Central Maine Power (CMP) rates and bills
Central Maine Power's 537,632 default-service customers in Maine paid an average of 27.41¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $147.32 a month on 538 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 29.17¢, and 32.32¢ in August 2026.2 Another 46,830 homes on its wires (8.0%) buy their supply elsewhere and pay Central Maine Power delivery charges averaging 17.11¢ per kWh, plus their supplier's price.
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.
14 of 16 Maine counties served (EIA-861 2025)
Central Maine Power's standard-offer homes paid an average of 27.41¢ per kWh in 2025, +17.0% on 2024, and 29.17¢ per kWh2 over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026. The 2025 rise came mostly on CMP's own side of the bill: the delivery-only average changed by +32.4%1 while the state-set supply price barely moved. In 2026 it was supply's turn to rise.
CMP's price per kWh, and whose price it is
Central Maine Power (legally Central Maine Power Company) is Maine's largest utility: its lines reached 584,462 homes in 2025, 81.5%1 of the state's residential customers. What those homes paid depends on the period:
- 27.41¢ per kWh1 in the calendar year 2025, from EIA's final annual survey (EIA-861);
- 29.17¢ per kWh over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026, from EIA's monthly sample (EIA-861M; the 2026 months are preliminary);
- 32.32¢ per kWh2 in August 20263 alone, one preliminary month.
Each is average revenue per kWh: what the 537,6321 homes on full service paid in total, divided by the kWh they used. In Maine, full service does not mean that CMP supplies the power. CMP does not sell electricity; homes that do not pick a supplier receive the standard offer, which the Maine Public Utilities Commission sets each year through a competitive bid. The Maine Office of the Public Advocate describes standard offer supply as billed through CMP on the supplier's behalf and separate from CMP's distribution and transmission rates. EIA's "bundled" figure for CMP therefore combines CMP's delivery charges with a supply price chosen by the state.
Among Maine's 3 utilities with 10,000 or more full-service residential customers, CMP's 2025 average was the 2nd highest, 1.0% below the Maine average. Nationally it ranked 12th highest of 177 large utilities and was 54.2% above the national average for investor-owned utilities1.
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). Bundled (default-service) customers only.
Show the numbers
| Month | Central Maine Power (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 25.73¢ | 591 | $152.10 |
| February 2025 | 25.84¢ | 677 | $174.89 |
| March 2025 | 28.67¢ | 639 | $183.13 |
| April 2025 | 27.50¢ | 549 | $151.00 |
| May 2025 | 27.05¢ | 480 | $129.86 |
| June 2025 | 27.36¢ | 441 | $120.75 |
| July 2025 | 27.41¢ | 505 | $138.32 |
| August 2025 | 27.88¢ | 561 | $156.37 |
| September 2025 | 27.10¢ | 489 | $132.52 |
| October 2025 | 25.61¢ | 481 | $123.13 |
| November 2025 | 27.88¢ | 553 | $154.10 |
| December 2025 | 31.24¢ | 495 | $154.67 |
| January 2026 | 31.08¢ | 567 | $176.21 |
| February 2026 | 32.17¢ | 652 | $209.65 |
| March 2026 | 27.40¢ | 705 | $193.19 |
| April 2026 | 27.36¢ | 605 | $165.65 |
| May 2026 | 27.46¢ | 533 | $146.47 |
| June 2026 | 28.29¢ | 453 | $128.31 |
| July 2026 | 32.51¢ | 423 | $137.64 |
| August 2026 | 32.32¢ | 485 | $156.89 |
2025: delivery rose, supply held
From 2024 to 2025, CMP's full-service average rose from 23.43¢ per kWh4 to 27.41¢ per kWh1. The supply part of that bill hardly changed: the Maine Department of Energy Resources reports that the standard offer rates the commission approved for 2025 were largely consistent with 2024's, with a minor downward adjustment for CMP customers.
The change shows up in what CMP bills for its own service. For homes that buy supply from a competitive supplier, CMP charges delivery only, and EIA's delivery-only average went from 12.92¢ per kWh4 in 2024 to 17.11¢ per kWh in 2025, +32.4%. Versant Power's delivery-only average changed by +18.8% over the same year, and three large utilities elsewhere in New England by less: +23.3% at Eversource in Massachusetts, +8.2% at Eversource in New Hampshire and +7.2%1 at Rhode Island Energy.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Delivery charges only: what the utility billed customers who buy supply elsewhere, divided by their kWh. Not comparable with bundled prices.
