Aiken Electric Cooperative and solar
Aiken Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 50,850 homes in South Carolina. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 18.1¢16% above South Carolina average
- Typical bill
- $1991,099 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~17%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 10.1 yrs8.2 kW, cash
Export rules for Aiken Electric Cooperative customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (South Carolina rule).
Since June 2021 new solar customers of Duke Energy and Dominion Energy SC are on 'Solar Choice' tariffs: you're billed on time-of-use rates, solar offsets usage within the same period, and monthly excess is credited at the low avoided-cost rate (~2-4 c/kWh). Duke has a $30 minimum bill.
Solar for a typical Aiken Electric Cooperative home
| System | 8.2 kW (90% of 1,099 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $23,590, $20,090 after incentives |
| First-year savings | $2,068 |
| Payback | 10.1 years |
| 25-year net | $34,842 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 401
- Share of customers
- 0.8%
- Residential solar capacity
- 4 MW
- Residential customers
- 50,850
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Aiken Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Aiken Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Aiken Electric Cooperative follows South Carolina's rules: Since June 2021 new solar customers of Duke Energy and Dominion Energy SC are on 'Solar Choice' tariffs: you're billed on time-of-use rates, solar offsets usage within the same period, and monthly excess is credited at the low avoided-cost rate (~2-4 c/kWh). Duke has a $30 minimum bill.
How much does electricity cost with Aiken Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 17.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 18.1¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,099 kWh a month, a bill of about $199.
Is solar worth it with Aiken Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 8.2 kW system costing about $20,090 pays back in about 10.1 years, with $34,842 net over 25 years.
How many Aiken Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 401 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.8% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Aiken Electric Coop Inc (EIA ID 162). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.