Puget Sound Energy (PSE) electric rates and bills
Puget Sound Energy's 1,104,338 residential customers in Washington paid an average of 17.01¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $146.74 a month on 863 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 19.68¢, and 20.92¢ 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.
8 of 39 Washington counties served (EIA-861 2025)
Puget Sound Energy's residential customers paid an average of 17.01¢ per kWh in 2025, 29.2% above the Washington average and the 2nd highest1 among the state's larger utilities. The climb has not stopped: 19.68¢ per kWh over the last 12 months and 20.92¢ per kWh2 in August 20264, while the public utilities of Seattle, Tacoma and Snohomish County stayed far lower.
PSE's price per kWh, period by period
Puget Sound Energy is Washington's largest electric utility, an investor-owned company with 1,104,338 residential customers in 2025, 33.0%1 of all the state's residential customers. The price those homes paid has been rising every period EIA measures. The figures below are average revenue per kWh: what residential customers paid in total, including the basic charge and riders but not most taxes, divided by the kWh they used.
| Period | Average residential price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 (annual) | 14.63¢ per kWh3 | EIA-861 |
| 2025 (annual) | 17.01¢ per kWh1 | EIA-861 |
| 12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 | 19.68¢ per kWh | EIA-861M, 2026 months preliminary |
| August 20264 only | 20.92¢ per kWh2 | EIA-861M, preliminary |
From 2024 to 2025 the annual average rose 16.3%1. The August 20264 figure was +18.5%2 against the same month a year earlier; one summer month is a narrow window, so the 12-month figure is the steadier guide to what a year of bills costs now.
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 | Puget Sound Energy (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 14.52¢ | 1,261 | $183.11 |
| February 2025 | 16.89¢ | 1,106 | $186.85 |
| March 2025 | 16.48¢ | 973 | $160.27 |
| April 2025 | 16.55¢ | 771 | $127.54 |
| May 2025 | 17.44¢ | 688 | $120.04 |
| June 2025 | 17.40¢ | 655 | $114.03 |
| July 2025 | 17.38¢ | 737 | $128.11 |
| August 2025 | 17.66¢ | 757 | $133.69 |
| September 2025 | 17.85¢ | 624 | $111.31 |
| October 2025 | 17.82¢ | 781 | $139.15 |
| November 2025 | 17.80¢ | 919 | $163.57 |
| December 2025 | 17.82¢ | 1,084 | $193.21 |
| January 2026 | 19.76¢ | 1,153 | $227.88 |
| February 2026 | 20.77¢ | 974 | $202.33 |
| March 2026 | 20.61¢ | 1,002 | $206.58 |
| April 2026 | 20.80¢ | 784 | $163.05 |
| May 2026 | 20.85¢ | 689 | $143.68 |
| June 2026 | 20.90¢ | 679 | $141.82 |
| July 2026 | 20.90¢ | 706 | $147.46 |
| August 2026 | 20.92¢ | 679 | $141.97 |
In the 2025 rankings, PSE was the 2nd highest of the 28 Washington utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers. Nationally it sat in the middle: 60th highest of 177 among large utilities, and 4.3% below the national average for investor-owned utilities1. PSE is expensive by Washington's standards rather than by the country's.
The 2025 and 2026 rate increases
PSE's rates are set by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC). On January 15, 2025, the commission approved a two-year rate plan for PSE, with electric increases taking effect in January 2025 and again in January 2026; the filings and the final order are in PSE's 2024 general rate case docket at the UTC. The timing matches EIA's data: the first step falls in the 2025 annual average and the second in the most recent months of the 12-month figure.
The commission states its decisions in revenue and typical-bill terms, while EIA's averages also move with the amount used, the mix of customers and adjustment riders, so the two measures do not have to agree. For a utility's current tariff and any pending request, the UTC docket list is the official record; the guide to rate cases explains how such decisions reach a bill.
