Kentucky Electricity Rates
Rate data for Kentucky is being refreshed. The regulator and market facts below are current; figures return with the next data load.
Can you choose your electricity supplier in Kentucky?
No. Kentucky has not opened its residential electricity market to competition, so the utility that delivers your power also sells it. Its prices are set in rate cases before the Kentucky Public Service Commission, and the rate you pay depends on which utility serves your address, your rate schedule, and the season.
Grid operator: Mostly outside RTOs; PJM and MISO in parts. Wholesale power costs flow through to retail bills on the regulator's schedule rather than month to month, which is why regulated-state rates move more slowly than the market-based states listed below.
Want to shop for a supplier? Retail choice is open on this site in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington DC.
Kentucky has no supplier choice at all (KRS 278.018 gives your utility an exclusive certified territory) and, with coal as its primary generation source, its residential price runs well under the U.S. average, but the consumer protections you get depend on who serves your address: the PSC's two-twelfths deposit cap, 3.64% deposit interest and November-March winter protections bind investor-owned utilities and co-ops, while city-owned systems like OMU and BGMU and TVA-supplied utilities such as Murray Electric System set their own deposit rules outside PSC jurisdiction.
Who will deliver your power in Kentucky
The utility is fixed by your address. These are the largest in the state, with what each says it needs from a new customer.
Kentucky Utilities (KU)investor-owned
77 Kentucky counties plus five counties in Virginia; KU and sister company LG&E are PPL Corporation utilities. About 581,000 customers (per LG&E and KU 'Our Company' page).
The online start form asks for the primary account holder's name, phone, email and Social Security number, requires you to tick 'I give permission for a check of my credit history', and says to allow up to three business days for processing with a three-business-day notice before the desired start date (business days only; closed weekends and holidays). If power is off it is turned on between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET on the start date, a new meter location needs an electrical inspection first, and KU's phone line is 800-981-0600.
Start service with Kentucky Utilities →Sources: lge-ku.com, lge-ku.com
Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E)investor-owned
Louisville and 16 surrounding counties (electric and natural gas). About 443,000 electric customers and 336,000 natural gas customers (per LG&E and KU 'Our Company' page).
Same shared LG&E and KU start form as above: SSN and a credit-history check, up to three business days to process, three-business-day notice, activation between 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET on the start date; LG&E's phone line is 502-589-1444. Joint account holders (spouse or roommate) can be added and are fully financially responsible for the account.
Start service with Louisville Gas and Electric →Sources: lge-ku.com, lge-ku.com
Duke Energy Kentuckyinvestor-owned
Northern Kentucky, which Duke groups with southwest Ohio as its Greater Cincinnati territory (its 2026 Site Readiness release names Walton, in Boone County); Duke reports the Ohio and Kentucky operations together as a 3,000-square-mile electric service area. About 920,000 electric and 565,000 gas customers across Ohio and Kentucky combined (per Duke Energy Fast Facts, whose electric-customer footnote reads 'Data as of Dec. 31, 2025'; Kentucky-only figure not broken out).
Duke's Start, Stop or Move page offers Start My Service (homeowner or renter, business, or landlord), Stop My Service, Move Service to New Address, a 'Check if it's Duke Energy' address lookup, and links to a New Customer Welcome Kit and Security Deposit Options; the page itself states no ID requirement, lead time or deposit amount.
Start service with Duke Energy Kentucky →Sources: duke-energy.com, duke-energy.com, duke-energy.com, news.duke-energy.com
Kentucky Powerinvestor-owned
All or part of 20 eastern Kentucky counties, headquartered in Ashland with service centers in Ashland, Hazard and Pikeville and area offices in Paintsville and Whitesburg; one of American Electric Power's seven operating companies. About 162,000 customers (per Kentucky Power 'About' page).
You locate your service address or meter number (a 7-to-10-digit number on the meter faceplate) and then enter customer information; providing a Social Security number is optional but it is used to verify credit history, your credit history determines whether a deposit is required or can be reduced, and Kentucky Power says it may still collect a deposit even if you provide an SSN. Deposits are 'normally required' from customers new to Kentucky Power, are based on the type of heat or the usage history at the address, and are credited back to the account with interest after one year if no more than two bills were paid late (and none more than 30 days late); a guarantor or a letter of credit from another utility showing twelve months of on-time payments can replace a cash deposit. Customer Operations Center: 800-572-1113.
