Utility directory
Pick your Montana utility
Every card opens the full profile: customer service, the 24/7 outage line, gas emergency, service area and how the bill is built.
Investor-owned · IOU
NorthWestern Energy
NWE · electric + gas, the dominant MT utility
Butte, Helena, Bozeman, Missoula, much of western and central MT
Owns the old Montana Power assets, plus the Colstrip coal plant share.
Member co-op
Southeast Electric Cooperative
SEEC · member-owned
Powder River, Carter, Custer, Fallon counties (southeastern MT)
Rates set by member-elected board, not the PSC.
Member co-op
Fergus Electric Cooperative
FEC · member-owned
14 central MT counties around Lewistown + Roundup
Roundup satellite office handles southern Musselshell County.
Investor-owned · IOU
Montana-Dakota Utilities
MDU · electric + gas
Eastern MT: Glendive, Sidney, Miles City, Wibaux
Subsidiary of MDU Resources Group, also serves ND, SD, WY.
Why your address matters
Two kinds of utility, two sets of rules
In Montana, your address sets your utility — not your choice. Either you're inside an IOU territory or you're inside a co-op territory.
Investor-owned · IOU
NorthWestern Energy, MDU
Private companies regulated by the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC approves the bundled supply + delivery rate after a contested rate case.
- Rate cases are public — you can intervene through the Montana Consumer Counsel.
- No supplier choice for residential customers (since the 2007 deregulation rollback).
- Outage and gas-emergency response is run by the IOU, 24/7.
Roughly ~520K MT meters fall in IOU territory.
Member co-op
26 rural electric co-ops
Member-owned. The board (elected from member-customers) sets rates and major investments. Fergus Electric, Southeast Electric, Flathead Electric and 23 others.
- Rates often 10 to 25 percent below NorthWestern Energy equivalent.
- Annual capital credit retirements return excess margin to members.
- No PSC rate jurisdiction. Disputes go to the board, not the PSC.
Roughly ~130K MT meters are in co-op territory.
Save these
MT outage & gas line table
Always call your delivery utility for outages and gas emergencies.
| Utility | Customer service | Power outage 24/7 | Gas emergency 24/7 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
NorthWestern Energy
IOU · Butte, Helena, Bozeman, Missoula, much of western and central MT |
1-888-225-4570 | 1-888-467-2669 | 1-888-867-5253 |
|
Southeast Electric Cooperative
Co-op · Powder River, Carter, Custer, Fallon counties (southeastern MT) |
(406) 487-2741 | (406) 487-2741 | No gas service |
|
Fergus Electric Cooperative
Co-op · 14 central MT counties around Lewistown + Roundup |
(406) 538-2000 | (406) 538-2000 | No gas service |
|
Montana-Dakota Utilities
IOU · Eastern MT: Glendive, Sidney, Miles City, Wibaux |
1-800-638-3278 | 1-800-638-3278 | 1-800-292-3019 |
Montana publishes only a thin slice of all co-op profiles. Find the closest walk-in office.
Quick answers
Common questions Montana households ask before calling.
Look at the top of your last bill. If you do not have one yet, the answer is set by where you live: NorthWestern Energy covers most of western and central MT (Butte, Helena, Bozeman, Missoula). Montana-Dakota Utilities covers eastern MT (Glendive, Sidney, Miles City). The 26 rural electric co-ops fill the gaps, mainly outside the IOU footprints — Fergus, Southeast, Flathead Electric and others.
An Investor-Owned Utility (IOU) is a private company regulated by the Montana PSC. A rural electric cooperative is member-owned — every customer is a member with one vote in board elections. Rates are usually lower on co-op territory, but you cannot switch between the two because territory is set by the 1937 Rural Electrification Act.
No. Your utility is set by your address. You also cannot pick a competitive supplier — Montana ended residential retail choice in 2007 after the wholesale market crisis. Only customers with peak demand above 5 MW (large industrial sites) retain the right to shop alternate suppliers.
Always your delivery utility, 24/7. NorthWestern Energy: 1-888-467-2669. MDU: 1-800-638-3278. Fergus Electric Coop: (406) 538-2000. Southeast Electric Coop: (406) 487-2741.
Leave the building first, then call from outside. NorthWestern gas: 1-888-867-5253. MDU gas: 1-800-292-3019. Service at the meter is free.
The Montana Public Service Commission (PSC), a five-member elected body, approves rates and major investments for the IOUs. The 26 rural electric co-ops set their own rates through member-elected boards and are exempt from PSC rate-setting jurisdiction. The Montana Consumer Counsel advocates for residential customers in rate cases.
Keep exploring MT energy
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
