Mississippi Electricity Rates: What to Know

Mississippi has one of the strangest electricity stories in America: the state has a below-average price per kilowatt-hour but some of the highest monthly bills in the country. The average Mississippian pays about 13.5 cents per kWh — roughly 19% below the national average of 16.73 cents. Yet the typical monthly bill runs around $160, well above the national average of $147. For Entergy Mississippi customers, a February 2026 fuel adjustment pushed the typical 1,000 kWh residential bill to about $165 per month, up $14.22 from the month before.

The reason comes down to three intertwined factors: a punishing climate, the country's highest poverty rate, and an older housing stock that leaks heat and cool air. Mississippi households consume roughly 1,172 to 1,193 kWh per month on average — the third highest in the nation — and the state's median household income is the lowest in America at $52,985. The Department of Energy ranks Mississippi's low-income energy burden at 12% of income, the worst figure in the country. This guide explains how Mississippi's electricity market works, which utilities serve which areas, why the Kemper "clean coal" disaster still echoes through your bill, and the concrete steps you can take to spend less on power.

How Mississippi's Electricity Market Works

Mississippi is a regulated electricity market. You do not get to shop for an electricity provider. You are served by whichever utility holds the franchise for your address, and that utility charges you the rates approved by its regulator.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC) is the state's main regulator. Three elected commissioners — one from each of the state's Supreme Court districts — oversee the investor-owned utilities. The current commissioners are Chris Brown (Northern), De'Keither Stamps (Central), and Wayne Carr (Southern), all elected in 2023 to four-year terms. The MPSC approves rate cases, sets rules for net metering, and signs off on fuel adjustments. It does not regulate electric cooperatives (which are member-governed), local power companies that buy wholesale electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), or municipal utilities. That patchwork governance is why service and rates vary so widely across the state.

Here's how Mississippi's utility landscape breaks down:

Utility Type	Regulator	Examples
Investor-Owned Utilities	MPSC	Entergy Mississippi, Mississippi Power
TVA-Served Local Power Companies	Federal (TVA) + local boards	ACE Power (Corinth), Tupelo Water & Light, Tishomingo County EPA
Electric Cooperatives	Member-elected boards	Coast Electric, 4-County EPA, Central Electric, Southern Pine, TVEPA
Municipal Utilities	City governments	Various small towns

Mississippi has no retail electricity choice and no community choice aggregation. Your only levers for controlling what you pay are managing your usage, choosing the best rate schedule offered by your utility, taking advantage of efficiency programs, and applying for assistance if you qualify.

Why Mississippi Has Some of the Highest Electricity Bills in America

The headline number most people see is the per-kWh rate. By that measure, Mississippi looks cheap: 13.5 cents versus the US average of 16.73 cents. But that's not the number that shows up on your bill. What matters is rate times usage, and Mississippi's usage is enormous.

Mississippi households consume about 14,062 kWh per year — the third highest in the United States. That's roughly 34% above the national average of about 10,500 kWh. Only Louisiana and Tennessee (depending on the year) use more. The drivers are not mysterious:

• Long hot summers and high humidity. Air conditioning runs 6 to 8 months of the year across most of the state. Summer usage is typically 30 to 50% higher than spring and fall.
• Electric heat in rural homes. Many Mississippi homes, especially mobile homes and rural properties, rely on resistance electric heat because natural gas distribution is limited.
• Older and lower-quality housing stock. Mississippi has the second-highest concentration of mobile homes in the country, and much of the single-family housing is older, leakier, and poorly insulated.
• Weak efficiency investment. Mississippi utilities have historically run some of the smallest demand-side management programs in the country, according to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Now layer income on top of consumption. Mississippi's median household income is $52,985 — the lowest in America. The state's poverty rate is 19.1%, the highest in the nation. When you divide a big electricity bill by a small paycheck, you get an energy burden that is unique to the state and region.

