Utility rates & providers in Montgomery County, TN

Representative example: Clarksville (1,000 kWh + 5,000 gal)

Montgomery County, Tennessee, is unusual in ways that matter for apples-to-apples comparisons: retail electric service is split by geography. Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation (CEMC), a TVA-affiliated electric cooperative, serves extensive areas of Montgomery County (and neighboring counties), while CDE Lightband—the City of Clarksville’s municipal electric and broadband provider—generally serves metered electric accounts within Clarksville’s municipal boundaries. Montgomery County’s own “Understanding County and City Functions” utility handout summarizes this split; always confirm the distributor named on your bill header before applying Clarksville-centric rate examples to an address in unincorporated Montgomery County.

Total estimated monthly utilities

$233.07

Modeled for Clarksville — your address may use different providers.

Data freshness: last verified 2026-04-10
  • Electric $139.07 (60%)
  • Water $31.00 (13%)
  • Sewer $46.00 (20%)
  • Trash $17.00 (7%)

Utilities here are in line with the Tennessee city average.

  • In Tennessee, heating and cooling often makes electric the largest share of the bill.
  • Trash is provided by private haulers; residents choose their own. Our estimate reflects typical rates for the area—contact haulers for exact pricing.

Potable water and sanitary sewer are likewise not a single one-line answer for every lot. Clarksville Gas & Water Department (CGW), a City of Clarksville department, publicly describes water and wastewater service to the Clarksville–Montgomery County community at large (with large-scale system statistics on the city’s Gas & Water pages). Separately, special utility districts—East Montgomery Utility District is a documented example—can bill water customers in parts of the county under their own schedules. Solid waste is another cleavage plane: Bi-County Solid Waste Management (Montgomery and Stewart Counties, plus Fort Campbell context on Bi-County materials) charges a modest monthly residential user fee that funds landfill and convenience-center access rather than county-run curbside collection; county sustainability FAQs state there is no municipal curbside pickup from the city or county, so many households contract private haulers for carts at the curb.

Electricity

Confirmed — CDE Lightband (city) vs CEMC (cooperative county territory)

CDE Lightband provides municipal electric (and broadband) service within the City of Clarksville under city governance; its public materials emphasize service inside Clarksville city limits. Published residential rate sheets should be used only when CDE is the named retail supplier.

Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation (CEMC) is the nonprofit TVA local power company serving large portions of Montgomery County outside the municipal electric franchise, alongside Cheatham, Robertson, Stewart, and Sumner counties. Cooperative rates, fees, and EnergyRight programs differ from CDE’s municipal schedules—compare the correct tariff for your membership account.

Fort Campbell and edge-case addresses can present billing complexity; use outage portals and account tools for the utility actually serving the meter.

Official sources

Water

Confirmed — Clarksville Gas & Water regional role; EMUD-style districts also serve parts of county

Clarksville Gas & Water Department publishes system-scale water statistics and describes service to the Clarksville–Montgomery County community; many public-water customers in and around Clarksville will see CGW on the water portion of their bill. Rate Schedule documents and the city’s Water/Sewer Rates landing page are the starting points for volumetric and customer charges.

East Montgomery Utility District (EMUD) illustrates that some Montgomery County addresses receive retail water from an independent utility district with its own customer service, fees, and purchased-water supply arrangements—your water bill payee may therefore be CGW, a district, or (on wells) none of the above.

Irrigation meters, fire lines, and commercial accounts require non-residential schedules wherever you are served.

Official sources

Sewer / wastewater

Confirmed — Often CGW sanitary sewer where on public system; verify per address

Where properties are connected to Clarksville’s sanitary sewer system, Clarksville Gas & Water operates one of Tennessee’s larger wastewater programs (collection and treatment assets described on the city’s Wastewater pages). Sewer charges are typically usage-linked and may appear alongside water on CGW billing channels.

Septic systems and package plants remain common for county parcels not on public sewer; those homes should not be modeled with CGW sewer line items.

Industrial pretreatment and commercial strength waste use separate compliance paths.

