Kentucky Power: what eastern Kentucky homes pay for electricity
Kentucky Power's 130,322 residential customers in Kentucky paid an average of 15.95¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $196.99 a month on 1,235 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 16.95¢, and 19.75¢ in August 2026.2
EIA-861 2025 final (released October 7, 2026) and EIA's monthly utility survey through August 2026 (preliminary); next monthly update expected November 24, 2026. Averages are revenue divided by kWh, all charges included: not the rate printed in a tariff.
20 of 120 Kentucky counties served (EIA-861 2025)
Kentucky Power's 130,322 residential customers paid 15.95¢ per kWh on average in 2025, 21.5% above the Kentucky average, and their average bill was $196.991 a month against $143.725 statewide. The price has risen since: 19.75¢ per kWh in August 20264, +21.8%2 on a year earlier, the first August under the base rates the state approved from March 1, 2026.
Kentucky Power's price per kWh, by period
Kentucky Power Company, part of American Electric Power (AEP), serves 130,322 residential customers in eastern Kentucky, 6.3% of all Kentucky homes. Of the 4 Kentucky utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers, it serves the fewest homes and has the highest average price. Its 2025 figure, 15.95¢ per kWh, placed it 4th highest out of 32 Kentucky utilities that each serve at least 10,000 homes. Kentucky Utilities averaged 11.90¢ per kWh, LG&E 12.42¢ per kWh and Duke Energy Kentucky 13.86¢ per kWh1.
Nationally it sits near the middle. In EIA's list of 177 large US utilities (100,000 homes or more), Kentucky Power came 74th highest of 177 in 2025, and it was 10.3% below the national average for investor-owned utilities (17.78¢ per kWh1). The contrast comes from Kentucky's low prices overall: the state's average residential price was the 8th lowest3 of the 50 states and DC that year.
EIA publishes three figures for Kentucky Power, and they answer different questions:
| Period covered | Kentucky Power homes | Kentucky average | EIA survey and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (whole year) | 15.95¢ per kWh1 | 13.13¢ per kWh3 | annual EIA-861, final |
| September 2025 to August 2026 | 16.95¢ per kWh | 13.94¢ per kWh | monthly EIA-861M, partly preliminary |
| August 2026 | 19.75¢ per kWh2 | 13.80¢ per kWh4 | monthly EIA-861M, preliminary |
Each is average revenue per kWh: the money billed to residential customers divided by the kWh they bought. The monthly service charge, the fuel adjustment and the riders are all inside it, so no single line of Kentucky Power's tariff will match it. Households that use little electricity end up above the average per kWh, since the fixed monthly charge is divided over few units; heavy users end up below it.
New rates since January and March 2026
Today's base rates were set in Kentucky Power's general rate case, which the company filed with the state Public Service Commission on August 29, 2025. In its final order of February 28, 2026, the commission denied the rates the company had proposed, approved a settlement agreement with modifications and approved the rates in the order's appendix for service from March 1, 2026; it also turned down the company's request to defer storm damage costs automatically. On April 9, 2026 the commission granted rehearing on a limited set of items, among them vegetation management spending, compensation, transmission expense and rate case costs, and returned the case to its docket, where filings continued into late October 2026.
A second case changed a rider. In a separate proceeding decided on December 30, 2025, the commission approved investments that let Kentucky Power keep taking capacity and energy from the Mitchell Generating Station after December 31, 2028, and approved its environmental surcharge tariff, as modified by a settlement, for service from January 1, 2026.
EIA's monthly data cover the months on both sides of those dates. Across September 2025 to August 2026, Kentucky Power homes paid 16.95¢ per kWh on average, up from 15.95¢ per kWh1 for calendar 2025. The August 2026 reading, 19.75¢ per kWh, was +21.8%2 above August 2025; for all Kentucky homes the same year-on-year change was +5.3%4. EIA's averages do not separate base rates, the fuel adjustment and the environmental surcharge, so they show how much the average moved, not which charge moved it. Monthly figures are preliminary and swing with the season; EIA publishes the next set on November 24, 2026.
Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Residential revenue divided by kWh in each month, as reported to EIA's monthly survey (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary).
Show the numbers
| Month | Kentucky Power (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 14.41¢ | 2,179 | $314.06 |
| February 2025 | 15.08¢ | 1,448 | $218.44 |
| March 2025 | 15.15¢ | 1,413 | $214.06 |
| April 2025 | 17.37¢ | 811 | $140.88 |
| May 2025 | 17.05¢ | 669 | $114.02 |
| June 2025 | 17.00¢ | 1,287 | $218.88 |
| July 2025 | 16.06¢ | 1,385 | $222.40 |
| August 2025 | 16.21¢ | 1,202 | $194.79 |
| September 2025 | 16.09¢ | 828 | $133.28 |
| October 2025 | 16.67¢ | 893 | $148.80 |
| November 2025 | 17.02¢ | 1,051 | $178.95 |
| December 2025 | 16.07¢ | 1,645 | $264.43 |
| January 2026 | 14.84¢ | 1,896 | $281.42 |
| February 2026 | 15.76¢ | 1,709 | $269.25 |
| March 2026 | 17.36¢ | 1,146 | $198.94 |
| April 2026 | 20.30¢ | 746 | $151.41 |
| May 2026 | 21.19¢ | 901 | $190.87 |
| June 2026 | 17.73¢ | 1,024 | $181.62 |
| July 2026 | 14.94¢ | 1,295 | $193.45 |
| August 2026 | 19.75¢ | 1,244 | $245.72 |
The rate increase guide walks through how a base-rate order, a fuel clause and a surcharge each show up on a bill.
Why the bill is the largest of Kentucky's big utilities
Kentucky homes are already heavy users (7th highest among the states, 1,094 kWh5 a month in 2025), and Kentucky Power homes used more still: 1,235 kWh. Multiply the higher use by the higher price and the 2025 monthly bill reached $196.99. The figure for Kentucky Utilities homes was $138.47, for LG&E $116.37 and for Duke Energy Kentucky $128.351.
The bill also grew faster than the price. Between 2024 and 2025 the price per kWh climbed 5.8% (15.07¢ per kWh, then 15.95¢ per kWh), monthly use climbed too (1,183 kWh, then 1,235 kWh), and the two together changed the bill by +10.5%1, from $178.326. In the latest 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) the pattern changed: homes used a little less, 1,199 kWh a month, yet paid $203.222 on average because each kWh cost more.
January, not July, sets the budget
In EIA's monthly figures for September 2025 to August 2026, the heaviest month for Kentucky Power homes was January 2026: 1,896 kWh per home and an average bill of $281.42. April 2026 was the lightest, 746 kWh and $151.412, so the winter bill was well above the spring one. In the Census Bureau's 2025 survey, 55.2% of Kentucky households heated mainly with electricity, 13th highest7 among the states; that is a statewide estimate with a margin of error, not a count of Kentucky Power's customers.
Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility. kWh per residential customer in each month (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary). The table adds the average bill and price for the month.
Show the numbers
| Month | kWh per customer | Bill per customer | ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 828 | $133.28 | 16.09¢ |
| October 2025 | 893 | $148.80 | 16.67¢ |
| November 2025 | 1,051 | $178.95 | 17.02¢ |
| December 2025 | 1,645 | $264.43 | 16.07¢ |
| January 2026 | 1,896 | $281.42 | 14.84¢ |
| February 2026 | 1,709 | $269.25 | 15.76¢ |
| March 2026 | 1,146 | $198.94 | 17.36¢ |
| April 2026 | 746 | $151.41 | 20.30¢ |
| May 2026 | 901 | $190.87 | 21.19¢ |
| June 2026 | 1,024 | $181.62 | 17.73¢ |
| July 2026 | 1,295 | $193.45 | 14.94¢ |
| August 2026 | 1,244 | $245.72 | 19.75¢ |
Outages far above the Kentucky average
Outage time is where Kentucky Power differs most from its in-state peers. Counting every event, major event days included, the average customer lost power for 911 minutes in 2025: more than the Kentucky average of 408 minutes. With major event days set aside it was 376 minutes, where the statewide figure was 173 minutes. The number of interruptions per customer was 2.62, where Kentucky's was 1.92. All of these follow the IEEE 1366 definitions, and Kentucky as a whole was 9th highest8 on outage minutes. A single year's totals depend heavily on that year's storms.
