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NorthWestern Energy (Montana) electric rates and bills

NorthWestern Energy's 333,711 default-service customers in Montana paid an average of 14.42¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $101.97 a month on 707 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 15.90¢, and 18.62¢ in August 2026.2 Another 2 homes on its wires (0.0%) buy their supply elsewhere and pay NorthWestern Energy delivery charges averaging 8.00¢ 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.

36 of 56 Montana counties served (EIA-861 2025)

NorthWestern Energy had the highest average residential price of Montana's large utilities in 2025, 14.42¢ per kWh, yet its homes paid $101.971 a month, less than the state's average bill, because they used less electricity. In 2026 its prices rose faster than the state's: the preliminary August 20263 average was 18.62¢ per kWh, +15.9%2 on a year earlier.

Three prices, three periods

Searches for "NorthWestern Energy rates per kWh" turn up figures from different years and different parts of the bill, so the period comes first here. EIA reports three residential averages for NorthWestern's Montana service:

PeriodAverage priceAverage billUse per home
Calendar 2025 (EIA-861, final)14.42¢ per kWh$101.97707 kWh1
12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 (EIA-861M)15.90¢ per kWh$108.14680 kWh
August 20263 only (preliminary)18.62¢ per kWh2——

Each is average revenue per kWh: what the 333,7111 full-service residential customers paid in total, divided by the kWh they used. The monthly service charge, energy charges and the power cost adjustment are all inside it; most taxes are not. A household that uses little pays more per kWh than this average, a large user less, and no line of the tariff matches it.

The 12-month figure is the best guide to what NorthWestern's homes pay now. It ran 15.90¢ per kWh2 against 13.94¢ per kWh3 for all Montana homes over the same September 2025 to August 2026. The single month is the most recent but also preliminary and seasonal: in months of low use, the fixed charges weigh more per kWh.

NorthWestern Energy: residential price each month, Jan 2025 to Aug 2026
NorthWestern Energy: residential price each month, Jan 2025 to Aug 202610¢12.5¢15¢17.5¢20252026

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
MonthNorthWestern Energy (¢/kWh)kWh per customerBill per customer
January 202512.36¢932$115.20
February 202512.95¢966$125.06
March 202512.97¢815$105.69
April 202513.34¢565$75.39
May 202513.60¢580$78.82
June 202517.10¢570$97.42
July 202515.85¢734$116.27
August 202516.06¢717$115.17
September 202516.62¢601$99.91
October 202515.92¢570$90.76
November 202514.02¢624$87.52
December 202514.34¢812$116.53
January 202614.80¢890$131.63
February 202615.96¢744$118.69
March 202615.51¢689$106.86
April 202616.08¢615$98.87
May 202616.74¢575$96.28
June 202616.94¢569$96.40
July 202616.31¢848$138.25
August 202618.62¢622$115.75

The 2024 rate case, step by step

NorthWestern's prices are set by the Montana Public Service Commission. Its last general rate case, docket 2024.05.053, ran from July 2024 to the end of 2025, and the dates explain why the 2025 average mixes several rate levels. According to the commission's status-of-dockets report to the Legislature's Energy and Technology Interim Committee (January 15, 2026):

  • NorthWestern filed a combined electric and natural gas case in July 2024, based on a 2023 test year, and asked for interim rates from October 1, 2024. The commission granted part of the interim request in Interim Order 7968e on November 26, 2024.
  • On May 23, 2025 the company put into effect the electric rates it had originally requested, under the authority of Mont. Code Ann. § 69-3-302.
  • On June 20, 2025 it replaced them with lower rates reflecting a partial settlement reached with several intervening parties.
  • On December 24, 2025 the commission issued its final order. It approved the partial electric settlement, included the Yellowstone County Generating Station in rates at a lower value than NorthWestern had sought, set a new base for the Power Costs and Credits Adjustment Mechanism (PCCAM) and suspended that mechanism's cost-sharing pending a separate review.

