Electricity rates & appliance costs in Montana
The average residential price of electricity in Montana is 14.99¢ per kWh (EIA, July 2026) — up 5.0% from July 2025. Below, what the big household loads cost per month at that rate.
What things cost per month in Montana
Each calculator link carries Montana's rate into the calculator.
- Space heater (1,500 W, 6 h/day)$492/yrMonthly$41.04Calculate
- Window AC (900 W, 8 h/day)$394/yrMonthly$32.83Calculate
- Electric dryer (5 loads/week)$117/yrMonthly$9.78Calculate
- Refrigerator (450 kWh/yr)$67/yrMonthly$5.62Calculate
- Hot tub (6 kWh/day)$328/yrMonthly$27.36Calculate
- EV charging (38 mi/day @ 3.5 mi/kWh)$594/yrMonthly$49.51Calculate
Scenarios assume typical usage patterns; every calculator page lets you change the hours, size and wattage.
Why electricity costs 14.99¢/kWh in Montana
Severe, long winters; electricity competes with coal and wood heating in eastern Montana.
Co-ops and a small investor-owned utility; rates are modest for a cold state.
At 14.99¢/kWh, Montana sits below the 18.3¢ U.S. average. That works out to $149.90 for every 1,000 kWh used — so a 1,500 W space heater costs $0.22 an hour to run, and a family heating with electric resistance instead of gas feels that difference in every winter month.
How Montana compares with neighbouring states
Montana ranks 38th of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, from Hawaii at 48.00¢ down to Louisiana at 12.72¢ — a spread of about 3.8× across the country. Identical appliance habits can therefore cost several times more in one state than another.
Across Mountain — the regional grouping the EIA itself uses for comparison — the average rate including Montana is 14.68¢/kWh, so Montana pays $0.31 more per kWh than that regional average. On a 1,500 W space heater running 6 hours a day, that gap alone is about $84.94 a month.
What Montana households actually pay
A typical U.S. household uses around 30 kWh a day, about 900 kWh a month. At 14.99¢/kWh that is roughly $135 a month in electricity, or $1,619 a year. That is about $30 less per month than the same usage at the national average — a real saving on the same appliances.
Because the rate is a per-kWh price, the fastest savings come from the biggest loads: cutting a 1,500 W space heater from 6 hours a day to 3 saves about $21 a month in Montana. That is why the calculators here use your state rather than a national guess.
Reading your Montana utility bill
The EIA figure is a state average across utilities, not your tariff. Your bill shows your exact "price to compare" in ¢/kWh plus fixed customer charges, and sometimes tiered or time-of-use pricing. In a deregulated market you may also have chosen a retail supplier whose rate differs from the utility default.
The calculators use the published state average, which is the right basis for comparing appliances against each other. For a figure that matches your own bill, take the "price to compare" line and use it as your rate.
Montana electricity FAQ
What is the average electricity rate in Montana?
The average residential rate in Montana is 14.99¢ per kWh for July 2026 (EIA Electric Power Monthly). Year-to-date 2026, it averages 13.95¢.
Is electricity expensive in Montana?
Montana is up 5.0% vs July 2025 and -18% below the U.S. average of 18.3¢. The cheapest state is Louisiana (12.7¢) and the most expensive is Hawaii (48.0¢).
How much does it cost to run a space heater in Montana?
A 1,500 W space heater costs $0.22 per hour in Montana, about $41.04 per month at 6 hours a day.
How much does it cost to charge an EV in Montana?
At 15.0¢/kWh and 3.5 miles per kWh, driving costs $0.043 per mile — a 75 kWh full charge is $11.24. See the EV page for daily and monthly figures.
How does Montana compare with neighbouring states?
Montana pays 14.99¢/kWh, which is below the 18.3¢ national average and ranks 38th of 51 jurisdictions from most to least expensive. Across Mountain the average is 14.7¢/kWh, so Montana pays $0.31 more or less per kWh than its regional peers.
Why does electricity cost $0.15 per kWh in Montana?
Severe, long winters; electricity competes with coal and wood heating in eastern Montana. Co-ops and a small investor-owned utility; rates are modest for a cold state. That works out to $0.22 per hour for a 1,500 W space heater and roughly $67 a year to run a 450 kWh refrigerator.