Source: EIA-861 2025, reliability. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | outage minutes per customer (all events) |
|---|---|
| Duke Energy Kentucky (KY) | 184 |
| Kentucky Utilities (KY) | 197 |
| LG&E (KY) | 228 |
| Kentucky Power (KY) | 911 |
No smart meters, few time-of-use or solar customers
In EIA's 2025 meter count, Kentucky Power reported 0.0% of its residential meters as advanced meters, against 94.8% at Kentucky Utilities, 94.0% at LG&E and 99.8% at Duke Energy Kentucky. The company still reported a residential time-of-use program, with 314 homes on it (0.2%9); the program's terms are set in the company's tariff on file with the commission. What a time-of-use rate does to a bill is covered in the time-of-use guide.
Rooftop solar is rare in the territory. EIA lists 339 net-metered residential installations, 3.2 megawatts in total, or 2.69 per 1,000 customers. How exported power is credited is a tariff matter, explained in general terms in the net metering guide.
Counties served, and who else serves them
Kentucky Power reported customers in 20 counties in 2025, by EIA's territory records, from Boyd and Greenup on the Ohio River south to Letcher, Leslie and Clay. Only 3 are served by no other distribution utility; the remaining 1710 are split with other utilities. Living in one of those counties, or in a given town, does not tell you who your utility is: Kentucky Power's service map, checked by street address, does.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 20 counties. Counts whole counties even where the utility serves only part of one; check the utility's own service-area map for an address.
Show the numbers
| County | Other utilities reporting service |
|---|---|
| Boyd County | none |
| Breathitt County | Jackson Energy Cooperative Corp, Licking Valley Rural E C C, Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Carter County | Grayson Rural Electric Cooperative Corp, City of Olive Hill |
| Clay County | Kentucky Utilities, Jackson Energy Cooperative Corp, Cumberland Valley Electric |
| Elliott County | Licking Valley Rural E C C, Grayson Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Floyd County | Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Greenup County | Grayson Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Johnson County | Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Knott County | Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Lawrence County | Grayson Rural Electric Cooperative Corp, Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Leslie County | Jackson Energy Cooperative Corp, Cumberland Valley Electric |
| Letcher County | Cumberland Valley Electric |
| Lewis County | Fleming-Mason Energy Cooperative, Grayson Rural Electric Cooperative Corp, City of Vanceburg |
| Magoffin County | Licking Valley Rural E C C, Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Martin County | Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Morgan County | Clark Energy Cooperative, Licking Valley Rural E C C, Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
| Owsley County | Jackson Energy Cooperative Corp |
| Perry County | none |
| Pike County | none |
| Rowan County | Kentucky Utilities, Clark Energy Cooperative, Fleming-Mason Energy Cooperative, Grayson Rural Electric Cooperative Corp |
For comparison, in 2025 the homes served by all of Kentucky's cooperatives paid 13.60¢ per kWh on average, and those served by city-owned and other public utilities 12.82¢ per kWh. Kentucky Power's figure was 15.95¢ per kWh1.