The PCCAM is the yearly true-up that passes changes in NorthWestern's power supply costs through to customers. The same report notes that NorthWestern acquired Avista's share of the Colstrip coal plant effective January 1, 2025.

EIA's figures span those changes. The 2025 average, 14.42¢ per kWh, was +1.3% on 2024's 14.23¢ per kWh, and the average bill moved from $101.20 to $101.97 (+0.8%) on slightly lower use (711 kWh4 to 707 kWh1). The monthly survey shows the larger step in 2026: August 2026 came in at 18.62¢ per kWh, +15.9%2 on August 2025, while Montana as a whole rose +9.0%3 over the same comparison. The data do not separate base rates from the power cost adjustment, and 2026 months will be revised. The guide to rate increases explains how rate cases and cost adjustments reach bills.

January bills, June bills

NorthWestern's homes use the most electricity in the dark, cold months. Over September 2025 to August 2026, use per home peaked at 890 kWh in January 2026 and bottomed at 569 kWh in June 2026; the average bill ran from $131.63 down to $96.402. The low point falls in summer, when Montana barely needs air conditioning: 232 cooling degree days a year on NOAA's 2016–2025 normals against 7,9465 heating degree days.

NorthWestern Energy: average residential use and bill by 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
MonthkWh per customerBill per customer¢/kWh
September 2025601$99.9116.62¢
October 2025570$90.7615.92¢
November 2025624$87.5214.02¢
December 2025812$116.5314.34¢
January 2026890$131.6314.80¢
February 2026744$118.6915.96¢
March 2026689$106.8615.51¢
April 2026615$98.8716.08¢
May 2026575$96.2816.74¢
June 2026569$96.4016.94¢
July 2026848$138.2516.31¢
August 2026622$115.7518.62¢

Most Montana homes heat with something other than electricity: 26.9%6 used electricity as their main heating fuel in the Census Bureau's 2025 survey. NorthWestern also distributes natural gas in Montana; gas bills are separate and not part of any figure on this page.

Highest price among Montana's large utilities, mid-table nationally

Of the 6 Montana utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers, NorthWestern's 2025 average was the highest, 11.0% above the Montana average. Montana's investor-owned utilities together averaged 14.30¢ per kWh, its cooperatives 11.16¢ per kWh. The lowest of the large utilities was USBIA-Mission Valley Power at 9.39¢ per kWh1.

Average residential price, 2025: NorthWestern and Montana's other large utilities
USBIA-Mission Valley Power (MT)9.39¢
Flathead Electric Cooperative (MT)10.04¢
Missoula Electric Cooperative (MT)10.93¢
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co (MT)12.33¢
Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-op (MT)14.22¢
NorthWestern Energy (MT)14.42¢

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
Utilityaverage residential price (bundled customers)
USBIA-Mission Valley Power (MT)9.39¢
Flathead Electric Cooperative (MT)10.04¢
Missoula Electric Cooperative (MT)10.93¢
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co (MT)12.33¢
Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-op (MT)14.22¢
NorthWestern Energy (MT)14.42¢

Bills rank differently. NorthWestern's homes used 707 kWh a month in 2025, below the Montana average of 853 kWh, so their $101.971 bill came in under the state's $110.807. The Montana page compares use and bills across the state's utilities.

Nationally it sits just below the middle. Among the 177 US utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers that report a full-service price, NorthWestern ranked 79th lowest of 177, close to the median of 15.07¢ per kWh, and 18.9% below the national average for investor-owned utilities1.

Delivery-only accounts

EIA files NorthWestern among utilities that deliver power to some customers who buy their supply from someone else. Almost all of them are businesses: in 2025 it reported 35 industrial and 503 commercial delivery-only accounts, against 2 residential ones. For those few homes the delivery charge averaged 8.00¢ per kWh, a different measure from the full-service 14.42¢ per kWh1: it covers the wires only, and their supplier's charges come on top. With so few accounts, the delivery-only figure says little about a typical home.