Start service with Kentucky Power →Sources: kentuckypower.com, kentuckypower.com, kentuckypower.com
East Kentucky Power Cooperative member co-ops (e.g., Blue Grass Energy)cooperative
EKPC generates and transmits power for 16 owner-member distribution cooperatives serving 1.2 million Kentucky residents; Blue Grass Energy, headquartered in Nicholasville with offices in Richmond, Lawrenceburg and Cynthiana, serves 23 counties in central and north-central Kentucky. About Blue Grass Energy: over 64,000 members (per Blue Grass Energy Cooperative Profile); EKPC system: 1.2 million residents (per EKPC home page).
Blue Grass Energy's online Application for New Service asks for the date service is desired, the request type (Residential at an existing home, Commercial, or New Construction), the applicant's name, Social Security number, driver's license state, birth date, employer and previous address; office hours are Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (per the Cooperative Profile page). The form itself states a one-time $25 membership fee, a possible $225 residential security deposit based on a routine credit check, and a $35 charge for temporary service.
Start service with East Kentucky Power Cooperative member co-ops →Sources: ekpc.coop, bgenergy.com, billing.bgenergy.com
Owensboro Municipal Utilities (OMU)municipal
Owensboro, Kentucky; community-owned provider of electric, water and internet service to Owensboro's residents and businesses for more than 125 years.
To start or move service be ready with a Social Security or federal tax ID number, a driver's license or passport, and a completed Declaration of Domicile form; in person, come to the Customer Service Center at 2070 Tamarack Road at least 24 hours before the service change is needed (online stop requests take three days). There is a connection fee, a credit check may be required, and most homeowners who show proof of ownership pay no deposit; OMU's deposit policy sets the standard deposit at one-fourth of estimated annual charges, reduced to 1/12 (residential electric $180) for a fair credit rating and waived for good credit or a prior-utility letter, refunded with interest after 24 consecutive months of good payment history or on the final bill. Phone 270-926-3200.
Start service with Owensboro Municipal Utilities →Deposits, ID, and supplier choice in Kentucky
Deposits. Under PSC regulation 807 KAR 5:006 Section 8, a utility may require a cash deposit or other guaranty but 'shall not require a deposit based solely on the customer being a tenant or renter'; the deposit is based on the actual or estimated average bill and 'shall not exceed two-twelfths (2/12) of the customer's actual or estimated annual bill' for monthly billing (3/12 if billed bimonthly, 4/12 quarterly), a receipt must be issued, you can ask for recalculation after 18 months, and the deposit plus interest is credited to your final bill. Interest accrues from the date of deposit at the rate the PSC sets each December under KRS 278.460 (3.64% for calendar year 2026), is credited annually, and the PSC's FAQ says deposits can usually be paid in three or four equal installments as set in the utility's tariff. (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
Choosing a supplier. There is no residential electric supplier choice in Kentucky: KRS 278.018 gives each retail electric supplier 'the exclusive right to furnish retail electric service to all electric-consuming facilities located within its certified territory', so your address determines your utility. EIA's 2024 Kentucky profile shows all 74.4 million MWh of retail sales as full-service provider sales and zero energy-only (competitive supplier) sales.
The PSC regulates investor-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives but 'does not regulate the TVA supplied electric utilities' or city-owned utilities, so the deposit and disconnection rules above do not bind municipal systems such as OMU or TVA-supplied utilities such as Murray Electric System. For PSC-jurisdictional electric utilities: ten days' written notice before disconnection for nonpayment and never before 27 days after the original bill was mailed; a medical certificate holds service 30 days; between November 1 and March 31 a Certificate of Need from Community Action Kentucky holds service 30 days, and a disconnected customer can be reconnected by paying one-third of the balance or $200 (whichever is less), accepting a weatherization referral and agreeing to be current by October 15, with no new deposit; new service must be connected within 72 hours or close of the next business day once requirements are met and reconnection within 24 hours; every electric utility must offer a budget payment plan; the PSC consumer hotline is 1-800-772-4636 after you first try the utility.
Sources: apps.legislature.ky.gov, psc.ky.gov, psc.ky.gov, psc.ky.gov, apps.legislature.ky.gov, apps.legislature.ky.gov, eia.gov, psc.ky.gov, psc.ky.gov, murrayelectricsystem.com
Help paying an electric bill in Kentucky
LIHEAP (Kentucky) — Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Community Based Services, operated under contract by Community Action Kentucky through 22 community action agencies and one local government agency covering all 120 counties
Kentucky's FY2026 and FY2027 LIHEAP plans set income eligibility for heating, cooling and crisis at 150% of the HHS poverty guidelines (the CHFS web page still describes a 130%-of-poverty subsidy with a $2,000 liquid-asset limit); FY2026 windows were heating subsidy Nov 3-Dec 12, 2025, winter crisis Jan 6-Mar 27, 2026 and cooling Apr 14-May 22, 2026, and the preliminary FY2027 plan lists heating Nov 3-Dec 14, 2026, winter crisis Jan 6-Mar 26, 2027 and cooling Apr 13-May 26, 2027. Crisis help requires a disconnect notice or four or fewer days of fuel, is capped at $400 and is resolved within 48 hours; bring utility bills, proof of income, proof of address, Social Security cards for everyone in the household and proof of citizenship or permanent residence, and call 800-456-3452 or your local Community Action office.