The Department of Energy reports that low-income Mississippi households spend 12% of their income on energy costs, the worst figure in the nation. Utility costs exceed 10% of statewide median monthly income — one of only six states where that's true. The East South Central region (Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee) has the country's highest share of households classified as severely energy burdened at 38%.

If your bill has been climbing and you're not sure where the money is going, our guide on how to read your electric bill and spot overcharges walks through every line item.

What Mississippians Actually Pay

The state's regulated base rates have been relatively stable in recent years, but fuel adjustments have driven the real volatility on customer bills. Natural gas fuels roughly 77% of Mississippi's electricity generation, so when gas prices move, so does your bill — even if the MPSC did not approve a formal rate case.

Here's what rates and typical bills have looked like over the last several years:

Year	MS Avg Rate (cents/kWh)	Typical Monthly Bill	National Avg Bill
2021	~11.2	~$120	~$122
2022	~12.6	~$142	~$137
2023	~13.1	~$152	~$140
2024	~13.4	~$158	~$143
2025	~13.5	~$160	~$147
Early 2026	~13.5-13.9	~$165 (Entergy, post-fuel adjustment)	~$147

The main story for early 2026 is Entergy Mississippi's February fuel adjustment. Throughout 2025, Entergy customers received a $8.36 per month fuel reduction credit — more than $100 in savings for the year — because the company had over-collected fuel costs in prior periods. That credit expired in February 2026, and higher projected natural gas prices were built into the new factor. The result: a typical 1,000 kWh residential bill jumped about $14.22 per month, to roughly $165.

Entergy emphasizes that it does not mark up fuel costs — customers pay exactly what the company pays for natural gas. The base rate, which covers the poles, wires, substations, and generation infrastructure, has been held roughly stable under the company's formula rate plan. The MPSC approved the 2025 plan on June 17, 2025, delivering a small $0.04 decrease for the typical customer before the fuel factor change kicked in.

Mississippi Power's story is slightly different. Its 2025 filings added about $0.79 per month for property tax adjustments. The company uses tiered and seasonal pricing (more on that below), which makes apples-to-apples comparisons with Entergy harder. On balance, Mississippi Power customers tend to pay somewhat more per kWh — roughly 14.5 cents — and see larger seasonal swings.

Mississippi's Major Utilities

Most Mississippi residents are served by one of four categories of electric provider. Knowing which one you have is the first step toward understanding your bill.

Entergy Mississippi

Entergy Mississippi is the largest utility in the state, serving approximately 459,000 customers across 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, the investor-owned holding company headquartered in New Orleans. Entergy Mississippi's own headquarters is in Jackson, and its territory covers Jackson, the Delta (Greenville, Clarksdale), Vicksburg, Columbus, and large swaths of central and western Mississippi.

Entergy uses a formula rate plan approved by the MPSC, which adjusts base rates annually through a standardized formula rather than through traditional rate cases. The company's base rate has been relatively stable, and its 2024 average residential rate was 13.21 cents per kWh. The big news for 2025-2026 is investment:

• Superpower Mississippi: A $300 million grid upgrade initiative announced in September 2025. The company is targeting a 50% improvement in grid reliability and a 50% reduction in power outages.
• $10 billion total investment: Entergy has announced plans for a historic $10B in Mississippi infrastructure to support economic growth.
• Delta Blues Advanced Power Station: A 754 MW natural gas plant breaking ground in Greenville, backed by $1.2 billion in investment, capable of powering about 385,000 homes across the 45-county territory.
• Grand Gulf Nuclear Station: The 1,433 MW unit in Port Gibson is Entergy's largest MS generation source, supplying roughly 14% of the state's electricity.

Entergy is also supplying power to major data center developments: Amazon Web Services in Madison County (part of Amazon's $29 billion total Mississippi investment) and AVAIO in Rankin County. The company claims these data centers will ultimately save residential customers about $2 billion on their bills by anchoring the cost of new infrastructure. That claim is contested, and we'll come back to it.