Outages, meters and rooftop solar

In 2025 NorthWestern's customers averaged 125 minutes without power counting major events, fewer than the Montana average of 288 minutes, and 117 minutes without them, with 1.108 interruptions per customer (reported under IEEE 1366).

96.1% of NorthWestern's residential meters were advanced meters in 2025, against 84.6% statewide. EIA counted 11,386 net-metered residential solar installations totalling 83.4 megawatts: 34.1 per 1,000 residential customers, a little below the US figure of 38.19. How exported solar power is credited is explained in the net metering guide.

Where NorthWestern serves, and business customers

NorthWestern reports service in 36 Montana counties, including Beaverhead County, Big Horn County, Blaine County, Broadwater County, Carbon County, Cascade County, Chouteau County, Deer Lodge County, Fergus County, Gallatin County, Golden Valley County, Granite County and 24 others10. In every one of them at least one other utility also reports customers, usually a cooperative, so the county does not settle who serves a home; NorthWestern's and the co-ops' own service maps decide by address.

Counties where NorthWestern Energy reports customers in Montana
Counties where NorthWestern Energy reports customers in MontanaBeaverhead County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityBig Horn County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 7 other utilitiesBlaine County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 4 other utilitiesBroadwater County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityCarbon County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 5 other utilitiesCarter County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyCascade County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesChouteau County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 4 other utilitiesCuster County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyDaniels County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyDawson County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyDeer Lodge County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityFallon County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyFergus County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 2 other utilitiesFlathead County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyGallatin County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesGarfield County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyGlacier County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyGolden Valley County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityGranite County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityHill County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 2 other utilitiesJefferson County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityJudith Basin County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 2 other utilitiesLake County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyLewis and Clark County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesLiberty County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 4 other utilitiesLincoln County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyMcCone County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyMadison County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityMeagher County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesMineral County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityMissoula County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesMusselshell County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 2 other utilitiesPark County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 2 other utilitiesPetroleum County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyPhillips County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesPondera County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 4 other utilitiesPowder River County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyPowell County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityPrairie County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyRavalli County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 2 other utilitiesRichland County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyRoosevelt County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyRosebud County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 5 other utilitiesSanders County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 4 other utilitiesSheridan County: not served by NorthWestern EnergySilver Bow County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityStillwater County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesSweet Grass County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesTeton County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 2 other utilitiesToole County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyTreasure County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyValley County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 3 other utilitiesWheatland County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 1 other utilityWibaux County: not served by NorthWestern EnergyYellowstone County: NorthWestern Energy reports service, with 4 other utilities

Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 36 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
CountyOther utilities reporting service
Beaverhead CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative
Big Horn CountyYellowstone Valley Electric Co-op, Tongue River Electric Cooperative, Big Horn County Electric Cooperative, Mid-Yellowstone Electric Cooperative, Big Horn Rural Electric Co, Powder River Energy Corp, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Blaine CountyFergus Electric Cooperative, Hill County Electric Cooperative, Big Flat Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Broadwater CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative
Carbon CountyFlathead Electric Cooperative, Yellowstone Valley Electric Co-op, Beartooth Electric Cooperative, Big Horn Rural Electric Co, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Cascade CountyFergus Electric Cooperative, Sun River Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Chouteau CountyFergus Electric Cooperative, Sun River Electric Cooperative, Hill County Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Deer Lodge CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative
Fergus CountyFergus Electric Cooperative, Hill County Electric Cooperative
Gallatin CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative, Park Electric Cooperative, Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative
Golden Valley CountyFergus Electric Cooperative
Granite CountyMissoula Electric Cooperative
Hill CountyHill County Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Jefferson CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative
Judith Basin CountyFergus Electric Cooperative, Sun River Electric Cooperative
Lewis and Clark CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative, Sun River Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Liberty CountySun River Electric Cooperative, Hill County Electric Cooperative, Marias River Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Madison CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative
Meagher CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative, Park Electric Cooperative, Fergus Electric Cooperative
Mineral CountyMissoula Electric Cooperative
Missoula CountyUSBIA-Mission Valley Power, Missoula Electric Cooperative, Ravalli County Electric Cooperative
Musselshell CountyYellowstone Valley Electric Co-op, Fergus Electric Cooperative
Park CountyFlathead Electric Cooperative, Park Electric Cooperative
Phillips CountyBig Flat Electric Cooperative, NorVal Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Pondera CountyGlacier Electric Cooperative, Sun River Electric Cooperative, Marias River Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Powell CountyMissoula Electric Cooperative
Ravalli CountyMissoula Electric Cooperative, Ravalli County Electric Cooperative
Rosebud CountyMontana-Dakota Utilities Co, McCone Electric Cooperative, Tongue River Electric Cooperative, Mid-Yellowstone Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Sanders CountyFlathead Electric Cooperative, USBIA-Mission Valley Power, Northern Lights, Avista Corp
Silver Bow CountyVigilante Electric Cooperative
Stillwater CountyYellowstone Valley Electric Co-op, Fergus Electric Cooperative, Beartooth Electric Cooperative
Sweet Grass CountyPark Electric Cooperative, Fergus Electric Cooperative, Beartooth Electric Cooperative
Teton CountySun River Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Valley CountyBig Flat Electric Cooperative, NorVal Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration
Wheatland CountyFergus Electric Cooperative
Yellowstone CountyYellowstone Valley Electric Co-op, Fergus Electric Cooperative, Mid-Yellowstone Electric Cooperative, WAPA-- Western Area Power Administration

Businesses paid a little less per kWh than homes in 2025: 13.41¢ per kWh for 102,189 commercial accounts and 10.49¢ per kWh for 2,411 full-service industrial accounts. Counting every class, its 438,311 customers averaged 13.67¢ per kWh1.

Help with winter bills is available through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program: Montana received $23.6 million12 for fiscal 2026. The guide to help paying an electric bill lists the programs.

NorthWestern Energy rates: common questions

What are NorthWestern Energy's rates per kWh in Montana?

Averaged over all residential customers and all charges, 14.42¢ per kWh1 in 2025 and 15.90¢ per kWh2 over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026, with 2026 months preliminary. These are average prices (residential revenue divided by kWh), not the per-kWh charges in NorthWestern's tariff, which leave out the monthly service charge and other items.

What is the average NorthWestern Energy electric bill?

$101.97 a month in 2025 for 707 kWh1, and $108.14 averaged over September 2025 to August 2026. Use peaks in winter, but the highest monthly bill came in summer: $138.25 in July 2026, against $87.52 in November 20252.

Did NorthWestern Energy raise electric rates?

NorthWestern filed a combined electric and natural gas rate case in July 2024 (Montana PSC docket 2024.05.053), put its requested electric rates into effect on May 23, 2025 under state law, replaced them with lower settlement rates in June 2025, and received the commission's final order on December 24, 2025. EIA's preliminary August 20263 figure, 18.62¢ per kWh, was +15.9%2 on August 2025.

Can I buy electricity from another supplier in NorthWestern's territory?

In practice, no for homes. EIA counted 2 residential accounts on NorthWestern's wires buying supply elsewhere in 2025, against 333,711 full-service residential customers; the share shopping rounds to 0.0%1.

Related pages

Sources

  1. EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
  2. EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; table sales_ult_cust_2025 and _2026; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year estimates, house heating fuel, table B25040; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
  7. EIA-861 2025, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
  8. EIA-861 2025, reliability; table Reliability_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
  9. 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
  10. EIA-861 2025, service territory; table Service_Territory_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
  11. Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties; table cb_2025_us_county_5m; cb_2021_us_county_5m; 2025 (2021 for Connecticut). www.census.gov
  12. 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.