City of Lafayette and solar
City of Lafayette is a municipal utility serving about 60,634 homes in Louisiana. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 11.9¢8% below Louisiana average
- Typical bill
- $1441,208 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~32%Avoided-cost export credit
- Typical payback
- 19.1 yrs4.9 kW, cash
Export rules for City of Lafayette customers
Avoided-cost export credit (Louisiana rule).
Outside New Orleans, new solar customers since 2020 are credited for exported power at the utility's avoided cost, about 3.6-4 cents/kWh, versus retail rates of ~11-13 cents. Customers who interconnected before 2020 were grandfathered at retail for 15 years. New Orleans (City Council-regulated) still offers retail net metering.
Solar for a typical City of Lafayette home
| System | 4.9 kW (50% of 1,208 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $14,035 |
| First-year savings | $710 |
| Payback | 19.1 years |
| 25-year net | $5,768 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 355
- Share of customers
- 0.6%
- Residential solar capacity
- 2 MW
- Residential customers
- 60,634
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about City of Lafayette and solar
Does City of Lafayette have net metering?
City of Lafayette follows Louisiana's rules: Outside New Orleans, new solar customers since 2020 are credited for exported power at the utility's avoided cost, about 3.6-4 cents/kWh, versus retail rates of ~11-13 cents. Customers who interconnected before 2020 were grandfathered at retail for 15 years. New Orleans (City Council-regulated) still offers retail net metering.
How much does electricity cost with City of Lafayette?
Residential customers paid an average of 11.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 11.9¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,208 kWh a month, a bill of about $144.
Is solar worth it with City of Lafayette?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 4.9 kW system costing about $14,035 pays back in about 19.1 years, with $5,768 net over 25 years.
How many City of Lafayette customers have solar?
About 355 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.6% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: City of Lafayette - (LA) (EIA ID 9096). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.