Mississippi Power

Mississippi Power serves approximately 188,000 to 191,000 customers across 23 southeast Mississippi counties. It is a subsidiary of Southern Company, the Atlanta-based holding company that also owns Georgia Power and Alabama Power. Mississippi Power's headquarters is in Gulfport, and its territory covers the Gulf Coast (Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula), the Pine Belt around Hattiesburg, and the Meridian area.

Mississippi Power uses a tiered and seasonal rate structure under schedules like R-60 and R-61I. Three seasons apply:

• Summer (June through September) — highest rates to reflect peak air conditioning demand
• Shoulder (April, May, October, November) — mid-range rates
• Winter (December through March) — lowest rates

Within each season, the rate is tiered — the more kWh you use, the more you pay per unit above certain thresholds. A Fuel Cost Recovery Clause, Environmental Compliance Rider, and System Restoration Rider (for hurricane recovery) all flow onto your bill. The effective average rate is around 14.5 cents per kWh, with summer bills noticeably higher than winter bills.

Mississippi Power also serves six rural electric cooperatives and one municipality on a wholesale basis. It owns the aging Plant Daniel coal facility, which Mississippi Power is spending as much as $96.8 million to keep running despite a Synapse Energy analysis showing the plant has cost ratepayers approximately $245 million over three years in uneconomic dispatch. And of course, Mississippi Power owns the infamous Kemper plant (now Plant Ratcliffe) — more on that in a moment.

TVA Local Power Companies (Northeast Mississippi)

About 35 Mississippi counties — concentrated in the northeast corner of the state — are served not by an investor-owned utility but by local power companies that buy wholesale electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA is a federal corporation created in 1933 during the New Deal, and it still distributes power through a network of 153 municipal and cooperative local power companies across seven states.

Tupelo is the historical centerpiece of this system. On February 7, 1934, Tupelo became the first municipality in the United States to receive TVA power — and the rates dropped from 1.7 cents to 0.7 cents per kWh on day one, a cut of more than 60%. That discount mentality still colors rates in the TVA service area, though modern rates have climbed substantially since the 1930s.

The major TVA local power companies in Mississippi include:

• ACE Power (Corinth and surrounding northeast MS)
• Tupelo Water & Light (Tupelo and Lee County)
• Tishomingo County Electric Power Association (Iuka area, ~13,350 members)
• North East Mississippi Electric Power Association
• Prentiss County EPA
• Tallahatchie Valley EPA (TVEPA) — serves 27,000+ customers in nine north MS counties

TVA-served utilities in Mississippi generally have some of the lowest rates in the state, and they are not regulated by the MPSC. Rates are set by local boards or city councils operating under federal TVA rules. If you live in Alcorn, Benton, Itawamba, Lee, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, or Union counties (among others), you are likely on one of these local power companies.

Electric Cooperatives

Mississippi has one of the largest concentrations of rural electric cooperatives in the country. About 25 member-owned distribution cooperatives serve roughly 1.8 million Mississippians across all 82 counties. Some buy wholesale power from TVA; others buy from generation and transmission cooperatives that draw from a mix of sources.

Major Mississippi co-ops include:

• Coast Electric — 4 Gulf Coast counties, average bundled rate 13.86 cents/kWh, average monthly bill $182.56
• 4-County Electric Power Association — east-central MS
• Central Electric Power Association — central MS
• Southern Pine Electric Cooperative — south MS
• East Mississippi EPA
• Singing River Electric — Gulf Coast

Co-op rates vary widely based on wholesale power contracts, debt loads, and operating costs. Some co-ops have rates close to the state average; others charge noticeably more, and a few (especially TVA-served ones) charge less. Co-ops are not regulated by the MPSC — their elected boards set rates. If you are dissatisfied with your co-op's decisions, your main recourse is the board election each year.

One important note: most Mississippi cooperatives do not offer net metering, and those that do often set unfavorable credit rates. Check with your specific co-op before you assume solar will pay back quickly.

