Seattle City Light rates and bills
Seattle City Light's 472,309 residential customers in Washington paid an average of 14.74¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $87.48 a month on 594 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 15.00¢, and 15.31¢ 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.
1 of 39 Washington counties served (EIA-861 2025)
Seattle City Light's residential customers paid 14.74¢ per kWh on average in 2025, more than most Washington utilities, yet their average bill of $87.48 a month was the lowest among the state's large utilities. The reason is use: 594 kWh1 a month per home, against 945 kWh5 across Washington.
Price per kWh, and where it ranks
Seattle City Light is the City of Seattle's own electric utility, created by the citizens of Seattle in 1902 to serve the city and neighboring suburbs, and Washington's second-largest by residential customers after Puget Sound Energy, with 472,309 residential customers in 2025 (14.1%1 of the state's total). It owns hydroelectric projects and both sells and delivers the electricity, so every home on its wires is a full-service customer and one average covers them all.
That average depends on the period:
- calendar 2025 (EIA-861, final): 14.74¢ per kWh, up 4.6%1 from 14.09¢ per kWh3 in 2024;
- the last 12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 (EIA-861M, 2026 months preliminary): 15.00¢ per kWh;
- August 20264 alone (preliminary): 15.31¢ per kWh2.
Each is average revenue per kWh: what residential customers paid in total, divided by the kWh they used. It folds in the daily base service charge, so it is higher than the energy charge on City Light's residential rates page, and because Seattle homes use little electricity, that fixed part weighs more in the average than it would elsewhere.
By Washington standards the result is high. In 2025 Seattle City Light was the 3rd highest of the 28 Washington utilities with 10,000 or more residential customers, 11.9% above the Washington average, and well above the 11.06¢ per kWh that Washington's public utilities averaged together. Tacoma Public Utilities averaged 11.45¢ per kWh and Snohomish County PUD 12.08¢ per kWh. Nationally it sat near the middle: 84th lowest of 177 large utilities, against a median of 15.07¢ per kWh, and 1.7% above the national average for public power1.
Small bills because homes use little
What sets Seattle City Light apart is not its price but how little its customers buy. In 2025 its homes used 594 kWh a month on average, against 945 kWh across Washington and 874 kWh5 in the US. Among the state's large utilities, the next-lowest was Puget Sound Energy at 863 kWh; homes served by Tacoma Public Utilities and Snohomish County PUD used 919 kWh and 937 kWh1.
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 monthly residential use |
|---|---|
| Seattle City Light (WA) | 594 |
| Puget Sound Energy (WA) | 863 |
| Avista (WA) | 916 |
| Tacoma Public Utilities (WA) | 919 |
| Snohomish County PUD (WA) | 937 |
| Clark Public Utilities (WA) | 983 |
| Pacific Power (WA) | 1,164 |
Lower use outweighs the higher price. The average Seattle City Light bill was $87.48 a month in 2025, below Tacoma ($105.14), Snohomish County PUD ($113.29) and Puget Sound Energy ($146.741), and below the Washington average of $124.41 and the US average of $150.685. Over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) the computed average bill was $87.19 on 581 kWh2 a month.
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 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 |
These are averages over every residential account in the territory, from small apartments to large houses; a home's own bill follows its own use. From 2024 to 2025 the average bill rose from $84.68 to $87.48 (+3.3%), less than the price, because use per home slipped from 601 kWh3 to 594 kWh1.
Who sets the rates, and the increases since 2025
City Light's rates are adopted by the Seattle City Council rather than a state commission. The council approved City Light's increases for 2025 and 2026 in fall 2024, and the second of them, an average increase effective January 1, 2026, is in the most recent months of EIA's 12-month figure. In the same period City Light removed a rate stabilization surcharge on April 1, 2026 that had been in effect since January 1, 2024, so two changes in 2026 pushed the average in opposite directions.
EIA's monthly survey shows the net result so far. The 12-month average for September 2025 to August 2026 was 15.00¢ per kWh, above the calendar-2025 figure of 14.74¢ per kWh1. The August 2026 reading, 15.31¢ per kWh, was +0.5%2 against the same month a year earlier; Washington's statewide residential average rose 7.2%4 over the same comparison. Monthly figures for 2026 are preliminary.
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 | Seattle City Light (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 14.10¢ | 848 | $119.56 |
| February 2025 | 14.24¢ | 794 | $113.10 |
| March 2025 | 14.36¢ | 873 | $125.35 |
| April 2025 | 14.59¢ | 660 | $96.34 |
| May 2025 | 14.94¢ | 529 | $79.04 |
| June 2025 | 15.15¢ | 453 | $68.68 |
| July 2025 | 15.34¢ | 482 | $73.89 |
| August 2025 | 15.23¢ | 444 | $67.59 |
| September 2025 | 15.34¢ | 480 | $73.68 |
| October 2025 | 15.17¢ | 462 | $70.08 |
| November 2025 | 15.09¢ | 417 | $62.90 |
| December 2025 | 14.61¢ | 689 | $100.68 |
| January 2026 | 14.62¢ | 772 | $112.80 |
| February 2026 | 14.77¢ | 720 | $106.38 |
| March 2026 | 14.97¢ | 808 | $120.96 |
| April 2026 | 14.93¢ | 711 | $106.17 |
| May 2026 | 15.09¢ | 510 | $76.88 |
| June 2026 | 15.26¢ | 450 | $68.61 |
| July 2026 | 15.46¢ | 513 | $79.28 |
| August 2026 | 15.31¢ | 443 | $67.82 |
Further increases are already adopted. In July 2026 the council passed a rate ordinance with increases in 2027 and 2028; City Light's announcement attributes them to higher costs for electrical equipment, replacement of aging cables, transformers and dam generators, and expected load growth from electric vehicles and electric heating. The announcement gives the expected change for a typical residential bill. EIA's averages will show these increases only as the data arrive.