Show the numbers
| Utility | delivery-only revenue per kWh (residential) |
|---|---|
| Eversource (NH) | 14.20¢ |
| Rhode Island Energy (RI) | 16.29¢ |
| Central Maine Power (ME) | 17.11¢ |
| Versant Power (ME) | 19.29¢ |
| Eversource (MA) | 20.06¢ |
Storm recovery is one of the costs on the delivery side. The state energy office says major storms in recent years raised the recovery costs passed to ratepayers, and that costs from the 2024 winter storms were being recovered on the average residential CMP bill. Delivery itself covers transmission, regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; distribution, regulated by the Maine commission; and charges for programs such as energy efficiency, renewable energy contracts and energy assistance.
The average bill rose less than the price, from $130.57 to $147.32 (+12.8%), because use per home fell from 557 kWh4 to 538 kWh1 a month.
2026: a higher supply price, lower storm charges
In 2026 the two halves of the bill swapped roles. On November 20, 2025 the Public Advocate reported that the commission had accepted bids for 2026 standard offer supply that would raise monthly bills for CMP's residential and small business customers; the office said it believed the bids were higher because of natural gas prices and changes in the wholesale market. On July 1, 2026 CMP's delivery charges came down: the Department of Energy Resources says the decrease was primarily due to storm recovery costs from 2023 and most of 2024 being paid off, along with lower charges for efficiency programs.
EIA's monthly figures run to August 2026. CMP's residential average that month was 32.32¢ per kWh, +15.9% against August 2025. Statewide the residential average rose 14.1% over the same year, the 2nd highest3 increase among the states. Both figures are preliminary. The 12-month average of 29.17¢ per kWh2 sits above the 2025 figure and mixes months under both supply prices.
The next change may come from distribution rates. The commission dismissed CMP's multi-year rate proposal in November 2025, and on April 17, 2026 the company filed a new rate case, which the Public Advocate said would raise monthly bills if approved as filed. The guide to rate increases explains how a rate case reaches a bill.
Bills peak in late winter
Maine is among the coldest states (7,420 heating degree days a year on average, 5th highest5 among the 48 contiguous states), and CMP's monthly data peak at the end of winter. The 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 ran from 423 kWh per home in July 2026 to 705 kWh in March 2026, with average bills of $137.64 and $193.19 in those two months. Across the 12 months the average home used 536 kWh and paid $156.452 a month.
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 | 489 | $132.52 | 27.10¢ |
| October 2025 | 481 | $123.13 | 25.61¢ |
| November 2025 | 553 | $154.10 | 27.88¢ |
| December 2025 | 495 | $154.67 | 31.24¢ |
| January 2026 | 567 | $176.21 | 31.08¢ |
| February 2026 | 652 | $209.65 | 32.17¢ |
| March 2026 | 705 | $193.19 | 27.40¢ |
| April 2026 | 605 | $165.65 | 27.36¢ |
| May 2026 | 533 | $146.47 | 27.46¢ |
| June 2026 | 453 | $128.31 | 28.29¢ |
| July 2026 | 423 | $137.64 | 32.51¢ |
| August 2026 | 485 | $156.89 | 32.32¢ |
Electric heat is uncommon in Maine: the Census Bureau's 2025 survey put the share of Maine households heating mainly with electricity at 13.4%, 4th lowest6 among the states (a survey estimate). Use per home is low overall: Maine's 2025 residential average of 533 kWh a month was the 3rd lowest7 among the states, which keeps a high price per kWh from turning into an unusually high bill.
CMP beside Versant Power
Northern and eastern Maine are served mainly by Versant Power. In 2025 Versant's full-service homes paid more per kWh, 30.93¢ per kWh against CMP's 27.41¢ per kWh, but used less, 490 kWh a month against 538 kWh, so the average bills were close: $151.41 at Versant and $147.32 at CMP. The gap in price narrowed between 2024 and 2025: Versant's average rose 8.4% and CMP's 17.0%1. Over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026, Versant averaged 32.93¢ per kWh and CMP 29.17¢ per kWh2.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Utilities with 10,000 or more bundled (full-service) residential customers. Revenue divided by kWh sold, all charges included, EIA-861 2025 final. Darker bars have their own page. In this state, customers who buy supply from a competitive supplier are not in these averages (they pay delivery to the utility and supply to the supplier).