The Kemper Hangover: How a Failed Power Plant Still Affects Your Bill

If you are a Mississippi Power customer, the name "Kemper" should be burned into your memory. The Kemper County Energy Facility (later renamed Plant Ratcliffe) is one of the most expensive infrastructure failures in the history of American electric utilities, and Mississippi Power customers are still living with the consequences.

The Dream

Mississippi Power broke ground on Kemper in 2010 with an ambitious plan: build the first large-scale "clean coal" power plant in the United States. The facility would gasify locally mined lignite coal, capture the resulting carbon dioxide, and burn the syngas for electricity — turning dirty coal into a low-carbon fuel source. The project was central to the Obama administration's climate plan and attracted federal grants and political support.

• Original budget: $2.4 billion
• Original in-service date: May 2014
• Technology: Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) with KBR's proprietary TRIG gasifier

The Disaster

Nothing went right. The gasifier technology, developed largely at pilot scale, failed repeatedly at full scale. Construction dragged on for years past the original deadline. Costs ballooned. By the time Southern Company finally gave up on coal gasification in June 2017, the project had cost approximately $7.5 billion — more than triple the original estimate.

Southern Company converted the plant to burn natural gas only. In other words, after spending $7.5 billion, Mississippi Power ended up with a natural gas combined-cycle plant that could have been built new for under $1.5 billion. The parent company wrote off roughly $6.4 billion in Kemper-related costs. A partial demolition of the gasifier complex took place in 2021.

The Ratepayer Settlement

Mississippi Power customers had been paying up to 18% higher rates tied to Kemper recovery. In February 2018, the MPSC approved a settlement that:

• Zeroed out ratepayer responsibility for the failed project's capital costs
• Required the plant to run on natural gas only
• Mandated refunds to Mississippi Power customers
• Authorized Mississippi Power to issue approximately $1 billion in bonds to pay off remaining approved costs

The company has said it may need additional rate increases averaging at least 4% over the 20-year life of those bonds. So while the settlement protected customers from the worst-case scenario, Mississippi Power customers are still paying for the natural gas version of the plant — and will be for years to come. A Department of Justice investigation into the project was also opened, and civil suits alleging fraud continue to wind through federal court.

Why It Matters Today

Kemper is not just a historical footnote. It shapes how Mississippi Power invests, how the MPSC reviews major capital projects, and how much scrutiny ratepayers give to utility promises. It is also part of the reason Mississippi Power's effective rate is higher than Entergy Mississippi's. If you live on the Gulf Coast or in the Pine Belt, a portion of your monthly bill still runs through the Kemper story.

Understanding Mississippi's Rate Structures

Because Mississippi has multiple utility types, there is no single rate structure that applies to everyone. Here are the main patterns you will encounter.

Entergy Mississippi: Base Rate + Fuel Adjustment

Entergy uses a relatively flat residential rate structure under its formula rate plan. The components of a typical bill include:

• Customer charge — fixed monthly service fee
• Energy charge — cents per kWh, with limited tiering
• Fuel adjustment clause (FAC) — the big variable, true-up for natural gas fuel costs
• Storm damage rider — small charge to fund storm recovery reserves
• Energy efficiency cost recovery rider
• Taxes and franchise fees

Most bill volatility for Entergy customers comes from the FAC, not the base rate. When natural gas prices are low, the FAC is small or even negative (as in 2025, when customers received a credit). When gas prices rise, the FAC can add significantly to the bill — as it did in February 2026.

Mississippi Power: Tiered, Seasonal, Multiple Riders

Mississippi Power's structure is more complex. Its standard residential schedule (R-61I or R-60) includes:

• Customer charge — fixed monthly
• Tiered energy charges — different prices for different blocks of usage
• Seasonal pricing — summer (Jun-Sep), shoulder (Apr-May, Oct-Nov), winter (Dec-Mar)
• Fuel Cost Recovery Clause
• Environmental Compliance Rider
• System Restoration Rider (hurricane recovery)
• Miscellaneous riders and taxes

The combination of seasonal pricing and tiered rates means heavy-use summer bills can be far higher than shoulder-season bills. A Mississippi Power customer running a central AC in July can see dramatic differences from the same household's April bill.