The seasonal pattern and two-month bills
Washington homes rely on electricity for heat more than most: the Census Bureau found that 60.6% of the state's households heated mainly with electricity in 2025 (8th highest6 among the states), and in EIA's 2020 household survey space heating took 26% of household electricity in Washington, tied for highest among the states, while air conditioning took 4%7. At Seattle City Light, monthly use over the last 12 months ranged from 417 kWh in November 2025 to 808 kWh in March 2026, and the average bill in those two months from $62.90 to $120.962. Even at its peak, use per home was below the yearly average of most of the state's large utilities.
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 | 480 | $73.68 | 15.34¢ |
| October 2025 | 462 | $70.08 | 15.17¢ |
| November 2025 | 417 | $62.90 | 15.09¢ |
| December 2025 | 689 | $100.68 | 14.61¢ |
| January 2026 | 772 | $112.80 | 14.62¢ |
| February 2026 | 720 | $106.38 | 14.77¢ |
| March 2026 | 808 | $120.96 | 14.97¢ |
| April 2026 | 711 | $106.17 | 14.93¢ |
| May 2026 | 510 | $76.88 | 15.09¢ |
| June 2026 | 450 | $68.61 | 15.26¢ |
| July 2026 | 513 | $79.28 | 15.46¢ |
| August 2026 | 443 | $67.82 | 15.31¢ |
The monthly curve is less smooth than at utilities that bill every month. Most City Light residential customers receive a bill every two months, covering that two-month period, and monthly survey figures follow when usage is billed, so the low and peak months can fall later than the weather that caused them. For budgeting, the two-month bill is the one to plan for: it covers roughly twice the monthly figures above.
Flat rate, time-of-use and rooftop solar
City Light's standard residential rate is now a flat energy charge plus a daily base service charge; its rates page notes that 2024 rates rose after a set amount of use, and that a time-of-use option with peak, mid-peak and off-peak prices is offered alongside. In EIA's 2025 count, 158 residential customers were enrolled in time-varying pricing, although 99.3%8 of residential meters were advanced meters that record use by the hour. The rates page lists the current peak hours and prices.
Rooftop solar is about as common as in Washington overall: 8,695 residential net-metered installations in 2025, 18.4 per 1,000 customers against 19.4 statewide, with 64.3 megawatts8 of capacity.
Outages
Seattle City Light customers averaged 158 minutes without power in 2025, counting major event days, fewer than the Washington average of 383 minutes. Without those days the figure was 129 minutes, and customers saw 1.04 interruptions on average (IEEE 1366 definitions). Puget Sound Energy, which also reports customers in King County, recorded 580 minutes9 in the same year. One year's totals depend heavily on storms and are not a ranking of how each utility is run.
Service area: Seattle and part of King County
EIA's service-territory records list Seattle City Light in 1 county, King County10, where Puget Sound Energy also reports customers. City Light serves Seattle and several neighboring cities; its rates page lists separate undergrounding charges for customers in Burien and Shoreline. Washington has no retail choice (0.0%1 of residential customers bought from another supplier in 2025), so a home's address settles which utility serves it, and only the utilities' own service maps decide for a given street.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 1 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 |
|---|---|
| King County | Puget Sound Energy, Tacoma Public Utilities, PUD No 1 of Chelan County, Tanner Electric Cooperative, City of Milton, Bonneville Power Administration |
Business customers and help paying
City Light's 52,680 commercial customers paid an average of 12.48¢ per kWh in 2025, with an average bill of $982.76 a month, and its 48 industrial accounts 10.59¢ per kWh. Every customer class combined, 525,040 accounts in all, averaged 13.17¢ per kWh1.
Customers enrolled in the City of Seattle's Utility Discount Program see a smaller dollar increase than other homes, according to City Light's announcements of the 2026 and 2027 increases. Federal energy assistance is available too: Washington received $61.5 million12 from LIHEAP for fiscal 2026, and the help paying your electric bill guide explains how these programs work. For the statewide picture, see electricity in Washington and Puget Sound Energy.
Seattle City Light: common questions
How much does Seattle City Light charge per kWh?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.74¢ per kWh1 in 2025 and 15.00¢ per kWh2 over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026, 2026 months preliminary). These averages divide everything billed, including the daily base service charge, by the kWh used, so they sit above the energy charge printed on City Light's rates page.
What is the average Seattle City Light bill?
$87.48 a month in 2025, for 594 kWh1 of use, and $87.192 over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026). Most homes receive a bill every two months, so a single bill covers roughly twice these monthly amounts.
Is Seattle City Light raising rates?
Yes. An average increase approved by the Seattle City Council in fall 2024 took effect on January 1, 2026, and in July 2026 the council adopted a rate ordinance with further increases in 2027 and 2028. In EIA's data the August 20264 residential average was 15.31¢ per kWh, +0.5%2 against the same month a year earlier (preliminary).
Does Seattle City Light have time-of-use rates?
Yes, City Light now lists a time-of-use option with peak, mid-peak and off-peak prices next to its standard flat rate. Few homes used it in 2025: EIA counted 1588 residential customers on time-varying pricing that year.
Is Seattle City Light cheaper than Puget Sound Energy?
On average, yes, both per kWh and per bill. In 2025 Seattle City Light's homes paid 14.74¢ per kWh and a bill of $87.48; PSE's paid 17.01¢ per kWh and $146.741. Nobody chooses between them: 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-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, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. 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, 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
- 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.