Tennessee Utility Cost Calculator

Public power, not investor-owned

In Tennessee, homes buy electricity from local public utilities and cooperatives rather than from investor-owned companies: 60 public entities made 65% of 2024 retail sales across about 2.4 million accounts — second only to Nebraska — and 25 cooperatives another 27%. The City of Memphis (5.2 TWh to homes), Nashville Electric Service (5.1 TWh), Middle Tennessee EMC (4.7 TWh) and the Knoxville Utilities Board (2.5 TWh) are the largest. Investor-owned utilities made under 2% of sales, so few Tennessee households pay rates set by the Tennessee Public Utility Commission.

Nuclear-heavy generation

Nuclear produced 42% of the state’s electricity in 2024 — TVA’s Watts Bar was the largest plant — followed by coal (23%), gas (22%) and hydro (12%). Tennessee consumes far more than it generates: 103 TWh of sales against 76 TWh made.

Heat pumps and winter demand

Tennessee’s heaviest month was February 2026, when the average home used about 1,602 kWh — more than in any summer month — while November 2025 was the lightest at 894 kWh. Electric water heating adds roughly 3,111 kWh a year where used. The final 2024 bill averaged $143.32 at 12.42¢; over the last twelve months it was $162.45 at 13.56¢.

Big homes, winter peaks

Tennessee homes used about 1,198 kWh a month over the last year, second only to Louisiana, at 13.56¢ per kWh. Sixty percent heat mainly with electricity, and the average bill was highest in winter: $205.40 in February 2026, against $120.45 in November 2025. Rooftop solar barely registers in EIA’s net-metering table — 86 residential customers in 2024.

Gas accounts used about 546 therms in 2024 at $1.155 per therm, and propane was $3.248 a gallon at the close of the 2025–26 season. The Tennessee Housing Development Agency administers LIHEAP.