Surrounded by lower-priced public utilities
PSE's territory wraps around the Puget Sound region's city and county utilities. EIA lists PSE in 8 counties (Island County, King County, Kitsap County, Kittitas County, Pierce County, Skagit County, Thurston County and Whatcom County), and in all 85 at least one other utility also reports customers. A home in King County may be served by PSE or by Seattle City Light; in Pierce County by PSE or Tacoma Public Utilities. Washington has no retail choice, so the address decides, and only the utilities' own service maps settle a given street.
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) |
|---|---|
| Clark Public Utilities (WA) | 10.63¢ |
| Tacoma Public Utilities (WA) | 11.45¢ |
| Snohomish County PUD (WA) | 12.08¢ |
| Avista (WA) | 14.16¢ |
| Pacific Power (WA) | 14.33¢ |
| Seattle City Light (WA) | 14.74¢ |
| Puget Sound Energy (WA) | 17.01¢ |
The gap with the public neighbors widened in 2025. Seattle City Light averaged 14.74¢ per kWh (+4.6% on 2024), Snohomish County PUD 12.08¢ per kWh (+5.0%) and Tacoma Public Utilities 11.45¢ per kWh (+5.9%), against PSE's +16.3%. Across the state, public power averaged 11.06¢ per kWh and the 3 investor-owned utilities 16.24¢ per kWh. The other two, Avista and Pacific Power, serve eastern and south-central Washington and averaged 14.16¢ per kWh and 14.33¢ per kWh1.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 8 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 |
|---|---|
| Island County | Snohomish County PUD |
| King County | Seattle City Light, Tacoma Public Utilities, PUD No 1 of Chelan County, Tanner Electric Cooperative, City of Milton, Bonneville Power Administration |
| Kitsap County | Peninsula Light Company, PUD No 3 of Mason County, Bonneville Power Administration |
| Kittitas County | PUD No 2 of Grant County, PUD No 1 of Chelan County, City of Ellensburg, PUD No 1 of Kittitas County, Bonneville Power Administration |
| Pierce County | 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 |
| Skagit County | Bonneville Power Administration |
| Thurston County | PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County, PUD No 1 of Lewis County, City of Centralia, Tanner Electric Cooperative, Bonneville Power Administration |
| Whatcom County | City of Blaine, City of Sumas, Bonneville Power Administration, PUD No 1 of Whatcom County |
Bills: a winter-heated territory
The average PSE residential bill was $146.74 a month in 2025, up from $128.07 in 2024 (+14.6%), although use per home slipped from 875 kWh3 to 863 kWh1. The whole increase came from price. Over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) the computed average bill was $165.17 on 839 kWh2.
The year's high point comes in winter. In EIA's monthly sample, use per PSE home peaked at 1,153 kWh in January 2026, with an average bill of $227.88, and bottomed out at 624 kWh in September 2025, when the bill averaged $111.312. The January bill was about twice the September one.
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 | 624 | $111.31 | 17.85¢ |
| October 2025 | 781 | $139.15 | 17.82¢ |
| November 2025 | 919 | $163.57 | 17.80¢ |
| December 2025 | 1,084 | $193.21 | 17.82¢ |
| January 2026 | 1,153 | $227.88 | 19.76¢ |
| February 2026 | 974 | $202.33 | 20.77¢ |
| March 2026 | 1,002 | $206.58 | 20.61¢ |
| April 2026 | 784 | $163.05 | 20.80¢ |
| May 2026 | 689 | $143.68 | 20.85¢ |
| June 2026 | 679 | $141.82 | 20.90¢ |
| July 2026 | 706 | $147.46 | 20.90¢ |
| August 2026 | 679 | $141.97 | 20.92¢ |
Heating explains the shape. The Census Bureau found that 60.6%7 of Washington homes heated mainly with electricity in 2025, and in EIA's 2020 household survey space heating took 26% of Washington household electricity, tied for highest among the states, while air conditioning took 4%8. Price and season compound: the higher averages of 2025 and 2026 fall on the largest bills of the year.
