Tennessee Electricity Rates
Rate data for Tennessee 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 Tennessee?
No. Tennessee 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 Tennessee Public Utility Commission, and the rate you pay depends on which utility serves your address, your rate schedule, and the season.
Grid operator: No RTO; Tennessee Valley Authority supplies local power companies. 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.
Nearly every Tennessee address is served by one of TVA's 153 local power companies, so there is no supplier to pick and no state PUC setting your rate or your deposit; each city board or co-op writes its own rules (NES $250, MLGW and EPB $200, KUB $300 if required, MTE by soft credit check), bills at all five of the largest utilities carry TVA's monthly Fuel Cost Adjustment, and billing disputes escalate to TVA's regulatory hotline rather than to the Tennessee Public Utility Commission.
Who will deliver your power in Tennessee
The utility is fixed by your address. These are the largest in the state, with what each says it needs from a new customer.
Nashville Electric Service (NES)municipal
All of Nashville and Davidson County plus parts of the six surrounding counties, about 700 square miles; power is bought wholesale from the Tennessee Valley Authority. About nearly 460,000 customers (per NES 'About NES').
Start, stop or transfer through My Account (24/7), by phone at 615-736-6900 (Mon-Fri 6 a.m. to midnight, Sat 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or in person at 1214 Church St. with a photo ID, and NES asks for at least one business day's notice. Two current forms of ID are required (driver's license, Social Security card, passport, birth certificate are listed), NES requires a $250 security deposit before connection that new customers can waive with a successful credit check (if charged it is credited back after 12 months of satisfactory payments), and a non-refundable $20 residential connection fee appears on the first bill; stopping service takes up to two business days and a transferring customer may keep the old account open up to 60 days.
Start service with Nashville Electric Service →Sources: nespower.com, nespower.com, nespower.com
Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW)municipal
Memphis and Shelby County (electric, natural gas and water); MLGW is TVA's largest customer at about 11% of TVA's load. About nearly 431,000 electric customers, more than 440,000 customers in total (per MLGW 'About Overview').
Submit an online Start Service Request plus the Residential Service Agreement; MLGW requires two forms of ID, one with a photo, and runs a credit assessment. Credit-risk applicants pay a minimum $200 deposit (cash, cashier's check or money order) that can instead be billed on the next bill or paid in eight $25 installments; it is refunded as a bill credit after a 24-month good-pay record, earns no interest, rises to $400 after utility tampering or a written-off bad debt, and is waived for a 60-plus or SSA-disability head of household with a clean 72-month record or with a 12-month good-standing reference letter mailed by a previous electric or gas utility.
Start service with Memphis Light, Gas and Water →Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)cooperative
About 2,200 square miles in 11 Middle Tennessee counties, mainly Rutherford, Cannon, Williamson and Wilson, including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Smyrna, La Vergne, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet; MTE says it is the largest cooperative in the TVA region and second largest in the U.S. About more than 750,000 Tennesseans via 345,000+ accounts (per MTE 'About').
Submit the online Start Service form; doing so is consent to a soft credit evaluation that decides whether a deposit is required, and MTE contacts you about payment if one is. A $40 connection fee and a $5 initial membership fee appear on the first bill (transfers pay the $40 again and must clear any past-due balance first); the member contact center is 877-777-9020, available 24/7/365, and homes without a meter or under construction must call first. MTE's Prepay plan is described as a way to avoid a deposit.
Start service with Middle Tennessee Electric →Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB)municipal
Knoxville and parts of seven surrounding counties; the electric system covers 689 square miles in Knox and surrounding counties and buys its power from TVA. KUB also runs gas, water, wastewater and fiber. About more than 226,000 electric customers; nearly 520,000 customers across all services (per KUB).
Start online with the new address, a valid email, a start date (allow one business day's notice) and a Social Security number; other ID may be accepted, but without an SSN you must apply in person at a KUB Customer Service Center. A $35 connection fee appears on the first bill and a $300 utility deposit may be required to start service.
Start service with Knoxville Utilities Board →EPB (Electric Power Board of Chattanooga)municipal
Chattanooga and the surrounding area; EPB says it is 'here for half a million people' and has served the area for more than 90 years, delivering TVA power over what it calls the nation's most advanced automated grid. About about half a million people served (per EPB 'Who We Are'; no account count given).