Time-of-Use Options

Unlike many states, Mississippi has limited residential time-of-use (TOU) options. Mississippi Power has TOU rates for commercial customers but minimal TOU offerings for residential. Entergy offers some optional rate plans, but TOU is not a major lever for most Mississippi households. If you drive an electric vehicle or have a flexible schedule, contact your utility directly to ask whether any optional pricing plan would help — but do not expect the robust TOU menu that California or Oregon customers enjoy.

Co-op and TVA Rates

Cooperative rates are set by member boards and can include similar components — base energy charge, fuel adjustment, facilities charge, taxes, and sometimes rider charges for specific programs. TVA local power companies pass through TVA's wholesale rate plus local distribution costs. Check your specific utility's rate schedule for the details that apply to your account.

Solar Energy in Mississippi

Mississippi has excellent solar resource — comparable to parts of Texas and Florida — but some of the worst solar policy in the South. The gap between potential and reality is a direct result of how the MPSC and cooperatives have handled net metering.

Limited Net Metering

In December 2015, the MPSC issued a final order in Docket 2011-AD-2 adopting the Mississippi Renewable Energy Net Metering Rule. Key features:

• Applies only to investor-owned utilities (Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power). Electric cooperatives and TVA-served local power companies are not required to offer net metering.
• Excess generation is credited at the utility's avoided cost rate — not the full retail rate. That rate is currently around 11.2 cents per kWh, noticeably less than the ~13.5 cent retail rate.
• A temporary 2.5 cent per kWh credit adder applied for the first 3 years of the program (now largely expired for early adopters).
• The first 1,000 qualifying low-income customers receive an additional 2 cent per kWh adder for 15 years.
• Residential systems are capped at 20 kW in size.
• Program participation is capped at 3% of each utility's peak demand.

Compare this to Oregon or California, where net metering customers receive full retail credit on a 1:1 basis, and you can see why Mississippi's rooftop solar market is smaller than it should be given the sunshine. About 2.1% of Mississippi's electricity generation came from solar in 2024.

Other Solar Incentives

A handful of smaller incentives help offset the costs:

• $3,500 utility rebate — Mississippi Power and Entergy Mississippi now offer a $3,500 rebate for residential customers installing qualifying renewable energy systems.
• 7% sales tax exemption on solar equipment — saves roughly $1,280 on a typical system.
• Property tax exemption — Mississippi law exempts the added home value from a solar installation from property tax assessments.
• No state income tax credit.
• Federal 30% Investment Tax Credit expired December 31, 2025 — this was the single biggest incentive for most homeowners, and it is no longer available for residential solar.

With the federal ITC gone and limited state support, payback periods in Mississippi are longer than they were a year ago. If you are on a cooperative that does not offer net metering, the economics get even harder. If you are on Entergy or Mississippi Power, get multiple quotes and ask installers to model your specific situation. Our guide on choosing the best solar panels for your home can help you evaluate offers.

For renters, mobile home residents, or co-op customers without net metering, community solar is a potential alternative — though Mississippi has few operational community solar projects compared to northern states.

Strategies to Lower Your Mississippi Electricity Bill

Because Mississippi's problem is high consumption more than high rates, the biggest opportunities for savings come from reducing how much electricity you use. Every kWh you cut is worth roughly the same on your bill, regardless of how long it takes you to get there.

1. Weatherize First

Air sealing and insulation are the highest-return investments in most Mississippi homes. Older homes and mobile homes — which account for a huge share of the state's housing stock — typically have significant air leaks and under-insulated attics. Fixing these can reduce heating and cooling energy use by 15 to 30%.

If your household income is below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, the Mississippi Department of Human Services Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) will pay for qualified weatherization work — insulation, air sealing, HVAC repairs, and health and safety upgrades — up to $12,000 per home. Priority goes to households with elderly members, disabled residents, or children under 5. Apply through the Access MS Common Web Portal.

