Idaho electricity rates
As of May 2026, the average residential electricity rate in Idaho is 12.35 cents per kilowatt-hour, 33% below the U.S. average of 18.44¢. That is the 51st highest rate of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Year over year
- ▲ +4.0% from 11.88¢ in May 2025
- Vs. U.S. average
- -33.0% U.S. average 18.44¢
- National rank
- #51 of 51 · #1 cheapest
- Supply market
- Western Interconnection Regulated monopoly
Why Idaho pays what it pays
Idaho's generation is dominated by hydroelectricity: the Hells Canyon complex on the Snake River and a long chain of smaller plants. These dams were built decades ago, their capital cost is largely recovered, and their fuel is free. Nothing else in the American generation mix competes on running cost.
The state also draws on the federal Columbia River system through the Bonneville Power Administration, which sells at cost rather than at market, and it has added low-cost wind and solar.
The pressures on that position are real but slow. Population growth adds load faster than cheap resources can be added, drought years reduce hydro output and force market purchases, and new transmission requires capital. Idaho's rate rose modestly year over year and remains the lowest in the lower forty-eight.
Where Idaho power comes from
Idaho generated 21 TWh in 2025, the 43th largest output of any state. Hydroelectric supplied 46.8% of it. Renewables accounted for 71.9%, against 23.8% nationally, which ranks Idaho #4 of 51.
- Hydroelectric 46.8% 10 TWh
- Natural gas 27.5% 6 TWh
- Wind 14.9% 3 TWh
- Solar 7.8% 2 TWh
- Wood and biomass 2% 408 GWh
- Other 0.6% 127 GWh
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Operational Data, net generation, all sectors. Net generation across all sectors. Nuclear counts as carbon-free but not renewable, so the two shares differ.
How Idaho compares
Idaho ranks #51 of 51 jurisdictions by residential price, making it the 1st cheapest. Within the Mountain division, no state is cheaper.
| State | ¢/kWh | YoY | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 12.35 | +4.0% | #51 |
| Utah | 12.96 | +2.9% | #50 |
| Nevada | 13.60 | +2.3% | #47 |
| New Mexico | 14.12 | -2.6% | #44 |
| Montana | 14.67 | +13.9% | #39 |
| Wyoming | 14.80 | +7.1% | #38 |
| Arizona | 15.23 | -3.1% | #32 |
| Colorado | 16.16 | +3.7% | #28 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State. Data period May 2026. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
What Idaho households actually pay
Idaho looks more expensive on paper than it is in practice. Its rate ranks #51 of 51, but the average bill ranks only 48th, because households there use 904 kWh a month against a national average of 871. See how every state compares on bills.
Estimate your Idaho bill
Multiply your own usage by the May 2026 state average. Enter the kilowatt-hours from your last statement. This is a supply-and-delivery blended average, not a utility quote.
Rate used: …. U.S. average 18.44¢/kWh, May 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
Heating in Idaho: gas, heat pump or resistance
Residential natural gas in Idaho averaged $8.51 per thousand cubic feet in 2024, about $0.82 per therm, against a national average of $14.50. Put on the same scale as the state's electricity rate, the cost of delivering one million BTU of heat works out as follows.
In Idaho, gas remains cheaper to run than a heat pump by about $2.94 per million BTU at these assumptions, roughly $176 over a 60 million BTU season. A heat pump can still be the better purchase once cooling, equipment age and incentives are counted, but not on heating cost alone.
Gas price: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Prices, price delivered to residential consumers, 2024. Assumptions are adjustable in the heating cost guide, and every state is compared on the gas price page.
What each Idaho utility charges
The statewide average hides a wide spread. Across the 12 Idaho utilities reporting to the EIA, rates run from 7.23¢ at Lower Valley Energy Inc to 12.21¢ at Kootenai Electric Cooperative . Together they serve 833,236 residential customers.
| Utility | ¢/kWh | Bill | kWh | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Power Co | 11.76 | $108 | 916 | 525,751 |
| Avista Corp | 11.62 | $102 | 881 | 128,226 |
| PacifiCorp | 12.11 | $109 | 899 | 74,170 |
| Kootenai Electric Cooperative | 12.21 | $138 | 1,131 | 30,378 |
| City of Idaho Falls | 9.25 | $88 | 951 | 28,142 |
| Northern Lights, Inc | 11.49 | $124 | 1,083 | 18,511 |
| Fall River Rural Elec Coop Inc | 11.11 | $130 | 1,166 | 15,433 |
| United Electric Co-op, Inc | 7.89 | $130 | 1,646 | 5,100 |
| Salmon River Electric Coop Inc | 9.00 | $119 | 1,326 | 2,383 |
| Inland Power & Light Company | 8.92 | $130 | 1,455 | 2,115 |
| Lower Valley Energy Inc | 7.23 | $77 | 1,069 | 1,636 |
| Raft Rural Elec Coop Inc | 9.18 | $137 | 1,493 | 1,391 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024.
Who sells electricity in Idaho
Idaho Power serves the southwest including Boise, Rocky Mountain Power the southeast, and Avista the north. Co-operatives and municipal systems serve rural areas, many with BPA allocations that make them cheaper still.
There is no residential retail choice. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission sets rates.
Idaho sits in The Pacific Northwest. Federal hydropower built decades ago, sold at cost, and now paying for the grid a decarbonising economy needs on top of it. Read the regional analysis.
What you can actually do about it
Idaho's hydro output varies with snowpack. In dry years utilities buy replacement power at market prices and recover it through a power cost adjustment, so a drought shows up on bills roughly a year later.
At Idaho rates, electric heating is genuinely economical, and the state has one of the strongest cases in the country for heat pumps and electric vehicles on operating cost alone.
Closest states by price
These jurisdictions charge within a fraction of a cent of Idaho, which is useful if you are comparing a move or a multi-state operating cost.
Idaho electricity rates: common questions
What is the average electricity rate in Idaho?
The average residential electricity rate in Idaho is 12.35 cents per kilowatt-hour as of May 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is -33.0% relative to the national average of 18.44¢/kWh.
How much is the average monthly electric bill in Idaho?
The average Idaho household paid $111 a month across the twelve months to May 2026, using an average of 904 kWh. That is -28.3% against the U.S. average bill of $155, and it ranks 48th highest of the 51 jurisdictions. Your own bill depends on the size of your home, your heating and cooling equipment and your rate schedule.
Why is the Idaho bill ranking different from its rate ranking?
A bill is the rate multiplied by usage, and usage varies between states more than price does. Idaho ranks #51 of 51 on price but 48th on the actual bill, because households there use about 904 kWh a month against a national average of 871. Climate and heating fuel drive most of that difference.
Have electricity rates in Idaho gone up?
Idaho rates rose 4% over the year to May 2026, from 11.88¢ in May 2025 to 12.35¢.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Idaho?
Regulated monopoly. Idaho households buy both supply and delivery from their local regulated utility or co-operative; there is no competitive residential supplier market.