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.
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 a bill looks like at this rate
The figures below apply the May 2026 Idaho average to four usage levels. They are arithmetic, not quotes. A real bill also carries fixed customer charges, taxes and any rider specific to your utility.
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.
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.
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 a typical monthly electric bill in Idaho?
At the May 2026 average rate of 12.35¢/kWh, a household using 900 kWh a month would pay about $111, and one using 1,500 kWh about $185. Actual bills vary with usage, rate schedule, fixed customer charges and taxes.
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.
Where does this Idaho rate figure come from?
It is the residential-sector average revenue per kilowatt-hour reported by utilities to the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Form EIA-861M and published in the Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. It blends supply and delivery across every residential customer in the state, so it is a statewide average rather than a quote for any individual household.