For households that do not qualify for WAP, DIY air sealing and insulation projects still offer strong returns. A few weekends of caulking, weatherstripping, and attic insulation work can meaningfully cut summer AC costs.

2. Upgrade Your Thermostat and HVAC

Air conditioning is the single largest load in most Mississippi homes during summer. A properly programmed thermostat alone can save 10% or more on cooling costs. Our guide on the best smart thermostats for energy savings walks through how to pick and install one.

If your central air conditioning system is more than 12 years old, replacing it with a SEER2 15+ unit (or a high-efficiency heat pump) pays back quickly in a climate like Mississippi's. Our best heat pumps for home 2026 guide can help you evaluate options. Heat pumps are especially valuable if you currently heat with resistance electric strips, which are the most expensive way to produce heat per BTU.

3. Swap Electric Resistance Heat for a Heat Pump

Many rural Mississippi homes heat with resistance electric coils — the most expensive form of heat delivery. A modern cold-climate heat pump can deliver 2.5 to 4 times more heat per kWh than resistance coils. If you are paying $300 or more per month in January and February, a heat pump upgrade is one of the highest-leverage changes you can make. Our whole-home electrification guide walks through the process step by step.

4. Use Efficient Lighting and Appliances

LED bulbs have dropped dramatically in price, and they use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Replace any remaining halogen or incandescent bulbs in high-use fixtures first. When you replace major appliances (refrigerator, washer, dryer, water heater), choose ENERGY STAR models — the lifetime energy savings typically exceed the small price premium.

5. Monitor Your Usage

You cannot fix what you cannot see. A home energy monitor installed at your breaker panel shows you in real time which circuits are using the most power. For Mississippi homes — where air conditioning, water heating, and resistance heat dominate the load — a monitor often reveals surprises: an old refrigerator drawing twice what it should, a pool pump running 24/7, or an attic fan stuck on. Every watt of waste you eliminate adds up in a state where households use 1,200+ kWh per month.

6. Cut Your Bill in Half Over Time

The combined impact of weatherization, a heat pump, efficient AC, smart thermostat, LED lighting, and appliance upgrades can realistically cut a Mississippi home's electricity bill by 40 to 60% over 2 to 5 years. Our guide on how to cut your electric bill in half maps out a sequence of upgrades that deliver the most savings for the least investment.

7. Apply for Assistance If You Qualify

Do not be proud about this one. If you qualify for LIHEAP, WAP, or a utility emergency program, applying is free and the benefit can be hundreds or thousands of dollars. See the next section for details.

Low-Income Assistance Programs

Given Mississippi's energy burden, assistance programs are essential infrastructure — not an afterthought. Here are the main programs you should know about.

LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program)

LIHEAP is a federal program administered in Mississippi by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) through local Community Action Agencies (CAAs) in all 82 counties. For Federal Fiscal Year 2026:

• Heating and cooling assistance: $1 minimum, $1,500 maximum per household
• Crisis assistance: up to $1,500 for emergency situations
• Weatherization assistance: up to $12,000 per home

Importantly, Mississippi LIHEAP covers both heating and cooling, which matters a lot in a state where summer AC costs often exceed winter heating costs. Priority goes to households with elderly members, disabled residents, or children under 5.

To apply, submit a pre-application through the Access MS Common Web Portal. Your local Community Action Agency will then contact you to schedule an in-person appointment. Examples of CAAs include Community Action of South Mississippi (CASOMS), United Community Action Branch (Ripley), and the Mid-Delta Community Services agency. You can also call 211 to find your local agency.

A word of caution: federal LIHEAP funding was delayed in late 2025 due to the October federal government shutdown, which caused temporary disruptions nationwide. If you are told "we are out of funds," check back regularly — funding cycles and carryover amounts can reopen the application window.

Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)

The MDHS Weatherization Assistance Program pays for physical upgrades to homes of income-eligible households. Key facts:

• Income eligibility: 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
• Services: insulation, air sealing, HVAC repair or replacement, health and safety upgrades
• Priority appointment (within 30 business days): elderly, disabled, families with children under 5
• Standard appointment: within 45 days
• Apply through Access MS Common Web Portal

WAP is one of the best-kept secrets in Mississippi energy policy. A household that qualifies can receive thousands of dollars in no-cost home improvements that permanently reduce monthly bills — which matters far more than a one-time bill credit.

Utility Emergency Programs

Both major IOUs run emergency bill assistance programs in partnership with charitable organizations:

• Entergy Mississippi "The Power to Care" — partnered with Salvation Army and other nonprofits for emergency bill help for elderly and disabled customers.
• Mississippi Power Project SHARE — customer-funded donations administered through the Salvation Army to help neighbors in crisis.

Contact your utility directly if you are at risk of disconnection. Do not wait until you have a shutoff notice — many assistance programs can be accessed earlier in the process when more options are available.

Electric Cooperatives

Many Mississippi co-ops run their own assistance programs, including Operation Round Up (rounding up bills to the nearest dollar to fund member aid) and various emergency funds. Check with your specific co-op.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average electricity rate in Mississippi?

As of early 2026, Mississippi's average residential electricity rate is approximately 13.5 cents per kWh, about 19% below the US average of 16.73 cents. However, Mississippi's average monthly electric bill is around $160, which is higher than the national average of $147 because Mississippi households use substantially more electricity than the typical US household.

Why are my Mississippi electricity bills so high if rates are low?

Mississippi households consume about 14,062 kWh per year on average — the third highest in the nation and roughly 34% above the US average. The drivers are climate (6-8 months of air conditioning, hot humid summers), electric resistance heat common in rural areas, older and leakier housing stock including the country's second-highest concentration of mobile homes, and historically weak utility efficiency programs. Low rates multiplied by very high usage equals high bills.

Can I choose my electricity provider in Mississippi?

No. Mississippi is a regulated electricity market with no retail choice and no community choice aggregation. You are served by whichever utility holds the franchise for your address — either an investor-owned utility (Entergy Mississippi or Mississippi Power), a TVA-served local power company, an electric cooperative, or a municipal utility. Your levers for lowering costs are managing usage, choosing the right rate plan if options exist, and tapping into efficiency and assistance programs.

Why did my Entergy Mississippi bill jump in February 2026?

Entergy Mississippi's fuel adjustment factor changed significantly starting February 2026. Throughout 2025, customers received a credit of about $8.36 per month because the company had over-collected fuel costs. That credit expired in February 2026, and higher projected natural gas prices pushed the new fuel factor up. The combined effect was an increase of approximately $14.22 per month for a typical 1,000 kWh residential customer, bringing the typical bill to about $165. Entergy does not mark up fuel costs — customers pay what the company pays for natural gas.

What is the Kemper plant and why does it affect my bill?

The Kemper County Energy Facility (now Plant Ratcliffe) was a Mississippi Power "clean coal" project that became one of the most expensive infrastructure failures in US utility history. Original budget was $2.4 billion; actual cost was about $7.5 billion. After years of failed gasifier technology, Southern Company wrote off $6.4 billion in 2017 and converted the plant to natural gas only. A 2018 MPSC settlement zeroed out ratepayer responsibility for the capital cost overruns but authorized approximately $1 billion in bonds — which Mississippi Power customers are still paying off. If you are a Mississippi Power customer, a portion of your monthly bill still runs through the Kemper story.

Is solar worth it in Mississippi?

Mississippi has excellent solar resource but weak net metering policy. Investor-owned utilities (Entergy and Mississippi Power) offer net metering at the avoided cost rate — about 11.2 cents per kWh — rather than the full retail rate. Most electric cooperatives and TVA-served utilities do not offer net metering at all. Available incentives include a $3,500 utility rebate, a 7% sales tax exemption, and a property tax exemption on added home value. The federal 30% Investment Tax Credit expired December 31, 2025. For IOU customers with high electricity bills, solar can still pay back — but the math is more demanding than it was a year ago. Co-op customers should carefully check net metering rules before investing.

