Residential rates by utility (EIA-861, average all-in ¢/kWh)
| Utility | 2023 ¢/kWh | 2024 ¢/kWh | Customers (2024) | Ownership | vs state avg, $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Maine Electric Coop | 16.77 | 17.06 | 10,803 | Co-op | -$755 |
| Central Maine Power Co | 27.45 | 23.43 | 519,295 | Investor-owned | -$66 |
| Versant Power | 29.09 | 28.08 | 130,632 | Investor-owned | +$435 |
Average price = residential revenue ÷ residential sales from each utility's federal EIA-861 filing (bundled service — supply + delivery + riders, not a quoted tariff rate). State average = 24.05¢/kWh, volume-weighted across these utilities (2024). Your distribution utility is fixed by address; these gaps measure what households in different territories actually paid. A further 15 competitive suppliers / solar lessors report energy-only or behind-the-meter sales in Maine; their prices cover only part of the bill and are not comparable to the all-in figures above.
Can you choose your electric company in Maine?
Electric supply choice: yes · Gas supply choice: no
Electric choice (CMP/Versant; PUC-set standard offer is the default/price-to-compare). No residential gas choice.
How to switch suppliers in Maine (3 steps)
- Find the price to compare (default supply rate) on your utility bill — you only save when an offer beats it for the same period.
- Compare licensed supplier offers on the state's official shopping site: maine.gov/mpuc. Check term, early-exit fees, and whether the rate is fixed or variable.
- Sign up with the supplier — they handle the switch. Your utility still delivers the power, owns the wires, and responds to outages; only the supply line of the bill changes.
Heating: which fuel is cheapest per million BTU in Maine?
| Fuel | Native price | As of | $ per MMBTU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility natural gas | $1.774 /therm | Dec 2025 | 17.74 |
| Propane | $3.523 /gal | Mar 30, 2026 | 38.52 |
| Heating oil (No. 2) | $5.371 /gal | Mar 30, 2026 | 38.78 |
| Electricity (resistance) | 32.17 ¢/kWh | Feb 2026 | 94.28 |
Utility natural gas is the cheapest heating fuel in Maine at $17.74/MMBTU — heating oil costs 2.2× as much per BTU. Conversions: 1 kWh = 3,412 BTU; 1 therm = 100,000 BTU; heating oil 138,500 BTU/gal; propane 91,452 BTU/gal. Site-energy prices — appliance efficiency changes delivered-heat cost: a 95% AFUE gas furnace delivers heat near the gas figure, while a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.5–3 cuts the effective electric figure by 60–70%.
Electricity price trend, last 12 months
Maine's average residential price went from 26.25¢/kWh in Feb '25 to 32.17¢/kWh in Feb '26 — up 23% year-over-year. The 12-month peak was 32.17¢ in Feb '26.
| Month | Feb '25 | Mar '25 | Apr '25 | May '25 | Jun '25 | Jul '25 | Aug '25 | Sep '25 | Oct '25 | Nov '25 | Dec '25 | Jan '26 | Feb '26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¢/kWh | 26.25 | 28.27 | 28.11 | 27.91 | 28.14 | 27.98 | 28.25 | 27.98 | 26.63 | 27.85 | 30.39 | 30.73 | 32.17 |
Head-to-head utility comparisons in Maine
- Central Maine Power Co vs Versant Power — who's cheaper?
Questions people ask
- Who has the cheapest electricity in Maine?
- Central Maine Power Co, at an average 23.4 cents per kWh for 2024 among Maine utilities with at least 50,000 customers (EIA-861). The most expensive, Versant Power, averaged 28.1 cents — a difference of about $502 per year at 10,800 kWh.
- Can I choose my electric company in Maine?
- You cannot choose the utility that delivers power — that is set by your address. Maine does allow residential supply choice: you may buy the supply portion from a licensed competitive supplier if it beats your utility's price to compare. The official shopping site is maine.gov/mpuc.
- Is gas or electric heat cheaper in Maine?
- Per million BTU of site energy, utility natural gas was $17.74 (Dec 2025) versus $94.28 for electric resistance heat, $38.78 for heating oil. A heat pump delivering 2.5-3 units of heat per unit of electricity brings electric heating to roughly $31-38 per MMBTU.
- What is the average electric bill in Maine?
- At Maine's February 2026 average price of 32.17 cents/kWh and typical usage of 900 kWh per month, a household pays about $290 per month ($3474 per year) for electricity. Actual bills vary with usage, utility territory, and tariff.