Moving: how to set up electricity service
The typical U.S. home bill in 2025 was about $152 a month on 878 kWh, energy charges only. In 15 places a second company, the supplier, may also be part of your move. Here is the order of steps and what our data says about each.
Step 1: find out who your utility is
Your address decides your utility, not your wishes. The EIA-861 file lists utilities with customers in each state, and the count runs from 3 in Rhode Island to 82 in Tennessee (power marketers left out). A state with many utilities has many borders, and two houses on one street can have two different companies.
Type the new address or ZIP code into our ZIP report to see the utility, price and outage record. For the company page, open the state hub and pick the utility. Then confirm with the company, because the ZIP tool is a guide and a ZIP can cross service areas.
Step 2: in a choice state, pick a supplier too
In the EIA-861 2024 file, 15 places have 1% or more of home accounts on supplier service. Texas is the clearest case: 55.7% of home accounts are with a supplier, and 58 suppliers reported home accounts. Your wires company (the TDU) is fixed by address. You choose the retail electric provider (REP). The roles are in TDU vs REP and the market in deregulation explained.
If you do nothing in a choice state, the local utility's default service usually applies; check the rule in your state. This site shows no supplier plan prices and never quotes one for a city. Use your commission's comparison site and read the length, early-exit fee and monthly fee. Texas has 6 wires companies with home accounts in the file, so find yours first.
Step 3: estimate the first bills
Use the state's typical bill as a starting point, not a quote. The table shows each state's typical monthly bill, average use, price, and the cheapest and priciest month. A move into New Jersey at the priciest month would see $287 typical energy charges against $96 in the cheapest month: 3.0 times. Your own use depends on the home size and its heating and cooling, which we do not have for the new address.
United States, Typical monthly home bill in 2025, energy charges only: lowest and highest six states: EIA retail sales.
CSV| State | Typical monthly bill, 2025 | Average use, kWh a month | Home price 2025, cents per kWh | Cheapest month's bill | Priciest month's bill | Utilities serving customers | Share of home accounts on supplier service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $99 | 654 | 15.08 | $73 (Apr) | $141 (Jul) | 14 | 0.0% |
| Utah | $102 | 777 | 13.07 | $74 (Apr) | $150 (Jul) | 13 | 0.0% |
| Colorado | $107 | 678 | 15.85 | $86 (Apr) | $146 (Jul) | 28 | 0.0% |
| Idaho | $110 | 933 | 11.82 | $89 (May) | $138 (Jan) | 8 | 0.0% |
| Montana | $111 | 853 | 12.98 | $88 (May) | $141 (Feb) | 7 | 0.0% |
| Wyoming | $114 | 850 | 13.38 | $95 (Sep) | $147 (Jan) | 6 | 0.0% |
| Texas | $173 | 1,118 | 15.47 | $129 (Apr) | $235 (Aug) | 78 | 55.7% |
| Massachusetts | $183 | 600 | 30.48 | $146 (May) | $240 (Jul) | 20 | 55.9% |
| Alabama | $185 | 1,152 | 16.10 | $144 (Nov) | $245 (Jul) | 43 | 0.0% |
| Maryland | $185 | 948 | 19.48 | $133 (May) | $252 (Jan) | 7 | 11.8% |
| Connecticut | $207 | 705 | 29.38 | $146 (Oct) | $282 (Jul) | 6 | 19.7% |
| Hawaii | $207 | 511 | 40.59 | $181 (Feb) | $223 (Aug) | 4 | 0.0% |
Source: EIA monthly retail sales 2025 (average kWh per home customer times the month's average price, energy only, no fixed charges or taxes); utilities counted in their primary state from EIA-861 2024, power marketers left out (DC: no data); supplier share from EIA-861 2024 Sales_Ult_Cust. The six lowest and six highest typical bills are shown. Retrieved 2026-10-02. CSV, 51 rows.
Add fixed charges and taxes, which this table leaves out. Our bill line guide lists the usual lines, and the seasonal bill guide shows how the swing works.
Step 4: the day of the move
Ask the utility to start service on the move-in date and stop service at the old address on the move-out date, so there is no gap. Ask for the first meter read to be an actual read, and note the meter number and reading yourself with a photo. This is our checklist, not a rule: we did not find a verified timing rule in the files we read, so we give no lead time. Ask the utility how many days it needs.
If you are renting, ask whether electricity is in the rent. If the home is all-electric, the first winter bill can be much larger than the state typical; check the heating cost pages and the heat pump ranking.
What we do not have
We have no data on deposits, connection fees, how long a hook-up takes, or credit checks, by state or utility. Ask the utility for them in writing. If you cannot afford the bill, see help paying your bill, state by state and each state's shutoff rules. Terms are in the glossary.
Key facts and where they come from
| Fact | Value | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical U.S. home bill, energy only | $152 a month | EIA monthly sales 2025 | 2025 |
| Average U.S. home use | 878 kWh a month | EIA monthly sales 2025 | 2025 |
| U.S. home price | 17.30 cents per kWh | EIA retail sales, 2025 | 2025 annual |
| Lowest typical bill: New Mexico | $99 a month | EIA monthly sales 2025 | 2025 |
| Highest typical bill: Connecticut | $207 a month | EIA monthly sales 2025 | 2025 |
| Most utilities with customers: Tennessee | 82 | EIA-861 2024 | 2024 data |
| Fewest utilities with customers: Rhode Island | 3 | EIA-861 2024 | 2024 data |
| Places with 1% or more of home accounts on supplier service | 15 | EIA-861 2024 Sales_Ult_Cust | 2024 data |
| Texas share on supplier service | 55.7% | EIA-861 2024 Sales_Ult_Cust | 2024 data |
| Texas suppliers reporting home accounts | 58 | EIA-861 2024 Sales_Ult_Cust | 2024 data |
| Texas wires companies with home accounts | 6 | EIA-861 2024 Delivery_Companies | 2024 data |
| Biggest month swing: New Jersey | 3.0 times, priciest over cheapest month | EIA monthly sales 2025 | 2025 |
| States in the table | 51 | EIA monthly sales 2025 | 2025 |
Keep reading
Questions
How do I find my electric company at a new address?
Your address fixes it. Use our ZIP report as a guide and confirm with the company. The count of utilities with customers runs from 3 in Rhode Island to 82 in Tennessee.
What will my first bill be?
We cannot say. The typical U.S. home bill in 2025 was $152 a month on 878 kWh, energy only, before fixed charges and taxes.
Do I need to choose a supplier?
Only in a choice state. 15 places have 1% or more of home accounts on supplier service in EIA-861 2024. In Texas it is 55.7%.
Can I choose my wires company?
No. In a choice state your address fixes it and you choose only the supplier.
Does the time of year change my first bill?
Yes. In New Jersey the typical bill in the priciest month is 3.0 times the cheapest month's.
Which state has the lowest typical bill?
New Mexico, at $99 a month in 2025, energy charges only.
How much is the deposit?
We have no data on deposits. Ask the utility in writing.
When should I start service?
On the move-in date, with the old service stopped on move-out. We found no verified lead time in the files we read, so ask the utility.