Washington State electricity rates and bills

A low price that rose fast

Washington's residential price was tied for 14th lowest among the 50 states and DC over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026), at 14.20¢ per kWh, 3.84¢ per kWh less than the US average. Over the same 12 months neighboring Idaho averaged 12.77¢ per kWh and Oregon 15.53¢ per kWh¹.

The direction is the newer part of the story. The same 12-month average was 11.9% higher than in the 12 months before, against 6.5% for the US as a whole. The annual figures show the same jump a year earlier: 11.90¢ per kWh in 2024, 13.17¢ per kWh in 2025, a rise of 10.7% (5th highest³ among the states). In August 2026, a preliminary single month, homes paid 14.63¢ per kWh, +7.2%¹ against August 2025.

WashingtonUnited States

Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Average revenue per kWh (all charges, nominal dollars), each month; summer and winter months differ by season. Monthly EIA data through August 2026 (released October 23, 2026); months since January 2026 are preliminary.

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Period	Washington (¢/kWh)	United States (¢/kWh)
Jan 2021	9.77¢	12.62¢
Feb 2021	9.81¢	13.01¢
Mar 2021	9.97¢	13.24¢
Apr 2021	10.14¢	13.73¢
May 2021	10.21¢	13.86¢
Jun 2021	10.15¢	13.83¢
Jul 2021	10.26¢	13.83¢
Aug 2021	10.29¢	13.92¢
Sep 2021	10.41¢	14.14¢
Oct 2021	10.39¢	14.06¢
Nov 2021	10.22¢	14.07¢
Dec 2021	10.09¢	13.72¢
Jan 2022	9.94¢	13.64¢
Feb 2022	10.04¢	13.76¢
Mar 2022	10.14¢	14.41¢
Apr 2022	10.14¢	14.57¢
May 2022	10.37¢	14.89¢
Jun 2022	10.52¢	15.30¢
Jul 2022	10.45¢	15.31¢
Aug 2022	10.41¢	15.82¢
Sep 2022	10.60¢	16.19¢
Oct 2022	10.62¢	15.99¢
Nov 2022	10.34¢	15.55¢
Dec 2022	10.04¢	14.94¢
Jan 2023	10.49¢	15.47¢
Feb 2023	10.71¢	15.98¢
Mar 2023	10.79¢	16.04¢
Apr 2023	10.95¢	16.10¢
May 2023	11.16¢	16.14¢
Jun 2023	11.21¢	16.09¢
Jul 2023	11.15¢	15.86¢
Aug 2023	11.14¢	15.91¢
Sep 2023	11.38¢	16.27¢
Oct 2023	11.33¢	16.48¢
Nov 2023	11.07¢	16.19¢
Dec 2023	10.98¢	15.69¢
Jan 2024	11.07¢	15.41¢
Feb 2024	11.38¢	16.10¢
Mar 2024	11.70¢	16.67¢
Apr 2024	11.82¢	16.86¢
May 2024	12.14¢	16.40¢
Jun 2024	12.31¢	16.38¢
Jul 2024	12.04¢	16.62¢
Aug 2024	12.16¢	16.60¢
Sep 2024	12.39¢	16.82¢
Oct 2024	12.48¢	17.09¢
Nov 2024	12.37¢	16.85¢
Dec 2024	11.85¢	16.27¢
Jan 2025	11.80¢	15.92¢
Feb 2025	12.50¢	16.40¢
Mar 2025	12.64¢	17.03¢
Apr 2025	13.04¢	17.20¢
May 2025	13.67¢	17.33¢
Jun 2025	13.63¢	17.44¢
Jul 2025	13.47¢	17.39¢
Aug 2025	13.65¢	17.57¢
Sep 2025	13.80¢	18.05¢
Oct 2025	14.07¢	17.95¢
Nov 2025	13.86¢	17.77¢
Dec 2025	13.35¢	17.11¢
Jan 2026	13.80¢	17.45¢
Feb 2026	14.10¢	17.65¢
Mar 2026	14.39¢	18.60¢
Apr 2026	14.36¢	18.86¢
May 2026	14.95¢	18.44¢
Jun 2026	14.91¢	18.34¢
Jul 2026	14.71¢	18.31¢
Aug 2026	14.63¢	18.16¢

Over the long run the gap with the US has narrowed. In 2001 Washington's residential average was 5.70¢ per kWh, against 8.58¢ per kWh⁴ nationally; by 2025 it had risen 131.1%, the 12th highest increase since 2001, while the US average rose 100.8%. The annual price has gone up in 22 of the years since 2002; the last decline was in 2019³.

