Cedar Falls Utilities and solar
Cedar Falls Utilities is a municipal utility serving about 17,746 homes in Iowa. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 12.0¢15% below Iowa average
- Typical bill
- $100836 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- RetailFull retail net metering
- Typical payback
- Never3.7 kW, cash
Export rules for Cedar Falls Utilities customers
Full retail net metering (Iowa rule).
Iowa's two investor-owned utilities (MidAmerican and Alliant) credit solar exports at the retail energy rate through net billing or inflow-outflow billing. Customers who connect before a future value-of-solar rate takes effect (by July 2027 at the latest) keep retail-rate export credit for 20 years.
Solar for a typical Cedar Falls Utilities home
| System | 3.7 kW (50% of 836 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $15,525 |
| First-year savings | $606 |
| Payback | never within 25 years |
| 25-year net | −$1,402 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 78
- Share of customers
- 0.4%
- Residential solar capacity
- 1 MW
- Residential customers
- 17,746
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about Cedar Falls Utilities and solar
Does Cedar Falls Utilities have net metering?
Cedar Falls Utilities follows Iowa's rules: Iowa's two investor-owned utilities (MidAmerican and Alliant) credit solar exports at the retail energy rate through net billing or inflow-outflow billing. Customers who connect before a future value-of-solar rate takes effect (by July 2027 at the latest) keep retail-rate export credit for 20 years.
How much does electricity cost with Cedar Falls Utilities?
Residential customers paid an average of 11.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 12.0¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 836 kWh a month, a bill of about $100.
Is solar worth it with Cedar Falls Utilities?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 3.7 kW system costing about $15,525 does not pay back within 25 years, with −$1,402 net over 25 years.
How many Cedar Falls Utilities customers have solar?
About 78 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.4% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Cedar Falls Utilities (EIA ID 3203). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.