14.42¢
per kWh, 2025
[ NorthWestern Energy / MT ]
NorthWestern Energy electricity rates in Montana
NO RATE CASE ON FILE · DATA 2025
change in average rate, 2024→2025
+1.3%
vs 2024
333,713
residential customers
+18.6%
since 2020
What your bill becomes
Bill today
No change on file
Difference / month · / year
Estimated at NorthWestern Energy's average effective residential rate (14.42¢/kWh, EIA, all charges included). Your tariff, fees and taxes differ.
Rate history 2015–2025
| Year | ¢/kWh | Change | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 11.82¢ | — | 287,204 |
| 2016 | 11.77¢ | −0.4% | 291,168 |
| 2017 | 11.76¢ | −0.1% | 295,246 |
| 2018 | 11.73¢ | −0.3% | 299,257 |
| 2019 | 12.01¢ | +2.4% | 303,041 |
| 2020 | 12.16¢ | +1.3% | 307,239 |
| 2021 | 12.14¢ | −0.2% | 311,771 |
| 2022 | 12.43¢ | +2.4% | 316,801 |
| 2023 | 14.61¢ | +17.5% | 322,254 |
| 2024 | 14.23¢ | −2.6% | 328,127 |
| 2025 | 14.42¢ | +1.3% | 333,713 |
How this compares
12.99¢
Montana average, 2025
+11.0%
NorthWestern Energy vs MT 2025 average
−16.3%
vs US 2025 average
#2
priciest in MT
Serves 36 counties in Montana: Beaverhead, Big Horn, Blaine, Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Gallatin, Golden Valley, Granite, Hill, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Musselshell, Park, Phillips, Pondera, Powell, Ravalli, Rosebud, Sanders, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Valley, Wheatland, Yellowstone. 229 ZIP codes.
What the numbers show
Since 2015, NorthWestern Energy's average residential rate has gone from 11.82¢ to 14.42¢ per kWh: +22.0% over 10 years, or about +2.0% a year. It rose in 5 of the 10 years we can compare, and the biggest one-year increase was +17.5% in 2023. The largest drop was −2.6% in 2024.
For a home using 853 kWh a month, the Montana average, NorthWestern Energy's 2025 rate works out to about $1,476 a year, $146 more than at Montana's average rate of 12.99¢. Of the 14 Montana utilities in our data with a 2025 price, it is the 2nd most expensive.
NorthWestern Energy served 287,204 homes in 2015 and 333,713 in 2025 (+16.2%), about 58% of Montana's residential electricity customers.
Who sets NorthWestern Energy's rates
NorthWestern Energy is investor-owned, so it can change its base rates only by filing a rate case with the Montana Public Service Commission. The commission holds hearings and takes public comment before it rules, and it usually approves less than the company asks for. Fuel and other pass-through charges can change between rate cases.
Commission contact: Montana Public Service Commission. How we calculate every figure on this page: methodology.
Questions
Is NorthWestern Energy raising rates in 2026?
No rate case for NorthWestern Energy is on file with the Montana Public Service Commission in our tracker. Its average residential rate moved +1.3% from 2024 to 2025. We check the commission docket monthly.
What does NorthWestern Energy charge per kWh?
NorthWestern Energy's average effective residential rate was 14.42¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales, all charges included). Montana's 2025 average was 12.99¢.
How much have NorthWestern Energy rates gone up in five years?
+18.6% between 2020 and 2025, against +29.9% for Montana as a whole over the latest five-year window.
How many customers does NorthWestern Energy have in Montana?
333,713 residential customers in 2025, across 36 counties including Beaverhead, Big Horn, Blaine, according to the EIA-861 survey.
Where do these numbers come from?
Rates and customer counts are from the US Energy Information Administration's annual EIA-861 survey, which every US utility files. Nothing here is a utility bill; use it to understand the direction and size of changes.
Sources
- EIA-861 Sales to Ultimate Customers, 2015–2025 (released 2026-10-07)
- EIA-861M monthly state averages through Jul 2026
- NREL utility-by-ZIP lookup (2024)