Sources: chfs.ky.gov, liheapch.ncat.org, apps.legislature.ky.gov, liheapch.acf.gov, capky.org, acf.gov
Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)
Kentucky Housing Corporation with U.S. Department of Energy and LIHEAP funds, delivered by community action agencies and other non-profits
Low-income owners and renters (the LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists weatherization eligibility at 200% of the federal poverty level); crews perform cost-free retrofits such as insulation, air sealing, duct repair and heating-equipment replacement, and KHC says participating households typically save $372 a year. Apply through your local community action agency; KHC: 502-564-7630 or 800-633-8896.
Sources: kyhousing.org, liheapch.acf.gov
LG&E and KU
Free weatherization and energy education for income-eligible renters and owners of single-family homes or buildings with fewer than four units; customers self-attest participation in a federal or state income-based program and LG&E and KU do not require income verification (the LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists the threshold at 125% of the federal poverty level, with priority for elderly and disabled). Call LG&E 502-589-1444 or KU 1-800-981-0600, fast path 1-5-1.
Sources: lge-ku.com, liheapch.acf.gov
Kentucky Power
HEART (Home Energy Assistance in Reduced Temperatures) pays participating residential customers $115 a month with electric heat or $58 a month with non-electric heat from January through April, and THAW (Temporary Heating Assistance in Winter) gives up to $175 January through April on a first-come, first-served basis until funds run out; Kentucky Power also offers payment arrangements, a one-time payment extension, Average Monthly Payments and a Targeted Energy Efficiency Program delivered through community action agencies. Call 800-572-1113.
Sources: kentuckypower.com, kentuckypower.com
KU WinterCare and LG&E Community Winterhelp
KU and LG&E (donation-matched funds disbursed by local agencies; the utilities do not decide eligibility)
Community Winterhelp agencies provide emergency heating assistance from January to April to low-income Louisville households that are without heat or in immediate danger of losing it (reach them through area community ministries or Metro United Way at 211), and KU matches customer donations to the WinterCare Energy Assistance Fund administered by local agencies (the LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists 606-573-5335). LG&E's page also lists Louisville Metro Community Action Partnership LIHEAP at 502-574-1157 and Project Warm's free weatherization at 502-636-9276.
Sources: lge-ku.com, lge-ku.com, lge-ku.com, liheapch.acf.gov
Duke Energy (Kentucky)
The LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists Share the Light as a last-resort charitable fund paying eligible Duke Energy customers a one-time payment available November through March or until funds are depleted; contact 859-581-6607.
Source: liheapch.acf.gov
TVA Home Uplift (via TVA-supplied utilities such as Murray Electric System)
Tennessee Valley Authority with its local power companies
Murray Electric System says Home Uplift 'provides an average of $10,000 in free (yes, free) home energy upgrades to income-eligible customers' such as new or repaired HVAC units, insulation, appliances and electric water heaters, and points customers to LIHEAP for bill help.
Source: murrayelectricsystem.com
Programs that change what you pay
- Rooftop solar (net metering)available
- KRS 278.466 requires every retail electric supplier to offer net metering to eligible customer-generators until net-metered capacity reaches 1% of its single-hour peak load; since the 2019 amendment (effective January 1, 2020) new customers get a dollar-denominated bill credit at a PSC-set rate that carries forward and is never refunded in cash, while customers who started under the old tariff keep the one-to-one kWh credit for 25 years at that premises. LG&E and KU limit systems to 45 kW and pay dollar credits to customers whose net metering began on or after September 24, 2021; Blue Grass Energy also caps systems below 45 kW with a UL1741 inverter and a Kentucky electrical inspection; OMU (municipal) allows up to 100 kW and credits excess at its FERC account 501 energy cost.
Sources: apps.legislature.ky.gov, lge-ku.com, bgenergy.com, omu.org
- Community solaravailable
- LG&E and KU's Solar Share lets customers subscribe to 250-watt shares of a utility solar array for $5.55 a month per share (12-month commitment) or a one-time $799 Solar Capacity Charge covering 25 years, each share estimated to produce 18-38 kWh a month as bill credits that can be gifted to another LG&E or KU customer; an advanced meter is required (800-356-5467). Members of the 16 EKPC co-ops, including Blue Grass Energy, can license panels at Cooperative Solar Farm One, a 60-acre, 32,000-panel farm in Winchester.