Kentucky Power among AEP's utilities
Kentucky Power's sister utilities under AEP sit in neighboring states. In 2025, residential averages were 16.97¢ per kWh at Appalachian Power in West Virginia, 17.16¢ per kWh at Appalachian Power in Virginia, 18.97¢ per kWh at AEP Ohio (bundled customers only) and 17.16¢ per kWh at Indiana Michigan Power in Indiana. Across all of AEP's utilities with pages here, averages ran from 12.14¢ per kWh (SWEPCO (Arkansas)) to 18.97¢ per kWh1 (AEP Ohio); the AEP page compares them all.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average residential price (bundled customers) |
|---|---|
| Kentucky Power (KY) | 15.95¢ |
| Appalachian Power (WV) | 16.97¢ |
| Appalachian Power (VA) | 17.16¢ |
| Indiana Michigan Power (IN) | 17.16¢ |
| AEP Ohio (OH) | 18.97¢ |
Businesses, and help with the bill
Businesses pay less per kWh than homes here. In 2025, Kentucky Power's 30,598 commercial accounts averaged 13.83¢ per kWh (an average monthly bill of $538.38) and its 927 industrial accounts 8.45¢ per kWh. Averaged over every class of customer, the price came to 12.65¢ per kWh1.
For households behind on winter bills, Kentucky received $56.5 million12 in federal LIHEAP energy assistance for fiscal year 2026; Kentucky Power customers apply through the state program like everyone else. More sources of help are listed in the guide to help paying an electric bill, and electricity in Kentucky sets Kentucky Power beside the state's other utilities.
Questions about Kentucky Power bills and prices
What does Kentucky Power charge per kWh?
EIA reports what customers paid on average, not tariff lines. For Kentucky Power homes that average was 15.95¢ per kWh1 for calendar 2025 (annual EIA-861 survey), 16.95¢ per kWh for the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026, and 19.75¢ per kWh2 for August 20264 (monthly EIA-861M survey; 2026 figures are preliminary). Each figure divides residential revenue by residential kWh, which means the monthly service charge, the fuel adjustment and riders such as the environmental surcharge are inside it. The energy charges in the tariff are narrower numbers.
Did Kentucky Power raise rates in 2026?
Yes. In its final order of February 28, 2026 in the company's base-rate case, Kentucky's utility regulator, the Public Service Commission, denied the rates Kentucky Power had proposed, approved a settlement with modifications and set new rates for service from March 1, 2026. The commission reopened the case on April 9, 2026 for rehearing on a few cost items. EIA's preliminary August 20264 figure for its homes, 19.75¢ per kWh, was +21.8%2 on August 2025.
Why are Kentucky Power bills so high?
Two things combine. The average price per kWh, 15.95¢ per kWh in 2025, was 21.5% above the Kentucky average, and homes used more: 1,235 kWh a month, while the statewide figure was 1,094 kWh5. Together they produced an average monthly bill of $196.991, and winter months run far above it: $281.42 on average in January 20262.
Can I choose another electricity supplier instead of Kentucky Power?
No. Homes in Kentucky cannot shop for a power supplier; EIA counted no Kentucky residential customers buying from one in 2025. Kentucky Power both delivers and sells the electricity to the homes in its territory, and the address decides which utility serves a home.
Related pages
Sources
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; table sales_ult_cust_2025 and _2026; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Historical state data, annual sales, revenue and customers; table HS861 2010-.xlsx; 2010-2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state; table sales_revenue.xlsx (EPM Table 5.6.A); January 2001 to 2026-08; months since January 2026 preliminary; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2024; 2024, final (file updated December 3, 2025); released December 3, 2025. www.eia.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year estimates, house heating fuel, table B25040; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
- EIA-861 2025, reliability; table Reliability_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, advanced meters, dynamic pricing and net metering; table Advanced_Meters, Dynamic_Pricing, Net_Metering 2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, service territory; table Service_Territory_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties; table cb_2025_us_county_5m; cb_2021_us_county_5m; 2025 (2021 for Connecticut). www.census.gov
- HHS, LIHEAP funding releases to states; table FY2027 first release; FY2026 final; FY2027 first release (October 9, 2026); FY2026 total; released October 9, 2026. acf.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.