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Going electric in Montana

Electricity, EV charging and solar in Montana

A typical Montana household could keep about $3,370 a year by going electric. Charging a car at home here is like paying $1.11 a gallon instead of $4.44, and solar panels sized for an average home could cover up to $108 of the monthly bill.

See what you'd saveSolar in Montana

Data updated · How we calculate this

$3,370

Saved a year, typical home

EV, solar and electric heat, hot water and cooking

$1.11/gal

What charging feels like

vs $4.44 for gas (Rocky Mountain regional average)

$2,041/yr

EV vs gas car

Fuel plus maintenance, 12,000 miles

$108/mo

Average electric bill

Montana, 2024 (EIA)

The numbers behind it

Average home electricity price
13.9¢
per kWh, January–July 2026; up 11% on a year earlier
Average home use
852 kWh
per month in 2024; average bill $108
EV charging at home
$4.34
per 100 miles in a compact electric SUV
Solar output
1,389 kWh
per kW of panels per year near Billings (20th of 51)

What it costs to charge an EV in Montana

Home charging cost is simply the electricity price times how much energy the car uses. The table uses EPA ratings, which already include the energy lost while charging. At 13.9¢/kWh, charging in Montana costs 23% less than the national average.

Home charging cost in Montana for three EVs compared with a gasoline car
Vehicle (EPA rating)Per 100 miles1,000 miles a month
2026 Tesla Model 3 Standard RWDEfficient sedan, 24.3 kWh/100 mi$3.39$34
2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWDCompact SUV, 31.1 kWh/100 mi$4.34$43
2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Ext Range WTFull-size pickup, 47.8 kWh/100 mi$6.67$67
Gasoline car, 25.5 mpgregular at $4.44/gal (Rocky Mountain regional average)$17.41$174

On these averages, a compact electric SUV charged at home saves about $131 a month in fuel over a 1,000-mile month compared with a 25.5 mpg gasoline car. Many utilities offer cheaper overnight EV rates that can cut these figures substantially. Try your own numbers in the EV charging cost calculator.

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Public charging in Montana

The Department of Energy lists 481 public charging ports at 158 locations in Montana, including 262 DC fast-charging ports and 219 Level 2 ports. That is roughly one public port for every 1,159 residential electricity customers. Find live locations on the AFDC station locator.

How much solar a typical Montana home needs

The PVWatts solar model from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL), run on ten years of NASA hourly weather data for Billings, estimates each kilowatt of south-facing panels at a 20° tilt produces 1,389 kWh a year. To cover the average Montana household's 10,226 kWh a year you would need about 7.4 kW, or roughly 19 panels at 400 watts each.

If every kilowatt-hour from the panels replaced one bought at 13.9¢, each kilowatt of panels would be worth about $194 a year. Under that best case, a system installed for $1.94 per watt would pay for itself in 10 years, and one at $3.88 per watt in 20 years.

That is an upper bound. Many utilities credit exported solar at less than the retail rate, so the value depends heavily on your utility's net metering or net billing rules and how much power you use while the sun is up. Compare any installer quote's price per watt against these break-even figures.

Size a system for your own usage or find installers serving Montana.

Monthly output of 1 kW of panels near Billings (kWh)
Monthly output of 1 kW of panels near Billings (kWh)
Jan75 kWh
Feb92 kWh
Mar123 kWh
Apr128 kWh
May139 kWh
Jun158 kWh
Jul165 kWh
Aug147 kWh
Sep126 kWh
Oct103 kWh
Nov71 kWh
Dec61 kWh

Home battery backup in Montana

The average Montana home uses about 28.0 kWh a day. A single 13.5 kWh battery (the capacity of a Tesla Powerwall 3) would run that average load for about 12 hours; backing up only essentials such as the fridge, lights, internet and a furnace fan stretches that much further. Covering a full day of average use would take about 2.1 batteries of that size. Size a battery for your home, compare whole-home and portable backup or see the best portable power stations.

Incentives in Montana

The federal $7,500 new-EV and $4,000 used-EV tax credits ended for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025, and the 30% homeowner credit for solar and batteries ended for expenditures after 31 December 2025. See what federal help remains. State and utility programs change often, so check the official lists for Montana:

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home in Montana?

At Montana's average residential price of 13.9¢ per kWh (January–July 2026, EIA), a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD rated at 31.1 kWh per 100 miles costs about $4.34 per 100 miles, or about $43 for 1,000 miles. Your own cost depends on your utility's rate plan and when you charge.

Is it cheaper to drive an EV than a gas car in Montana?

On average prices, yes for most drivers. With regular gasoline at $4.44 a gallon (Rocky Mountain regional average, EIA) and a 25.5 mpg car, fuel costs about $17.41 per 100 miles, versus about $4.34 for the compact electric SUV above charged at home. Public fast charging usually costs more than home charging and narrows the gap.

How many solar panels does an average Montana home need?

The average Montana household used 852 kWh a month in 2024 (EIA). Our PVWatts model estimates 1 kW of south-facing panels near Billings produces about 1,389 kWh a year, so covering all of that use takes about 7.4 kW — roughly 19 panels of 400 watts. Shading, roof direction and your own usage change the answer.

How big a home battery would an average Montana home need?

An average Montana home uses about 28.0 kWh a day. One 13.5 kWh battery such as a Tesla Powerwall 3 would cover about 12 hours of average use, and longer if you only back up essential circuits.

Estimates only. Your actual costs depend on your utility's rate plan, how and when you charge or use power, and local prices. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. See our disclaimer.

Sources

  1. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Tables 5.6.A and 5.6.B — July 2026 YTD (year to date); latest month July 2026. Average revenue per kWh across all residential customers, including fixed charges spread over usage. Preliminary estimates.
  2. U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2024 Average Monthly Bill- Residential — 2024 (annual)
  3. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices (regular, all formulations) — Rocky Mountain regional average, week of 2026-10-12
  4. U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center, Alternative Fueling Station Counts by State — snapshot 2026-10-15 (public stations, currently available)
  5. PVWatts v8 solar model (National Laboratory of the Rockies, formerly NREL, run via its PySAM package) on NASA POWER hourly weather — Billings; 1 kW DC fixed roof mount, 20 degree tilt, facing south (180 degrees), standard module, 14% system losses, 96% inverter efficiency, DC/AC ratio 1.2 (PVWatts defaults except tilt). Checked against the PVWatts web API for eight states: within 8%, 3% on average.
  6. U.S. EPA and DOE, fueleconomy.gov vehicle data (combined kWh/100 mi, includes charging losses) — model years 2026-2027
  7. U.S. EPA, 2025 Automotive Trends Report (model year 2024 data) — Average new-vehicle real-world fuel economy was 27.2 mpg, and 1.7 mpg lower without battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles; we use 25.5 mpg for a typical new gasoline vehicle.

Figures retrieved October 15, 2026. US comparison: 18.2¢/kWh; gasoline $4.33/gal; a 25.5 mpg car costs $16.98 per 100 miles nationally.

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