District of Columbia+19.8%

New Hampshire+13.8%

Maryland+12.7%

Pennsylvania+12.3%

Washington+11.9%

Ohio+11.7%

Virginia+11.5%

New York+11.2%

Illinois+10.6%

New Jersey+10.2%

Idaho+9.8%

Maine+9.7%

United States+6.5%

Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Change between the trailing 12-month average price and the 12 months before it. Period: September 2025 to August 2026.

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State	Residential change, 12 months
District of Columbia	+19.8%
New Hampshire	+13.8%
Maryland	+12.7%
Pennsylvania	+12.3%
Washington	+11.9%
Ohio	+11.7%
Virginia	+11.5%
New York	+11.2%
Illinois	+10.6%
New Jersey	+10.2%
Idaho	+9.8%
Maine	+9.7%
United States	+6.5%

The increase came from the investor-owned utilities

Two main kinds of utility serve Washington's homes. Three investor-owned companies, whose rates are set by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, served 1,466,495 residential customers in 2025. Public power, the city utilities and public utility districts (PUDs) owned by their communities, served 1,728,859, and 11 cooperatives a further 150,169⁵.

The prices moved very differently from 2024 to 2025 (bundled residential averages, EIA-861):

The pattern continued into 2026. Over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026, preliminary), Puget Sound Energy's residential customers paid an average of 19.68¢ per kWh, and in August 2026 its average was +18.5% against the same month a year earlier. Seattle City Light's August 2026¹ average was +0.5% and Clark Public Utilities' +1.3%⁷.

For 2025 as a whole, the investor-owned utilities averaged 16.24¢ per kWh and public power 11.06¢ per kWh. Both sit below the national averages for the same kinds of utility (17.78¢ per kWh and 14.49¢ per kWh⁵), but the gap between them in Washington is wider.

Investor-owned utilities16.24¢

Electric cooperatives10.68¢

Public power (municipal, districts, state)11.06¢

Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Bundled (full-service) residential revenue divided by kWh, summed over every utility of each type (EIA-861 2025). Small utilities filing the short form report no residential split and are not included.

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Type	¢/kWh	Residential customers
Investor-owned utilities	16.24¢	1,466,495
Electric cooperatives	10.68¢	150,169
Public power (municipal, districts, state)	11.06¢	1,728,859

Which utility serves you decides the price

Among the 28 Washington utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers, the 2025 averages ran from 3.17¢ per kWh at PUD No 1 of Douglas County to 19.01¢ per kWh at Orcas Power & Light Cooperative, a spread of 15.84¢ per kWh. Two of the larger public utilities rank among the lowest-priced of the 177 US utilities with 100,000 or more residential customers: Clark Public Utilities (2nd lowest of 177) and Tacoma Public Utilities (5th lowest of 177⁵).

PUD No 1 of Douglas County3.17¢

PUD No 1 of Chelan County3.78¢

PUD No 2 of Grant County6.17¢

Elmhurst Mutual Power & Light Co8.68¢

PUD No 1 of Benton County9.13¢

PUD No 1 of Cowlitz County9.23¢

PUD No 2 of Pacific County9.36¢

Inland Power & Light Company9.56¢

Vera Irrigation District #159.59¢

Benton Rural Electric Association9.67¢

PUD No 1 of Franklin County9.99¢

City of Richland10.00¢

PUD No 1 of Lewis County10.08¢

PUD No 1 of Okanogan County10.42¢

Clark Public Utilities10.63¢

Peninsula Light Company11.30¢

Tacoma Public Utilities11.45¢

Snohomish County PUD12.08¢

PUD No 1 of Clallam County12.14¢

PUD No 1 of Klickitat County12.55¢

Washington average13.17¢

Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Utilities with 10,000 or more bundled (full-service) residential customers; the 20 lowest of 28 shown. Revenue divided by kWh sold, all charges included, EIA-861 2025 final. Darker bars have their own page.