Every new electric account carries an initial $200 deposit, but all applicants get a credit review and those with satisfactory credit may have it waived or billed on the first month's bill; weaker credit pays in advance (card, debit or cash at one of three offices) before power is connected. A reference letter from your previous utility (on letterhead, under six months old, showing 12 months of good payment) or a guarantor who has been an EPB customer in good standing for 12 months can replace the deposit, and EPB PrePay Power has no security deposit at all.
Start service with EPB →Deposits, ID, and supplier choice in Tennessee
Deposits. There is no statewide deposit rule for most Tennesseans: the Tennessee Public Utility Commission regulates only privately-owned utilities, and its electric list contains just Appalachian Power Company, Entergy Arkansas LLC and Kingsport Power Company. Everyone else is served by a TVA local power company that sets its own deposit, so the amount depends on where you land: $250 at NES, a $200 minimum at MLGW, $200 at EPB, $300 at KUB if one is required, and a soft-credit-based deposit at MTE. (tn.gov)
Choosing a supplier. No residential supplier choice: EIA's 2024 Tennessee profile records 102,962,435 MWh of full-service provider sales and zero energy-only (competitive supplier) sales, and TVA describes itself as the wholesale provider to 153 local power companies that set the retail rates, so your utility and your rate are fixed by your address (https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/tennessee/; https://www.tva.com/about-tva/tva-rates).
TVA, a federal agency funded by power sales rather than taxes, supplies 153 local power companies serving 10 million people in Tennessee and parts of six other states; TVA sets wholesale rates and each local power company structures its own retail rates. Disputes you cannot settle with your local power company go to TVA's Complaint Resolution Process (Regulatory Hotline 888-289-8409, Mon-Fri 8-5 Eastern), not to the state PUC, whose Consumer Services Division (615-741-2904) handles only TPUC-regulated companies. Tennessee's average retail electricity price was 10.90 cents per kWh in 2024 (EIA, rank 34), and the residential average was 13.71 cents in July 2026 versus 13.21 a year earlier (EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A).
Sources: tn.gov, tn.gov, tn.gov, tva.com, tva.com, tva.com, nespower.com, eia.gov, eia.gov
Help paying an electric bill in Tennessee
Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) through 19 local agencies covering all 95 counties
Households at or below 60% of State Median Income; one-time help with heating and cooling costs while funding lasts, paid directly to the utility. For 2025-2026, applications opened online via SmartSimple on November 1, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. CST and benefits range from $174 to $750 depending on household energy burden.
Weatherization Assistance Program (Tennessee)
THDA as grantee, delivered by local community agencies and governments in all 95 counties
Low-income households, with priority for the elderly, people with disabilities and children; a certified energy auditor sets the measures (air sealing, duct sealing, attic/wall/floor insulation) and applicants contact the agency serving their county.
Home Uplift (TVA, via NES and EPB)
Nashville Electric Service and EPB with TVA
Income-qualified homeowners (NES now also takes single-family rentals when renter and landlord both apply) receive free energy upgrades such as insulation, duct sealing and HVAC work; NES cites an average of $10,000 per home and EPB says up to $10,000, with 700-plus EPB households reporting $400 or more a year in savings.
Sources: nespower.com, epb.com
MLGW payment programs (PowerPay, Holiday Bill Break, Shelby County CSA/LIHEAP)
Memphis Light, Gas and Water with Shelby County Community Services Agency
Any MLGW residential customer with a smart meter can use PowerPay (prepaid, no deposit, no reconnection or late fees); MLGW defers nonpayment cutoffs for all residential customers from December 15 to January 14 if the unpaid balance is $399 or less; LIHEAP applications in Shelby County run through CSA at shelbycountycsa.org/utility-assistance.
KUB Project Help and payment assistance network
Knoxville Utilities Board with Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee and about 200 partner agencies
Project Help is emergency energy assistance for people in need in the KUB service area regardless of heating fuel (apply at 865-637-6700); KUB also arranges installment plans, levelized billing and due-date extensions, and lists the county LIHEAP agencies (CAC, Blount County CAA, ETHRA with quarterly January/April/July/October intake, Douglas-Cherokee).
Source: kub.org
MTE SharingChange community energy assistance and weatherization referrals
Middle Tennessee Electric's SharingChange foundation through local help agencies
Members needing bill help apply through the local agencies MTE funds year-round; for weatherization, Rutherford, Williamson and Wilson residents call Mid-Cumberland Community Action Agency (615-742-1113) and Cannon County residents call Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (615-563-2916).