Sources: lge-ku.com, bgenergy.com, cooperativesolar.com
- Time-of-use rateslimited
- LG&E and KU offer two optional residential time-of-day rates (including a Time-of-Day Energy Rate) under which charges vary by time of day and season; the utility warns that 'if you do not shift the time of day that you use energy or you consume energy during on-peak times, your bill may go up.' Other Kentucky utilities' time-of-use offerings were not confirmed on their public pages.
Source: lge-ku.com
Questions people ask before moving to Kentucky
How far ahead should I set up electricity before moving to Kentucky?
LG&E and KU ask for a three-business-day notice and up to three business days to process a request, Warren RECC needs one to three business days, and OMU wants you at its counter at least 24 hours ahead; Kentucky Power and Duke do not state a lead time online. The PSC's rules require a jurisdictional utility to connect new service within 72 hours or the close of the next business day once you have met its tariff requirements, so a week's notice is comfortable.
Sources: lge-ku.com, wrecc.com, omu.org, psc.ky.gov
Will I have to pay a deposit, and how much?
For PSC-regulated utilities and co-ops the deposit cannot exceed two-twelfths of your actual or estimated annual bill, cannot be demanded just because you rent, earns 3.64% interest in 2026 and is credited to your final bill; Kentucky Power says deposits are 'normally' required of new customers and your credit history (SSN optional) decides whether one is needed or reduced. Municipal and co-op examples: Warren RECC lists a $10 membership fee, $35 connect fee and a $300 deposit if the credit check requires it, Paducah Power's standard deposit is two months of average billing with a $150 minimum (waived for good credit or its PayGo prepaid program), BGMU charges a $35 electric application fee and may require a deposit based on credit score, and OMU's standard deposit is one-fourth of estimated annual charges but most homeowners with proof of ownership pay none.
Sources: apps.legislature.ky.gov, psc.ky.gov, kentuckypower.com, kentuckypower.com, wrecc.com, paducahpower.com, bgmu.com, omu.org
Can I shop for a cheaper electricity supplier in Kentucky?
No. Kentucky law gives each retail electric supplier the exclusive right to serve its certified territory, so the utility is fixed by your address, and EIA records zero competitive 'energy-only' sales in the state; rates are set by the Kentucky PSC for investor-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives, while city-owned and TVA-supplied utilities fall outside PSC rate regulation.
Sources: apps.legislature.ky.gov, eia.gov, psc.ky.gov
How much does electricity cost in Kentucky, and where does it come from?
EIA lists coal as Kentucky's primary electricity source and its 2024 average retail price across all sectors at 10.07 cents per kWh, ranked 40th among the states; in July 2026 Kentucky's average residential price was 13.81 cents per kWh against a U.S. average of 18.31. The PSC regulates rates for investor-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives but not for TVA-supplied or city-owned utilities.
Sources: eia.gov, eia.gov, psc.ky.gov
What documents do I need to open an electric account in Kentucky?
Utilities ask for a Social Security number (optional at Kentucky Power, but used for the credit check) and a government photo ID: Warren RECC requires a valid U.S. government-issued photo ID, SSN, the service address and, for renters, a copy of the lease with every tenant on the application; BGMU requires applicants to be 18 or older with photo ID and SSN; OMU wants an SSN or federal tax ID, a driver's license or passport and a Declaration of Domicile form. LG&E and KU's online form also asks you to confirm the home is your primary residence so it is exempt from Kentucky sales tax on utilities.
Sources: kentuckypower.com, wrecc.com, bgmu.com, omu.org, lge-ku.com
What help is there if I can't pay my Kentucky electric bill?
Apply for LIHEAP through your county Community Action agency (800-456-3452): income up to 150% of the HHS poverty guidelines under the state's FY2026 LIHEAP plan (the CHFS web page still cites 130% of poverty and a $2,000 liquid-asset limit), a heating subsidy in November-December, winter crisis help of up to $400 from early January to late March, and a cooling component in spring when funded. Between November 1 and March 31 a Community Action Kentucky Certificate of Need keeps a PSC-regulated utility from disconnecting you for 30 days or gets you reconnected for one-third of the balance (max $200), and every regulated electric utility must offer a budget payment plan and negotiate a partial payment plan after a disconnect notice.
Sources: chfs.ky.gov, liheapch.ncat.org, liheapch.acf.gov, psc.ky.gov
Researched 2026-10-16 from utility, regulator, and agency pages; every statement links to where it was read. Rules change: confirm deposits and program dates with the utility or agency before you rely on them.
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