What assistance is available if I cannot pay my Mississippi electric bill?

Several programs can help. LIHEAP provides heating and cooling assistance up to $1,500, crisis assistance up to $1,500, and weatherization assistance up to $12,000 for income-eligible households — apply through the Access MS Common Web Portal and your local Community Action Agency. The MDHS Weatherization Assistance Program pays for insulation, air sealing, and HVAC upgrades in homes of households at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Entergy Mississippi's "The Power to Care" and Mississippi Power's Project SHARE offer emergency bill assistance in partnership with charitable organizations. Call 211 to find your local Community Action Agency. Apply early — assistance options are broader before you hit a disconnection notice.

Do data centers in Mississippi make my bill higher or lower?

Entergy Mississippi claims that major data center developments — including Amazon's $29 billion investment in Madison County and AVAIO in Rankin County — will ultimately save residential customers about $2 billion on their bills by anchoring the cost of new power plants and grid investments. Critics at the 2025 PSC Power Grid Summit questioned the transparency of data center rate deals and whether residential customers could end up subsidizing new infrastructure if demand forecasts are wrong. The honest answer is that it is too early to tell. The claim depends on contracts, load forecasts, and future rate case outcomes that are not yet fully public.

Your Mississippi Electricity Action Plan

Here is a concrete plan to take control of your electricity costs:

This week:

1. Pull out your most recent utility bill. Identify your utility (Entergy Mississippi, Mississippi Power, your specific co-op, or your TVA local power company) and write down your current rate, fuel adjustment amount, and total kWh usage for the month. If anything looks unfamiliar, our guide to reading your electric bill breaks down every line item.
2. Log into your utility's online account and review 12 months of usage history. Note your summer peak month and your lowest winter month — the difference tells you how much of your bill is air conditioning.
3. If your base rate structure has tiered or seasonal pricing (common for Mississippi Power customers), identify the months when you cross into higher tiers and target those months for the biggest cuts.

This month:

4. Check your eligibility for LIHEAP and the MDHS Weatherization Assistance Program through the Access MS Common Web Portal. If you qualify, applying is free and benefits can total thousands of dollars.
5. Call 211 to connect with your local Community Action Agency and ask about bill assistance, weatherization, and other energy programs.
6. Schedule or DIY an air-sealing and insulation assessment. The highest-return projects in Mississippi are typically attic insulation upgrades, duct sealing, and air sealing around windows and exterior doors.
7. If your central air conditioning or heat pump is more than 12 years old, get quotes for a high-efficiency replacement. In Mississippi's climate, the payback is often under 7 years.

If you're struggling to pay your bill:

8. Contact your utility immediately — do not wait for a disconnection notice. Entergy Mississippi's "The Power to Care" and Mississippi Power's Project SHARE programs can provide emergency help.
9. Ask about payment arrangements and deferred billing. Most utilities will work with you if you call before the disconnection process begins.
10. Apply for LIHEAP crisis assistance through your local Community Action Agency.

For the long term:

11. Plan and budget for efficiency upgrades over 2 to 5 years. Every kWh you cut is permanent savings.
12. If you are on Entergy Mississippi or Mississippi Power and own your home with a good roof, get solar quotes. Ask installers to model the avoided-cost net metering credit honestly and to show you the numbers without the federal ITC (which expired at end of 2025).
13. Consider installing a home energy monitor to identify hidden waste and track the impact of your upgrades over time.
14. If you are on a cooperative, attend your co-op's annual meeting. Co-op boards are elected by members, and rate decisions are made at the local level. Your vote matters.

Mississippi's electricity story is unique in America: low rates but high bills, strong solar potential but weak solar policy, the highest energy burden in the nation, and a regulatory system that includes everything from federal TVA to member-governed co-ops to investor-owned giants. The people who will pay the least over the next decade are the ones who understand which utility they have, take advantage of every assistance program they qualify for, and make efficiency investments that permanently reduce how many kilowatt-hours they need. Start with one action this week, one this month, and build from there.