Berkeley Electric Cooperative and solar
Berkeley Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 119,545 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.)
- 16.9¢8% above South Carolina average
- Typical bill
- $1941,149 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~18%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 10.6 yrs8.3 kW, cash
Export rules for Berkeley 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 Berkeley Electric Cooperative home
| System | 8.3 kW (90% of 1,149 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $23,835, $20,335 after incentives |
| First-year savings | $1,998 |
| Payback | 10.6 years |
| 25-year net | $32,287 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 1,983
- Share of customers
- 1.7%
- Residential solar capacity
- 13 MW
- Residential customers
- 119,545
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about Berkeley Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Berkeley Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Berkeley 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 Berkeley Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 16.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 16.9¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,149 kWh a month, a bill of about $194.
Is solar worth it with Berkeley Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 8.3 kW system costing about $20,335 pays back in about 10.6 years, with $32,287 net over 25 years.
How many Berkeley Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 1,983 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 1.7% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Berkeley Electric Coop Inc (EIA ID 1613). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.