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Utility	¢/kWh
PUD No 1 of Douglas County	3.17¢
PUD No 1 of Chelan County	3.78¢
PUD No 2 of Grant County	6.17¢
Elmhurst Mutual Power & Light Co	8.68¢
PUD No 1 of Benton County	9.13¢
PUD No 1 of Cowlitz County	9.23¢
PUD No 2 of Pacific County	9.36¢
Inland Power & Light Company	9.56¢
Vera Irrigation District #15	9.59¢
Benton Rural Electric Association	9.67¢
PUD No 1 of Franklin County	9.99¢
City of Richland	10.00¢
PUD No 1 of Lewis County	10.08¢
PUD No 1 of Okanogan County	10.42¢
Clark Public Utilities	10.63¢
Peninsula Light Company	11.30¢
Tacoma Public Utilities	11.45¢
Snohomish County PUD	12.08¢
PUD No 1 of Clallam County	12.14¢
PUD No 1 of Klickitat County	12.55¢
Washington average	13.17¢

No household can shop around: Washington has no retail choice, and 0.0%⁵ of residential customers bought from a competitive supplier in 2025. The utility is fixed by the address, and boundaries often run through a county. EIA's service-territory records show two or more distribution utilities in 38 of the state's 39 counties, and 15⁸ in Pierce County. Searches for an "electric company" in Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane or Vancouver have different answers: Seattle City Light, Tacoma Public Utilities, Avista and Clark Public Utilities serve those cities, with Puget Sound Energy and other utilities around them. Only the utility's own map settles a given street.

Puget Sound Energy only (of these)Seattle City Light only (of these)Snohomish County PUD only (of these)Avista only (of these)Clark Public Utilities only (of these)Tacoma Public Utilities only (of these)Pacific Power only (of these)Two or more of themOther utilities only

Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. Counties where each utility reports serving customers (EIA-861 service territory, 2025). A utility often serves only part of a county, and several can share one: the map shows where each one is present, not street-level boundaries. Point at a county for every utility listed there.

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County	Utilities reporting service
Adams County	Avista, PUD No 2 of Grant County, Inland Power & Light Company, Big Bend Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration
Asotin County	Avista, Inland Power & Light Company, Clearwater Power Company, PUD No 1 of Asotin County
Benton County	Pacific Power, PUD No 1 of Benton County, City of Richland, Benton Rural Electric Association, PUD No 1 of Klickitat County, Bonneville Power Administration
Chelan County	PUD No 1 of Chelan County, Bonneville Power Administration
Clallam County	PUD No 1 of Clallam County, City of Port Angeles, Bonneville Power Administration
Clark County	Clark Public Utilities, Bonneville Power Administration
Columbia County	Pacific Power, Inland Power & Light Company, Columbia Rural Electric Association
Cowlitz County	Pacific Power, PUD No 1 of Cowlitz County, PUD No 1 of Lewis County, Bonneville Power Administration
Douglas County	PUD No 2 of Grant County, PUD No 1 of Douglas County, Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative, City of Coulee Dam, Bonneville Power Administration
Ferry County	Avista, PUD No 1 of Ferry County, Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration
Franklin County	Inland Power & Light Company, PUD No 1 of Franklin County, Big Bend Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration
Garfield County	Pacific Power, Inland Power & Light Company, Clearwater Power Company
Grant County	Avista, PUD No 2 of Grant County, Big Bend Electric Cooperative, City of Coulee Dam, Bonneville Power Administration
Grays Harbor County	PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County, PUD No 3 of Mason County, PUD No 1 of Lewis County, PUD No 2 of Pacific County, City of McCleary, Bonneville Power Administration
Island County	Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish County PUD
Jefferson County	PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County, PUD No 1 of Clallam County, PUD No 1 of Jefferson County, PUD No 1 of Mason County, Bonneville Power Administration
King County	Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light, Tacoma Public Utilities, PUD No 1 of Chelan County, Tanner Electric Cooperative, City of Milton, Bonneville Power Administration
Kitsap County	Puget Sound Energy, Peninsula Light Company, PUD No 3 of Mason County, Bonneville Power Administration
Kittitas County	Puget Sound Energy, PUD No 2 of Grant County, PUD No 1 of Chelan County, City of Ellensburg, PUD No 1 of Kittitas County, Bonneville Power Administration
Klickitat County	PUD No 1 of Klickitat County, Yakama Power, Bonneville Power Administration
Lewis County	Tacoma Public Utilities, PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County, PUD No 1 of Lewis County, Benton Rural Electric Association, City of Centralia, Bonneville Power Administration
Lincoln County	Avista, PUD No 2 of Grant County, Inland Power & Light Company, Big Bend Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration
Mason County	Tacoma Public Utilities, PUD No 3 of Mason County, PUD No 1 of Mason County
Okanogan County	PUD No 1 of Chelan County, PUD No 1 of Okanogan County, Okanogan County Electric Cooperative, PUD No 1 of Ferry County, Nespelem Valley Electric Cooperative, City of Coulee Dam, Bonneville Power Administration
Pacific County	PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County, PUD No 1 of Lewis County, PUD No 2 of Pacific County, Bonneville Power Administration
Pend Oreille County	Avista, PUD No 1 of Pend Oreille County, Northern Lights, Bonneville Power Administration
Pierce County	Puget Sound Energy, Tacoma Public Utilities, Peninsula Light Company, PUD No 3 of Mason County, PUD No 1 of Lewis County, Elmhurst Mutual Power & Light Co, Lakeview Light & Power, Tanner Electric Cooperative, Ohop Mutual Light Company, Parkland Light & Water Company, Town of Steilacoom, City of Milton, Town of Eatonville, Town of Ruston, Bonneville Power Administration
San Juan County	Orcas Power & Light Cooperative
Skagit County	Puget Sound Energy, Bonneville Power Administration
Skamania County	PUD No 1 of Klickitat County, PUD No 1 of Skamania Co
Snohomish County	Snohomish County PUD, Bonneville Power Administration
Spokane County	Avista, Inland Power & Light Company, Vera Irrigation District #15, Modern Electric Water Company, City of Cheney, Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration
Stevens County	Avista, Inland Power & Light Company, City of Chewelah, Bonneville Power Administration
Thurston County	Puget Sound Energy, PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County, PUD No 1 of Lewis County, City of Centralia, Tanner Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration
Wahkiakum County	PUD No 2 of Pacific County, PUD No 1 of Wahkiakum County
Walla Walla County	Pacific Power, Inland Power & Light Company, Columbia Rural Electric Association, Bonneville Power Administration
Whatcom County	Puget Sound Energy, City of Blaine, City of Sumas, Bonneville Power Administration, PUD No 1 of Whatcom County
Whitman County	Avista, Inland Power & Light Company, Big Bend Electric Cooperative, Clearwater Power Company
Yakima County	Pacific Power, Benton Rural Electric Association, PUD No 1 of Klickitat County, Yakama Power, Bonneville Power Administration