Official sources

Trash & recycling

Confirmed — Bi-County user fee + convenience centers; no county/city curbside (private haulers)

Bi-County Solid Waste Management operates the regional landfill on Dover Road, convenience centers, and transfer-station style facilities described on Montgomery County’s Bi-County pages. Residential customers pay a monthly user fee (published as $5/month in county recycling materials) that supports drop-off access for household waste and recyclables rather than a county-run curbside cart program.

Montgomery County sustainability FAQs explicitly state that the city and county do not operate municipal curbside waste or recycling pickup; households that want carts at the curb typically contract a private hauler (compare vendors, cart sizes, and recycling add-ons).

Effective landfill and convenience-center rules, weight limits, and holiday schedules change—use Bi-County’s current fee sheets before budgeting large clean-outs.

Official sources

Summaries rely on Montgomery County’s published utility explainer (city vs cooperative electric; Gas & Water’s regional role), CDE Lightband and CEMC customer-facing pages, Clarksville Gas & Water About/Wastewater/Water-Sewer-Rates materials, East Montgomery Utility District’s public site as an example of a separate retail water supplier, and Montgomery County Bi-County Solid Waste plus sustainability FAQ pages as of the last verified date. Electric retail identity, water payee, and whether a parcel is on public sewer vary by address—this overview supports research, not a substitute for a metered bill or membership account detail.

Check Internet pricing & availability in Montgomery County

Internet service varies widely—many providers, different plans, introductory offers, and bundles make it hard to compare apples to apples. That's why we don't estimate internet on this page like we do for electric, water, sewer, and trash. Use our tool to compare providers for your address or ZIP code.

Total estimated monthly utilities

$233.07

Clarksville

What changes your bill most?

  • Electric is about 60% of your estimated utilities here.
  • Every 100 kWh changes your total by about $10.81.
  • Water increases by about $4.40 per additional 1,000 gallons.

Assumptions

  • Electric: 1000 kWh/month
  • Water: 5,000 gallons/month

What these labels mean

  • Confirmed — From this area's rate schedule.
  • Benchmark — From an official typical (e.g. state commission 1,000 kWh); not city-specific.
  • Delivery only — Regulated delivery charges only (e.g. Texas); supply varies by plan.
  • Estimated — From other or incomplete sources; use as a rough guide.
Sources

Full line-item breakdown: Clarksville utility page. County overview cards above cite additional regional sources.

Wondering if solar makes sense for you? Try our solar payback calculator to find out.

Cities in Montgomery County

Estimated monthly utility totals

Totals use each city's modeled usage and tariffs on file—see the city page for electric, water, sewer, and trash breakdowns.

CityEst. total/mo
Clarksville (example)$233.07

More in Tennessee

Tennessee utility costsElectric providers in TennesseeClarksville utility page

FAQ

We use base charges and per-unit rates from official provider and municipal sources for each city in Montgomery County. Electric uses city or provider tariff data; water, sewer, and trash use city or provider rate schedules. Each city page shows assumed usage (kWh, gallons) and source links.
Cities in the same county can have different electric providers, municipal water and sewer systems, and trash contracts. Rates and fee structures vary, so estimated monthly totals differ. Use the comparison table and city links to see details.
Each city page shows a 'last verified' date and links to official sources. Always confirm current rates on the provider's or city's website before making decisions.
Not necessarily. CDE Lightband is the municipal electric provider for Clarksville; many unincorporated addresses are served by Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation (CEMC). Use your bill header, the utilities explainer PDF on montgomerytn.gov, or each utility’s service tools to confirm.
Many public-water customers in the Clarksville–Montgomery County area are served by Clarksville Gas & Water, but independent utility districts—East Montgomery Utility District is one public example—also retail water in parts of the county. Wells and other private supplies are still common for some parcels.
Bi-County charges a monthly user fee for landfill/convenience-center access; it is not the same as a private curbside cart subscription. If you pay a hauler for carts, your total monthly cash outlay can differ sharply from a household that self-hauls to Bi-County sites—compare both the user fee and any hauler contract.

Learn more

For tips on understanding your bill, comparing cities, and how electric and utility rates work by state, see our blog. Compare Clarksville with another city side-by-side, or see how we calculate estimates.