NorthWestern Energy electricity rates
Investor-owned utility · Montana · WECC region
NorthWestern Energy is a for-profit, investor-owned utility regulated by the state utility commission, serving 333,711 homes in Montana. Its residential customers pay an average of 15.71¢/kWh including fixed and delivery charges, 13% less than the U.S. average.
Rate basis: EIA-861M monthly utility data, 12 months ending 2026-07.
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NorthWestern Energy bill estimates
| Monthly use | At average all-in rate | Base tariff charges* |
|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $78.55 | $62.45 |
| 1,000 kWh | $157.10 | $120.69 |
| 1,500 kWh | $235.65 | $178.93 |
| 2,000 kWh | $314.20 | $237.18 |
*REDS-1 Residential Customer (effective 2023-04-01, $4.20/month customer charge), energy and fixed charges from the OpenEI Utility Rate Database. Riders, fuel adjustments and taxes are often billed separately, so real bills usually land closer to the all-in column. Calculate your bill.
NorthWestern Energy residential rate plans
| Plan | Effective | Customer charge | Energy charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| REDS-1 Residential Customer | 2023-04-01 | $4.20 | 11.65¢ |
| REDS-1 Residential Customer | 2023-04-01 | $4.20 | 3.12¢ |
| REDS-1 Residential Employee Customer | 2017-09-01 | $2.46 | 4.72¢ |
| REDS-1 Residential Employee Customer | 2017-09-01 | $2.46 | 8.45¢ |
Source: OpenEI U.S. Utility Rate Database. Rates change. Check the linked tariff or your bill for current figures.
NorthWestern Energy rate history
2015–2025: +22% change in the average residential rate (11.81¢ → 14.42¢). Annual EIA-861 data.
Outages & reliability
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Reliability history
| 2025 | NorthWestern Energy | Montana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outage minutes per customer (SAIDI) | 125 | 285 | 266 |
| Outages per customer (SAIFI) | 1.10 | 1.33 | 1.34 |
| Average restoration time (CAIDI) | 114 min | — | — |
| Outage minutes excluding major storms | 117 | 136 | 121 |
Outages in counties served (2025)
From ORNL EAGLE-I, which tracks customers without power every 15 minutes. These counts cover every utility in each county. Weighted across NorthWestern Energy's counties, customers averaged 5 hr 54 min without power.
| County | Outage min/customer | Days with outages | Peak customers out | Worst day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral | 4,941 | 22 | 5,763 | 2025-12-17 |
| Meagher | 2,788 | 16 | 1,645 | 2025-12-17 |
| Phillips | 1,866 | 19 | 3,209 | 2025-12-17 |
| Sanders | 1,545 | 40 | 6,903 | 2025-12-17 |
| Golden Valley | 1,462 | 14 | 512 | 2025-09-04 |
| Jefferson | 1,254 | 19 | 6,022 | 2025-12-17 |
| Chouteau | 1,246 | 19 | 1,793 | 2025-12-17 |
| Blaine | 1,113 | 18 | 4,330 | 2025-12-18 |
| Judith Basin | 870 | 17 | 508 | 2025-01-08 |
| Liberty | 859 | 8 | 1,507 | 2025-12-18 |
| Valley | 818 | 28 | 3,214 | 2025-01-24 |
| Madison | 732 | 43 | 1,953 | 2025-09-16 |
| Sweet Grass | 683 | 15 | 1,612 | 2025-12-17 |
| Pondera | 677 | 14 | 4,355 | 2025-12-17 |
| Wheatland | 642 | 12 | 286 | 2025-08-10 |
| Broadwater | 542 | 15 | 818 | 2025-10-13 |
| Powell | 527 | 25 | 1,450 | 2025-07-23 |
| Park | 524 | 36 | 15,392 | 2025-12-17 |
| Lewis and Clark | 506 | 35 | 12,309 | 2025-06-03 |
| Hill | 499 | 31 | 7,012 | 2025-12-18 |
| Musselshell | 488 | 13 | 574 | 2025-11-30 |
| Missoula | 439 | 45 | 8,400 | 2025-12-17 |
| Ravalli | 402 | 26 | 8,921 | 2025-12-17 |
| Granite | 349 | 22 | 603 | 2025-04-12 |
| Fergus | 265 | 20 | 2,802 | 2025-06-25 |
NorthWestern Energy service area
NorthWestern Energy serves 36 counties in Montana and 263 ZIP codes.
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
Cities: Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, Butte, Helena, Havre, Anaconda, Helena Valley Southeast, Belgrade, Helena Valley West Central, Livingston, Laurel, Lewistown, Orchard Homes, Hamilton, Dillon, Hardin, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Glasgow, Four Corners, Cut Bank, Warm Springs, Helena Valley Northeast, Deer Lodge, Montana City, Libby, Conrad, Colstrip, Big Sky, Red Lodge, East Missoula, East Helena, Columbus, Malta, Townsend, Three Forks, Stevensville, Forsyth, Roundup
Programs, smart meters & solar
| Smart meters (AMI) for homes | 96% |
| Time-based rate programs | None reported |
| Net-metered solar homes | 11,465 |
| Home batteries paired with solar | 338 |
| Residential efficiency incentives paid (2025) | $671,000 |
| Residential energy saved by programs | 11,315 MWh |
NorthWestern Energy at a glance
| Ownership | Investor-owned utility |
| Services | Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Retail Marketing |
| Commercial rate | 14.30¢/kWh |
| Industrial rate | 11.19¢/kWh |
| Retail revenue (2025) | $872,307,000 |
| Electricity sold (2025) | 6,381,274 MWh |
| Peak demand | 2,002 MW summer · 2,046 MW winter |
| Power from own generation | 59% (rest purchased) |
| Line losses | 7.4% |
| Balancing authority | NWMT |
| EIA utility ID | 12825 |
| Website | psc.mt.gov/Regulated-Utilities/Reports/folderId/55204/view/gridview/pageSize/10?folderId=55204&view=gridview&pageSize=2147483647 |
Other utilities in Montana
Frequently asked questions
What is NorthWestern Energy's electricity rate?
NorthWestern Energy residential customers pay an average of 15.71¢ per kWh, all charges included (EIA-861M monthly utility data, 12 months ending 2026-07). That's 14% above the Montana average of 13.84¢ and 13% below the U.S. average.
What is the average NorthWestern Energy electric bill?
About $111 a month. The average NorthWestern Energy home uses 707 kWh a month. At 1,000 kWh the bill would be about $157.
How many customers does NorthWestern Energy have?
NorthWestern Energy serves 333,711 residential customers and 438,851 customers in total in Montana, across 36 counties.
How reliable is NorthWestern Energy?
In 2025, the average NorthWestern Energy customer was without power for 2 hr 5 min (SAIDI) over 1.10 interruptions (SAIFI), including major storms. Excluding major event days it was 117 min. The Montana average was 4 hr 45 min and the U.S. average 4 hr 26 min.
Does NorthWestern Energy offer net metering for solar?
NorthWestern Energy had 11,465 residential net-metered customers in 2025 with 83.8 MW of capacity and 338 solar-paired batteries. Estimate solar savings at this utility's rate.
Sources: EIA-861 2025 and EIA-861M (through July 2026), OpenEI URDB, ORNL EAGLE-I, U.S. Census. Methodology. Spot an error? Rates change often, so confirm with NorthWestern Energy before making decisions.