipton County60,868412.79$182.71/mo
Trousdale County11,463211.26$144.23/mo
Unicoi County17,891412.31$109.16/mo
Union County19,597411.67$130.31/mo
Van Buren County6,083211.66$137.49/mo
Warren County40,8013211.68$138.49/mo
Washington County132,0675312.02$146.73/mo
Wayne County16,350111.67$127.35/mo
Weakley County32,9481110.19$135.75/mo
White County27,134411.74$139.12/mo
Williamson County242,386211.68$149.58/mo
Wilson County144,748311.62$150.27/mo

Power Plant Fuel Types, Emissions & Pollution Factors

Tracking emissions on a per capita basis gives us a glimpse of the emissions efficiency of a state. Tennessee averages 4,662.66 kilograms of CO2 emissions per resident from electricity use, which ranks them 25th worst in the US. At 4,662.66 kilograms per person and 6,975,218 people in the state, the state emits 32,523,084,811.52 kilograms of CO2 emissions per year. Electricity plants in the state most often use Nuclear, which makes up 45.21% of the fuel types used for electricity generation in the state. Natural Gas and Coal make up 21.19% and 19.60% of generation, respectively. There are 74 electricity generation plants in the state of Tennessee, which is the 38th most power plants in a state in the US and translates to the 51st highest amount of plants per resident.

NUCLEAR
Nuclear
Nuclear
Nuclear
Nuclear
Nuclear
45.21%
NATURAL GAS
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
21.19%
COAL
Coal
Coal
19.60%
CONVENTIONAL HYDROELECTRIC
Conventional Hydroelectric
Conventional Hydroelectric
11.99%
SOLAR
Solar
0.89%
OTHER
Other
1.13%

Tennessee Net Metering

Out of the 84 companies in Tennessee, only one of them have made it a point to offer net metering to their customers. The state of Tennessee has bad state level net metering legislation.

Energy Loss

The average energy loss for providers in Tennessee is 1.83%. This includes data from 80 companies, including Nashville Electric Service, Middle Tennessee Electric, and Knoxville Utilities Board. The United States average for energy loss is 2.45%, which earns a rank of 7th best in the US for Tennessee in this category.

Solar Taxes And Rebates

When it comes to encouraging home installs of solar, one of the best uses of government resources is tax breaks and rebates for solar installs. Tennessee offers a credit that is $1000 or less or there is no state tax. Offering no rebates for solar panel purchases, the state currently is dropping the ball for its citizens who wish to install private solar panels. Unfortunately, homeowners in the state are only offered some optional tax exemptions for what they spend on private solar panel installation. The state offers a 100% sales tax exemption to anyone who purchase private solar. This is great for people in the state.

State Level Initiatives

Whether a customer is able to easily find electricity options with renewable fuel types is at least somewhat determined by legislation at the state level. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) encourage or require electricity suppliers to produce a percentage of their electricity using green energy. The state of Tennessee, unfortunately, has no standards in place. Additionally, there are currently no low income solar programs to encourage low income families to install solar panels.

Learn about going solar in Tennessee, 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 Electricity in Tennessee

How much does electricity cost in Tennessee?

Anything below the Tennessee average of 12.43 cents per kilowatt hour is a good electricity rate. The rates in the state range from 9.59 cents to 13.48 cents per kilowatt hour, with New Bern Electric currently having the lowest rates.

Does Tennessee have a deregulated electricity market?

Tennessee has a regulated electricity market, rather than a deregulated market. This means that citizens in the state normally have only one or two electricity provider options to choose from due to state legislation.

Where does Tennessee get its electricity?

Nuclear is the primary fuel source used for electricity generation in Tennessee, making up 45.21% of production. Natural Gas and Coal also make up 21.19% and 19.60% respectively.

How many electric companies offer service in Tennessee?

There are 84 electricity companies serving consumers in Tennessee.

What electricity companies are in Tennessee?

What is the average electric bill in Tennessee?

The average electricity bill in the state of Tennessee in 2023 is $152 while the national average is $137.

Which electricity company is the largest provider in Tennessee?

By total revenue, Nashville Electric Service is the largest electricity company in Tennessee.

How many power plants are located within Tennessee?

Tennessee is home to 74 active electricity plants generating electricity for the state.

What is the cheapest electricity company in Tennessee?

Residential Rate RankProviderResidential Rate (¢)State Customers
1New Bern Electric9.591,829
2Brownsville Utility10.005,368
3Tullahoma Utilities10.0811,050
4Chickasaw Electric Cooperative10.0921,699
5Weakley County Municipal Electric System10.1920,780
6Springfield TN Electric10.208,677
7Covington, Tennessee Electric Utility10.234,703
8Sevier County Electric10.2459,692
9Maryville Electric10.2622,614
10Lewisburg Electric10.296,421

Fernando García
Last Reviewed By: Fernando García
Published: 2022-10-24