Who heats with electricity where it is cold in Tennessee?
21 of 95 Tennessee counties average at least 4,000 heating degree days in a normal year, and 72% of their 379,093 occupied homes heat mainly with electricity. That is 9.9% of all 2,768,743 Tennessee homes. Rank 21 of 35 by count, 31 by share. Sullivan County holds the most: 58,505 electric-heated homes at 4,160 heating degree days.
Where Tennessee sits among the states
Darker is a larger share. Tennessee is outlined.
Tennessee: cold counties and electric heat
| Sullivan County | 68,408 | 85.5 | 58,505 | 4,160 | -7% | 21.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County | 56,234 | 80.3 | 45,161 | 4,038 | -7% | 16.5 |
| Sevier County | 39,221 | 77.7 | 30,487 | 4,070 | -6% | 11.1 |
| Putnam County | 33,057 | 71.4 | 23,600 | 4,012 | -9% | 8.6 |
| Carter County | 24,188 | 76.0 | 18,388 | 4,686 | -6% | 6.7 |
| Hawkins County | 23,090 | 70.7 | 16,335 | 4,016 | -7% | 6.0 |
| Cumberland County | 27,447 | 48.3 | 13,268 | 4,340 | -7% | 4.8 |
| Claiborne County | 13,456 | 83.3 | 11,213 | 4,336 | -5% | 4.1 |
| Campbell County | 16,709 | 60.0 | 10,028 | 4,345 | -6% | 3.7 |
| Grainger County | 9,566 | 84.0 | 8,031 | 4,021 | -6% | 2.9 |
| Union County | 7,771 | 87.3 | 6,784 | 4,060 | -6% | 2.5 |
| Overton County | 8,992 | 67.9 | 6,105 | 4,083 | -9% | 2.2 |
| Johnson County | 7,172 | 61.9 | 4,437 | 5,065 | -6% | 1.6 |
| Unicoi County | 7,803 | 54.6 | 4,262 | 4,698 | -5% | 1.6 |
| Fentress County | 7,706 | 46.5 | 3,584 | 4,392 | -9% | 1.3 |
| Scott County | 8,638 | 35.3 | 3,045 | 4,450 | -7% | 1.1 |
| Morgan County | 7,188 | 42.2 | 3,033 | 4,219 | -8% | 1.1 |
| Grundy County | 5,106 | 56.3 | 2,875 | 4,083 | -8% | 1.0 |
| Hancock County | 2,773 | 75.8 | 2,101 | 4,233 | -6% | 0.8 |
| Pickett County | 2,106 | 70.9 | 1,494 | 4,141 | -10% | 0.5 |
Largest 20 of 21 cold counties, ranked by electric-heated homes. The 1 smaller cold counties are in the CSV. All counties, CSV.
Where the electric-heated homes are
The 3 largest counties, Sullivan County, Washington County, Sevier County, hold 49% of the 274,094 electric-heated homes in Tennessee cold counties. The highest electric-heat share among cold counties with 5,000+ homes is Union County at 87%. In the 74 milder Tennessee counties the share is 62%, against 72% in the cold ones. The coldest, Johnson County, averages 5,065 heating degree days; Tennessee as a whole averages 3,678 when weighted by homes.
Tennessee: the 10 coldest counties
Johnson County is coldest at 5,065 heating degree days with 62% electric heat. The 10 coldest hold 73,359 electric-heated homes.
| County | Homes | Electric, % | Normal HDD | Recent HDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County | 7,172 | 61.9 | 5,065 | 4,778 |
| Unicoi County | 7,803 | 54.6 | 4,698 | 4,452 |
| Carter County | 24,188 | 76.0 | 4,686 | 4,390 |
| Scott County | 8,638 | 35.3 | 4,450 | 4,126 |
| Fentress County | 7,706 | 46.5 | 4,392 | 4,008 |
| Campbell County | 16,709 | 60.0 | 4,345 | 4,097 |
| Cumberland County | 27,447 | 48.3 | 4,340 | 4,052 |
| Claiborne County | 13,456 | 83.3 | 4,336 | 4,130 |
| Hancock County | 2,773 | 75.8 | 4,233 | 3,961 |
| Morgan County | 7,188 | 42.2 | 4,219 | 3,888 |
Tennessee: where electric heat is most common
Among counties with 2,000+ homes, Union County is highest at 87% and Meigs County is 10th at 78%.
| County | Homes | Electric, % | Normal HDD | Recent HDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County | 7,771 | 87.3 | 4,060 | 3,827 |
| Sullivan County | 68,408 | 85.5 | 4,160 | 3,852 |
| Grainger County | 9,566 | 84.0 | 4,021 | 3,764 |
| Claiborne County | 13,456 | 83.3 | 4,336 | 4,130 |
| Greene County | 28,093 | 82.9 | 3,935 | 3,671 |
| Hamblen County | 25,758 | 82.3 | 3,869 | 3,586 |
| Washington County | 56,234 | 80.3 | 4,038 | 3,767 |
| Bradley County | 41,909 | 79.5 | 3,458 | 3,139 |
| Jefferson County | 21,351 | 78.8 | 3,756 | 3,455 |
| Meigs County | 5,279 | 78.4 | 3,576 | 3,251 |
Winter disconnections and price in Tennessee
Tennessee utilities logged 1.35 disconnections per 100 residential accounts a month in December to February 2024 and 1.33 in June to August.
At the 2025 average residential price of 13.18 cents a kWh, 1,000 kWh costs 132 dollars in Tennessee.
Tennessee in the ranking
Iowa is 19th with 316,696 homes (24.3% of its homes). Kansas is 20th with 307,442 homes (26.5% of its homes). California is 22nd with 263,319 homes (2.0% of its homes). Nebraska is 23rd with 245,560 homes (31.2% of its homes).
Tennessee beside 4 neighbors
| Neighbor | Electric homes | Share, % | Avg HDD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 886,223 | 49.5% | 4,435 |
| Missouri | 919,771 | 37.0% | 4,743 |
| North Carolina | 235,396 | 5.6% | 3,365 |
| Virginia | 1,069,495 | 32.2% | 4,084 |
Look up your Tennessee county
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Questions
How many Tennessee homes heat with electricity in cold counties?
274,094 homes, 9.9% of 2,768,743 occupied Tennessee homes, in 21 counties averaging 4,000+ heating degree days.
Which Tennessee county has the most electric-heated homes among its cold counties?
Sullivan County, with 58,505 of its 68,408 homes (86%) at 4,160 normal heating degree days.
Which Tennessee county is the coldest, and how many of its homes heat with electricity?
Johnson County, at 5,065 normal heating degree days: 4,437 of 7,172 homes (62%).
How far did the last decade run from the Tennessee normal?
Tennessee cold counties averaged 7.1% below their 1991-2020 heating degree days over 2016-2025.