Source: mte.com
Programs that change what you pay
- Rooftop solar (net metering)none
- Excess solar is bought, not net-metered: MLGW says its all-requirements contract with TVA bars it from buying power from any other source, so it offers no net metering, and TVA's Dispersed Power Production Program instead buys all or excess renewable output at TVA's avoided cost; local programs follow suit: NESolar Savings purchases surplus from arrays under 250 kW that average at least 50 kWh of monthly excess, and MLGW warns that low rates and below-average sunshine make rooftop solar hard to justify on bill savings alone.
Sources: tva.com, tva.com, nespower.com, mlgw.com
- Community solaravailable
- Utility-run subscriptions rather than third-party gardens: NES's Music City Solar (17,020 panels on a former landfill, bill credits through 2038, open to renters), MTE's Cooperative Solar ($20 a month per block of 5.5 panels at its College Grove field, one or two blocks per home), and EPB Solar Share, which is currently sold out. Separately, TVA's Green Switch lets you buy 200 kWh blocks of renewable attributes for $2 each on your bill.
Sources: gosolarmusiccity.com, mte.com, epb.com, tva.com
- Time-of-use rateslimited
- Optional and utility-specific: EPB's Time Shift Plan charges about 20.6 cents on-peak (3-7 p.m. weekdays April-October, 6-10 a.m. November-March) versus 11.0 cents off-peak, and its Night Shift Plan is 9.2 cents from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. against 13.4 cents by day with a one-year commitment; MTE's NiteFlex adds 1 cent per kWh by day (4 a.m.-10 p.m.) and takes 3 cents off overnight; MLGW lists a voluntary residential TOU rate but says new enrollment is currently unavailable. NES lists no residential TOU rate (its time-of-day schedules are commercial), though its TVA-based rates are higher in summer (June-September) and winter (December-March).
Sources: epb.com, mte.com, mlgw.com, nespower.com
Questions people ask before moving to Tennessee
How far ahead should I set up electricity before moving to Tennessee?
A few business days is plenty for a home that already has a meter: NES and KUB both ask for at least one business day's notice, and NES says stopping service takes up to two business days. Give yourself more time if you lack a Social Security number (KUB requires an in-person visit) or if a credit check flags a problem (NES may delay service until you prove identity in person).
Sources: nespower.com, kub.org, nespower.com
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Tennessee?
No. Almost the whole state is served by TVA local power companies that buy wholesale power from TVA and set their own retail rates, and EIA records zero competitive-supplier sales in Tennessee, so the utility that serves your address is your only option.
Will I have to pay a deposit to start service?
It depends on the utility and your credit: NES requires $250 unless you pass a credit check, EPB and MLGW start at $200 but waive or bill it for good credit, KUB may require $300, and MTE runs a soft credit check first. A 12-month good-payment letter from your previous utility substitutes for the deposit at MLGW and EPB, and prepaid plans at EPB, MLGW and MTE need no deposit at all.
Sources: nespower.com, epb.com, mlgw.com, mlgw.com, kub.org, mte.com
What will electricity cost me in Tennessee?
Tennessee's average retail price was 10.90 cents per kWh in 2024 and the residential average was 13.71 cents in July 2026 (EIA). Locally, NES's base rate is 9.254 cents plus a fuel cost adjustment (2.515 cents in September) and a tiered service charge, for a $141.98 bill at 1,000 kWh; EPB estimates about 12 cents per kWh all-in and MTE reports a 12.45-cent 2026 average; NES, EPB, MTE and KUB each pass TVA's monthly Fuel Cost Adjustment through to the bill.
Sources: eia.gov, eia.gov, nespower.com, epb.com, mte.com, kub.org
Who do I complain to if my utility won't fix a billing problem?
For a TVA local power company (NES, MLGW, KUB, EPB, MTE and the rest), the state PUC cannot help; TVA's Complaint Resolution Process takes over once you have tried the utility, by online form or the Regulatory Hotline at 888-289-8409. The Tennessee Public Utility Commission's Consumer Services Division (615-741-2904) handles only privately-owned utilities such as Kingsport Power and Appalachian Power.
Sources: tva.com, nespower.com, tn.gov, tn.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.
Every state ranked by residential rate, updated weekly: Electricity Rates by State →