Show the numbers
| Utility | ¢/kWh |
|---|---|
| Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative | 19.36¢ |
| Central Maine Power | 27.41¢ |
| Maine average | 27.69¢ |
| Versant Power | 30.93¢ |
Customers of Maine's small municipal and cooperative utilities paid less on average: public power systems averaged 13.94¢ per kWh and the state's cooperatives 19.36¢ per kWh1 in 2025. None of them is an alternative for a CMP address. EIA's service-territory records place CMP in 14 counties, from York and Cumberland on the coast north to Somerset, Piscataquis and Penobscot. In 7 of them no other distribution utility reports service; in the other 78, Versant or a town utility also does, and the utilities' own maps decide by address. EIA has no price by town.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 14 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 |
|---|---|
| Androscoggin County | none |
| Cumberland County | none |
| Franklin County | none |
| Hancock County | Versant Power |
| Kennebec County | none |
| Knox County | Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, Matinicus Plantation Electric Co |
| Lincoln County | none |
| Oxford County | none |
| Penobscot County | Versant Power, Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative |
| Piscataquis County | Versant Power |
| Sagadahoc County | none |
| Somerset County | Town of Madison |
| Waldo County | Versant Power |
| York County | Kennebunk Light & Power Dist |
Standard offer or a competitive supplier
Every Maine customer may buy supply from a licensed competitive supplier instead of the standard offer; CMP still delivers the power and bills delivery. In 2025, 8.0% of CMP's residential customers did so, 46,8301 homes. EIA reports their figures separately:
- Standard offer (full service): 27.41¢ per kWh, delivery and supply together, for 537,632 homes, with an average bill of $147.32 for 538 kWh a month.
- Delivery only: 17.11¢ per kWh, CMP's charge for delivery alone, with an average delivery bill of $87.30 for 510 kWh1 a month. The supplier's charge is billed on top and is not in CMP's figures.
The two cover different homes and different parts of a bill, so they are not added together or compared directly. Across all Maine supplier contracts in force during 2025, competitive suppliers billed residential customers 14.92¢ per kWh1 for supply only, a past average over every contract, not a current offer. The Public Advocate's electricity supply page explains how to compare a supplier's terms with the standard offer, and the delivery and supply guide explains the two parts of a bill.
Storm minutes, smart meters and net-metered solar
CMP customers averaged 318 minutes without power in 2025 counting major storms, fewer than the Maine average of 363 minutes, and 177 minutes on days without major events (state: 192 minutes). The average customer had 2.11 interruptions; Maine's statewide figure, 2.24, was the 4th highest10 among the states. All figures follow the IEEE 1366 standard.
Nearly every CMP home has a smart meter (99.5% of residential meters in EIA's 2025 count), yet time-varying rates remain rare: 9,989 residential customers, 1.7% of homes on the wires, were enrolled in time-of-use rates. Rooftop solar is more common. CMP reported 16,367 net-metered residential installations with 138.9 megawatts of capacity, 28.011 per 1,000 residential customers. The time-of-use guide and the net metering guide explain how each changes a bill.
Business customers and help with bills
Full-service commercial customers paid an average of 23.76¢ per kWh in 2025 and CMP's 878 full-service industrial accounts 22.38¢ per kWh; across all customers the average was 26.48¢ per kWh. Shopping is far more common among businesses: 24,729 commercial and 729 industrial accounts took delivery only, at averages of 8.96¢ per kWh and 6.13¢ per kWh1.
Maine's federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) allocation for FY2026 was $42.7 million, $68.78 per occupied household, the 2nd highest12 among the states. The guide to help paying an electric bill lists the programs and how to apply.
Central Maine Power questions
How much does Central Maine Power charge per kWh?
Homes on the standard offer paid an average of 27.41¢ per kWh1 in 2025, 29.17¢ per kWh over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026 and 32.32¢ per kWh2 in August 20263 alone (2026 months preliminary). Each figure is total revenue divided by kWh, so it combines the monthly fixed charge, distribution, transmission, stranded costs and standard offer supply. It is an average, not a line in CMP's tariff.
Why did my CMP bill go up in 2026?
The 2026 standard offer supply price is higher: the Maine Public Utilities Commission accepted higher bids for 2026 in November 2025, according to the Public Advocate. EIA's monthly data show CMP's residential average in August 20263 at 32.32¢ per kWh, +15.9%2 against the same month a year earlier (preliminary). Delivery charges fell on July 1, 2026, when storm recovery costs from 2023 and most of 2024 were paid off, according to the Maine Department of Energy Resources.
Does CMP generate or sell my electricity?
No. CMP owns and runs the wires. Homes that do not choose a supplier get the standard offer, whose suppliers and price are chosen each year by the Maine Public Utilities Commission in a competitive bid; CMP bills that supply on the supplier's behalf.
What is the average CMP electric bill?
$147.32 a month in 2025 for 538 kWh1, up from $130.574 in 2024. Over the 12 months from September 2025 to August 2026 it averaged $156.45, from $123.13 in October 2025 to $209.65 in February 20262.
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, 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 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
- NOAA, Climate Prediction Center population-weighted degree days by state; table daily state files, base 65°F; 2016-2025 annual sums; 1981-2010 CPC normals; released November 13, 2026. ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.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, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_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
- 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
- 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.