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State electricity rates

Colorado Electricity Rates and Average Electric Bill Guide

Average price, monthly bill and usage for Colorado, who supplies the power, and how it compares with neighboring states.

Reviewed Data: EIA Form EIA-861, released October 7, 2026

Average monthly bill

$103.30

31% below the US $150.68

Price per kWh

15.69 cents

US average 17.23 cents

Monthly use

658 kWh

US average 874 kWh

Homes counted

2.60 million

Residential customers, 2025

How Colorado compares

Two things keep the Colorado bill low. Prices run 9% below the national price, and households use 25% less electricity than the typical US household.

Over a year, the average Colorado household pays about $1,240 for electricity. The state ranks 3rd lowest for the monthly bill, 23rd highest for price per kWh and 13th lowest for use, out of 51 places (50 states and DC).

Colorado compared with the United States and nearby states
PlaceMonthly billCents per kWhkWh per month
Colorado$103.3015.69658
United States$150.6817.23874
Arizona$157.1515.261,030
Kansas$126.4214.44876
Nebraska$117.2312.05973
New Mexico$94.6514.85638
Oklahoma$140.5213.211,064
Utah$99.0613.02761
Wyoming$111.5913.37835

Source: EIA Form EIA-861 final 2025 data, residential sector. Bills are revenue divided by customers, divided by 12.

Want to see where your own bill falls? Use the bill checker or read the average bill guide for apartments, houses and different household sizes.

Who supplies the power

Investor-owned utilities serve the largest share of Colorado households at 58%. electric cooperatives (26%) and municipal utilities (15%) cover most of the rest. EIA lists 33 utilities and electricity suppliers with customers in Colorado.

Share of Colorado residential customers by provider type
  • Investor-owned57.8%
  • Cooperative25.8%
  • Municipal15.4%
  • Other1.1%
Largest electricity providers in Colorado by residential customers
ProviderTypeHomes served
Xcel Energy ColoradoInvestor-owned1,379,910
Colorado Springs UtilitiesMunicipal220,059
CORE Electric CooperativeCooperative168,587
United PowerCooperative103,104
Black Hills Colorado ElectricInvestor-owned97,888
City of Fort CollinsMunicipal71,804
Mountain View Electric AssociationCooperative61,343
Poudre Valley Rural Electric AssociationCooperative50,933

See every utility that reports customers here on the electric companies in Colorado page.

If you do not know who serves your address, the find my electric company tool matches your county to a utility.

Can you choose your electricity supplier in Colorado?

Colorado does not offer household retail electricity choice. Households buy electricity from the utility that serves their address. That utility can be an investor-owned company, a municipal system or a cooperative, and its rates are set by its regulator or its own board. You can still lower your bill with a better rate plan, efficiency upgrades and bill help programs.

Reliability and rooftop solar

Utilities in Colorado reported an average of 1 hour and 59 minutes without power per customer in 2025, with 1.10 interruptions per customer, when major storm days are left out. That outage time is close to the median state (127 minutes).

Customers in Colorado had 197,880 net-metered residential solar systems with a combined 1,294.6 megawatts of capacity in 2025. That works out to 76.1 systems for every 1,000 households, which ranks 6 of 51 places. Net metering lets a home with solar offset what it uses from the grid, so it changes the bill math for those households. Our net metering guide explains how the credit works.

Outage figures are reported by utilities and follow different standards, so compare states with care. The median state averaged 127 minutes of outage per customer in 2025.

Ways to lower your Colorado electric bill

  • Check your rate before your habits. Usage here is close to or below the national figure, so the plan and the price per kWh on your bill often matter more than conservation. Our bill reading guide shows where to look.
  • Ask about time-of-use pricing. 6 of the 8 largest providers report residential time-of-use programs in EIA data. If you can shift laundry, charging and cooling to cheaper hours, the savings can be real. Our time-of-use guide explains how to test it.
  • Ask about budget billing. Many utilities spread costs across the year. Read how budget billing works before you sign up.
  • Price your appliances. The electricity cost calculator shows what a space heater, dryer or pool pump costs to run at your rate.

Regulator and consumer help

Electric rates and consumer complaints in Colorado are handled by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. If you have a billing dispute you could not settle with your utility, the regulator is the next step.

About these numbers

The figures describe the whole state in 2025. Your own rate depends on your utility, your rate plan and your usage. Use them to judge your bill, not to predict it. See how we calculate each number.

Colorado electricity questions

What is the average electric bill in Colorado?

The average residential electric bill in Colorado was $103.30 a month in 2025, based on 658 kWh of use at 15.69 cents per kWh (EIA Form EIA-861). The US average was $150.68.

Is electricity expensive in Colorado?

The price of 15.69 cents per kWh is 9% below the US average of 17.23 cents and ranks 23rd highest among the 50 states and DC. The monthly bill is 31% below the US average, because bills depend on how much power households use as well as the price.

Can I choose my electricity company in Colorado?

No. Most households buy electricity from the utility that serves their address, whether that is an investor-owned company, a municipal utility or a cooperative.

Which companies serve the most households in Colorado?

By residential customers in 2025, the largest were Xcel Energy Colorado (1.38 million), Colorado Springs Utilities (220 thousand), CORE Electric Cooperative (169 thousand).

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