In short: Livingston has about 9,000 people and sits in Park County. NorthWestern Energy LLC and Flathead Electric Coop Inc serves different parts of Park County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 9.67¢ to 14.23¢ per kWh (EIA). FEMA rates Park County avalanches “very high”. Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,200 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is about average for the U.S..
This page covers what is local to Livingston: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our Montana energy guide and the wider area is covered in the Bozeman guide.
Livingston at a glance
- Place: Livingston, Park County, Montana; about 9,021 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: NorthWestern Energy LLC (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 14.23¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 118 minutes of power on normal days and 233 counting major storms, with 1.0 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Livingston).
- Utility: Flathead Electric Coop Inc (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 9.67¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 235 minutes of power on normal days and 586 counting major storms, with 1.9 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Livingston).
- Sun: 4.10 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 1.33 in December to 7.15 in July (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,200 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 70 cooling degree-days and 10,010 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating is the big load.
- Top hazards in Park County: avalanches “very high”, landslides “relatively moderate” and wildfires “relatively moderate” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively low”).
- Public charging: 2 ports at 1 locations in Livingston, none of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
NorthWestern Energy LLC is an investor-owned utility and served about 328,125 home customers in 2024; its 14.23¢ average was below the 14.99¢ statewide average for July 2026. Flathead Electric Coop Inc is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 63,317 home customers in 2024; its 9.67¢ average was below the 14.99¢ statewide average for July 2026. Those are utility-wide averages, not a quote for your address; your own bill is the real number.
For reliability, Flathead Electric Coop Inc reported 235 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, more than the statewide figure of 157 (EIA-861). Utility-wide numbers hide a lot: a home at the end of a long rural line usually has more outages than the average.
Net metering, export rates and incentives are set at state level and by each utility. Start with the Montana guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Livingston
- Heating load: a winter outage can stop a furnace blower, boiler pump or heat pump. List what your heat needs to run before choosing a generator or battery.
- Short outages: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights; a home battery switches over automatically.
Size your setup with the generator sizing tool and the battery backup calculator, and compare options in backup power. Generator safety (CPSC): outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage, and battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside. A licensed electrician should install any transfer switch, with a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in Livingston
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,200 kWh a year in Livingston (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at NorthWestern Energy LLC’s 2024 average of 14.23¢, that is about $171 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: July is the sunniest month at 7.15 and December the dimmest at 1.33, a 5.4-to-1 gap, so a battery or a bigger system helps in winter.
Check your own roof with the solar potential tool, see solar costs and net metering vs net billing, and read the steps in solar installation.
Batteries and EV charging
A home battery earns its place when outages are frequent, when your utility pays little for exported solar, or when evening prices are high; compare in home batteries and battery costs. Livingston has 2 public charging ports in the federal station list (none of them DC fast), but home charging is cheaper and easier: see the EV charging cost calculator and EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Livingston: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Solar, generator transfer switches and EV chargers normally need an electrical permit from the Livingston building or permitting department, or from Park County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Livingston, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the Montana guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: Bozeman energy guide and Belgrade, or the whole Montana energy guide.
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Livingston energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Livingston?
NorthWestern Energy LLC and Flathead Electric Coop Inc both serve parts of Park County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (NorthWestern Energy LLC 14.23¢, Flathead Electric Coop Inc 9.67¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in Livingston?
About 1,200 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 7,200 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Will a home battery keep my heat on in an outage?
It can keep a furnace blower, boiler pump or a heat pump running for a while, but long cold outages drain a battery fast without solar to recharge it. Pair it with a generator or wood or propane heat if outages here run for days.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in Livingston?
Almost always an electrical permit for a transfer switch, solar or an EV charger, issued by the city or county where you live. Your licensed electrician or installer normally pulls it. Never connect a generator to your house wiring without a transfer switch.
Sources: EIA Form 861 (2024) for utility prices and outages; NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2025) for sun and degree-days; FEMA National Risk Index for county hazards; AFDC station locator for public charging; Census Bureau for population. Estimates are ours and are not promises; see our editorial policy. Prices and programs change, so check each program page.