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Average Electric Bill in Alabama

Residential · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.

$188per month▲ 3.4% vs. the year before

That works out to about $2,252 a year. Among the 50 states and DC, Alabama has the 4th highest average residential bill.

Data current through August 2026 — the latest available from the U.S. EIA, which publishes monthly figures on a roughly two-month delay.

What makes up the bill

Price
16.45¢
per kWh
▼ 9.0%U.S. 18.07¢
Usage
1,141 kWh
per month
▲ 30.2%U.S. 876 kWh
Bill
$188
per month
▲ 18.5%U.S. $158

Price × usage = bill, exactly: 16.45¢/kWh × 1,141 kWh ≈ $188. A state can land high on either factor — Alabama pays below the national rate but uses much more power than average.

Compared with nearby states

Average monthly residential electricity bill, in US dollars
Alabama
$188
U.S. average
$158
Mississippi
$174
Florida
$169
Georgia
$164
Tennessee
$163

Alabama is $29 a month above (+18.5%) the U.S. average of $158. Neighboring states share fuel mixes, weather, and often a grid operator, which makes them a closer benchmark than the national average.

Trend since 2008

AlabamaU.S.
$100$150$200Dec '08May '13Oct '17Mar '22Aug '26AlabamaU.S.

Each point is a trailing 12-month average, which strips out the summer/winter swing and leaves the underlying trend. Bills start in January 2008 because that is when EIA began reporting customer counts.

Seasonal swing

Highest month
$254
August 2026
Lowest month
$144
November 2025
Swing
$110
peak minus low
Latest month
$254
August 2026

Actual bills are far from flat: Alabama peaks in August 2026 and bottoms out in November 2025. The headline figure above is the average across all twelve months.

Alabama electricity bills in context

Alabama's average monthly electricity bill is $188, the fourth-highest among the 50 states and DC. This bill reflects two offsetting forces: the state's price of 16.45¢/kWh runs below the national average of 18.07¢/kWh, but homes use 1,141 kWh per month against a national average of 876 kWh per month. The higher usage pulls the bill up by $30, or 18.5%, above the national figure of $158.

Over the past year, the bill rose 3.4% from $182. Over five years, it has climbed 25.5% since August 2021, when it stood at $149. The longer view shows even steeper growth: since December 2008, the bill has increased 42% from $132. Neighboring states all pay less—Mississippi averages $174, Florida $169, Georgia $164, and Tennessee $163.

Seasonal swings are substantial. August 2026 brought the peak at $254, while November 2025 saw the lowest at $144, a difference of $110. The twelve-month average of $188 sits between these extremes.

Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.

Frequently asked questions

›How much is the average electric bill in Alabama?
The average residential electricity bill in Alabama is $188 a month, or about $2,252 a year. That is the average across September 2025 – August 2026, calculated from EIA data as total residential electricity revenue divided by the number of residential customers.
›Is the electric bill in Alabama higher than the national average?
Alabama's average bill of $188 is $29 a month higher than the U.S. average of $158. It ranks 4th highest among the 50 states and DC.
›Why is electricity relatively cheap in Alabama?
A bill is the price per kilowatt-hour multiplied by how much power a household uses. In Alabama the residential rate averages 16.45¢/kWh against a U.S. average of 18.07¢, and the typical home uses 1,141 kWh a month against a U.S. average of 876 kWh. Alabama pays below the national rate but uses much more power than average.
›When is the electric bill highest in Alabama?
Alabama bills peak in August 2026 at $254 and are lowest in November 2025 at $144 — a swing of $110 between the most and least expensive month.
›How does Alabama compare with neighboring states?
Among states bordering Alabama, Mississippi has the highest average bill at $174 and Tennessee the lowest at $163. Alabama itself averages $188 a month.

How this is calculated

EIA’s retail-sales dataset reports, for every state and month, total residential revenue and the number of residential customers served. The average monthly bill is simply the first divided by the second — total spending across all households, spread evenly over all accounts.

bill = revenue ÷ customers · averaged over 12 months (September 2025 – August 2026)

Two caveats worth knowing. It is an average, so it blends apartments with large houses — a typical household in Alabama may pay well above or below $188. And it counts what was actually billed for electricity, including fixed service charges, so it is not the same as multiplying your own usage by the advertised rate.

Looking for the rate rather than the bill? See Alabama electricity prices by sector.