Bills: small in Seattle, larger where homes use more

The statewide average bill was $124.41 a month in 2025, 12th lowest among the states, on 945 kWh of use; it rose 9.4%² from 2024. Behind that average, bills depend on use per home as much as on price. Seattle City Light's customers paid one of the higher prices among the large public utilities but used only 594 kWh a month, so their average bill was $87.48. Pacific Power's customers in south-central Washington used 1,164 kWh and paid $166.84, +27.5%⁵ on 2024.

Seattle City Light (WA)$87.48

Clark Public Utilities (WA)$104.50

Tacoma Public Utilities (WA)$105.14

Snohomish County PUD (WA)$113.29

Avista (WA)$129.76

Puget Sound Energy (WA)$146.74

Pacific Power (WA)$166.84

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.

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Utility	average monthly residential bill
Seattle City Light (WA)	$87.48
Clark Public Utilities (WA)	$104.50
Tacoma Public Utilities (WA)	$105.14
Snohomish County PUD (WA)	$113.29
Avista (WA)	$129.76
Puget Sound Energy (WA)	$146.74
Pacific Power (WA)	$166.84

Households' own reports run higher than EIA's average, partly because they include taxes. In the Census Bureau's 2025 survey the median reported electricity bill in Washington was about $147, against $169 nationally; 29.0% of households paying for electricity reported less than $100 and 20.5% reported $250 or more (a margin of error of ±0.5 percentage points). That share was +3.4 percentage points¹⁰ on 2024, a difference between two survey estimates that is not tested for significance.

Winter, not summer, drives use

Washington has the fewest cooling degree days of any state with data (204¹¹ a year, 2016–2025 average), and in EIA's 2020 household survey air conditioning accounted for just 4% of household electricity, the lowest in the country. Space heating took 26%, tied for highest¹². The Census Bureau found that 60.6% of Washington homes heat mainly with electricity in 2025, against 41.8%¹³ nationally.

Air conditioningSpace heatingWater heatingRefrigeratorsEverything else

Washington

United States

Source: EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, state data. Share of household electricity by end use in 2020, the latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey with state estimates (a pandemic year; RECS 2024 consumption data are due in spring 2027). "Everything else" covers lighting, cooking, laundry, electronics and other appliances.