Seattle itself is served by Seattle City Light, whose customers use less and pay less per kWh. They averaged 594 kWh a month in 2025 and a bill of $87.48; Snohomish County PUD customers used 937 kWh and paid $113.291. Neither figure is a city price: each is one utility's average across its own territory.
Advanced meters, time-of-use and rooftop solar
Nearly every PSE home has an advanced meter: 99.7% of residential meters in 2025. Those meters record use by the hour, which time-of-use pricing needs, but EIA counted 0.0% of Washington residential customers on time-varying pricing that year, tied for lowest9 among the states. PSE's tariff on file with the UTC shows which schedules are offered today.
Rooftop solar: PSE reported 26,979 residential net-metered installations in 2025, 24.4 per 1,000 customers, with 203.3 megawatts of capacity. Statewide the figure was 19.49 per 1,000 residential customers.
Outages: storm days dominate the total
PSE customers averaged 580 minutes without power in 2025 counting major event days, more than the Washington average of 383 minutes. Leaving those days out, the figure falls to 178 minutes, so most of the year's outage minutes came on major event days. Customers saw 1.6010 interruptions on average (all events, IEEE 1366 definitions).
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) |
|---|---|
| Seattle City Light (WA) | 158 |
| Tacoma Public Utilities (WA) | 172 |
| Avista (WA) | 200 |
| Clark Public Utilities (WA) | 298 |
| Snohomish County PUD (WA) | 343 |
| Puget Sound Energy (WA) | 580 |
The neighboring utilities recorded far fewer minutes in the same year: 158 minutes at Seattle City Light, 172 minutes at Tacoma Public Utilities and 343 minutes10 at Snohomish County PUD. These are measured totals for one year, in which a few storm days can outweigh everything else, not a ranking of how well each utility is run.
Business customers
PSE's commercial customers paid an average of 15.66¢ per kWh in 2025, with an average bill of $789.62 a month, and its 3,145 industrial accounts 14.08¢ per kWh. Across all 1,251,330 customers, the average was 16.31¢ per kWh1.
Gas rates and help paying
PSE also sells natural gas, which the same January 2025 UTC decision covered; this page uses EIA's electricity data only, so it does not show gas prices. Households struggling with an electric bill can apply for federal energy assistance: Washington received $61.5 million11 from LIHEAP for fiscal 2026, and the help paying your electric bill guide explains how LIHEAP and utility programs work. The statewide numbers are on electricity in Washington.
Puget Sound Energy: common questions
How much does Puget Sound Energy charge per kWh?
On average, 17.01¢ per kWh1 for residential customers in 2025, counting every charge on the bill except most taxes. Over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026, partly preliminary) the average was 19.68¢ per kWh2. These are averages of what customers paid, not the energy rate printed in PSE's tariff.
Did Puget Sound Energy raise rates in 2026?
Yes. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a two-year rate plan in January 2025, with one electric increase in January 2025 and a second in January 2026. In EIA's monthly data, PSE's residential average in August 20264 was +18.5%2 against the same month a year earlier.
What is the average Puget Sound Energy electric bill?
$146.74 a month in 2025 for 863 kWh1, and $165.17 over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026). Winter bills are much larger: the monthly average reached $227.88 in January 20262.
Does PSE have time-of-use rates?
EIA's 2025 count found 0.0% of Washington residential customers enrolled in time-varying pricing, so almost every PSE household was on a standard rate that year, even though 99.7%9 of PSE's residential meters were advanced meters. PSE's current rate schedules list the options open now.
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-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
- 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, 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
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year estimates, house heating fuel, table B25040; 2025; released October 29, 2026. data.census.gov
- EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, state data; table CE4.1.EL.ST, CE5 state tables, state highlights; released June 28, 2023. 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, reliability; table Reliability_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.