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	Air conditioning	Space heating	Water heating	Refrigerators	Everything else
Washington	4%	26%	19%	7%	44%
United States	19%	12%	12%	8%	48%

So bills peak in winter. Over the last 12 months, use per home was highest in January 2026 at 1,269 kWh and lowest in September 2025 at 739 kWh, a ratio of 1.7 times. Late summer is the cheap season for a Washington bill: in August 2026 the average residential bill was $119.88, the 2nd lowest among the states that month, while the national figure was $209.23¹. Winter bills are larger because winter use is larger.

739Sep

778Oct

888Nov

1,172Dec

1,269Jan

1,088Feb

1,092Mar

910Apr

756May

762Jun

856Jul

819Aug

Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Residential kWh sold per customer in each month. The table adds that month's average residential price. Monthly EIA data through August 2026 (released October 23, 2026); months since January 2026 are preliminary.

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Month	kWh per customer	Residential ¢/kWh
September 2025	739	13.80¢
October 2025	778	14.07¢
November 2025	888	13.86¢
December 2025	1,172	13.35¢
January 2026	1,269	13.80¢
February 2026	1,088	14.10¢
March 2026	1,092	14.39¢
April 2026	910	14.36¢
May 2026	756	14.95¢
June 2026	762	14.91¢
July 2026	856	14.71¢
August 2026	819	14.63¢

Where the power comes from

Hydropower generated 63.6% of Washington's electricity in 2025, the highest share of any state (the US share was 5.5%). Natural gas supplied 15.7%, wind 7.9%, nuclear 7.6% and coal 3.1%; solar was 0.6%. Since 2015 the hydro share has fallen 3.6 percentage points and the natural gas share has risen 3.8 percentage points. The state's plants produced 101.7 terawatt-hours in 2025, the equivalent of 113%¹⁴ of its retail electricity sales.

Natural gasCoalNuclearHydroWindSolarPetroleumOther

Washington, 2025

Washington, 2015

United States, 2025

Source: EIA, Net generation by state by type of producer by energy source. Share of net generation by all power plants located in the state (utilities and independent producers), by energy source. Electricity crosses state lines, so this is what the state produces, not exactly what its customers consume. Pumped storage is a net user of power and is left out.

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	Natural gas	Coal	Nuclear	Hydro	Wind	Solar	Petroleum	Other
Washington, 2025	15.7%	3.1%	7.6%	63.6%	7.9%	0.6%	0.0%	1.4%
Washington, 2015	11.9%	4.6%	7.5%	67.2%	6.5%	0.0%	0.0%	2.3%
United States, 2025	40.9%	16.6%	17.7%	5.5%	10.4%	6.8%	0.4%	1.7%

Businesses, meters and outages

Washington's industrial customers paid an average of 7.15¢ per kWh over the last 12 months, 8th lowest among the states, and the industrial average rose 4.4%, less than the residential one. Commercial customers paid 11.65¢ per kWh, 16.0% below the US average, after a rise of 10.6%¹ over the same 12 months.

WashingtonUnited States

Residential14.20¢ 18.04¢

Commercial11.65¢ 13.87¢

Industrial7.15¢ 8.91¢

All sectors11.84¢ 14.15¢

Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Average revenue per kWh: what each customer class paid in total divided by what it used. Industrial customers take power at higher voltage and in large, steady volumes, so their average is lower. Monthly EIA data through August 2026 (released October 23, 2026); months since January 2026 are preliminary.

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Sector	Washington (¢/kWh)	United States (¢/kWh)
Residential	14.20¢	18.04¢
Commercial	11.65¢	13.87¢
Industrial	7.15¢	8.91¢
All sectors	11.84¢	14.15¢

Smart meters are uneven. In 2025, 75.1% of the state's residential meters were advanced meters: Puget Sound Energy reported 99.7%, while Tacoma Public Utilities reported 7.5%. The share of residential customers on time-varying rates rounded to 0.0%. 66,257 homes had net-metered rooftop solar, 19.4¹⁵ per 1,000 residential customers.

Customers averaged 383 minutes without power in 2025 counting major storms, 10th highest among the states, and 148 minutes excluding major event days. Including major events, Puget Sound Energy's total was 580 minutes; Seattle City Light's 158 minutes¹⁶. For the other states' minutes, see the power outages ranking.

Help with a Washington electric bill

Washington received $61.5 million from the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for fiscal 2026, $19.35 per occupied home (7th lowest among the states); the first fiscal 2027 release was $54.6 million¹⁷. The help paying your electric bill guide explains LIHEAP and utility payment programs.