City of Owensboro and solar
City of Owensboro is a municipal utility serving about 23,316 homes in Kentucky. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 14.2¢2% above Kentucky average
- Typical bill
- $114800 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~53%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 19.5 yrs3.5 kW, cash
Export rules for City of Owensboro customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (Kentucky rule).
Kentucky requires net metering for systems up to 45 kW, but since SB 100 (2019) the PSC sets the export credit in each utility's rate case. For the big investor-owned utilities, power you send to the grid earns a bill credit of roughly 7-10 cents/kWh, well below the retail rate.
Solar for a typical City of Owensboro home
| System | 3.5 kW (50% of 800 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $11,725 |
| First-year savings | $598 |
| Payback | 19.5 years |
| 25-year net | $4,152 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 35
- Share of customers
- 0.1%
- Residential solar capacity
- 0 MW
- Residential customers
- 23,316
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about City of Owensboro and solar
Does City of Owensboro have net metering?
City of Owensboro follows Kentucky's rules: Kentucky requires net metering for systems up to 45 kW, but since SB 100 (2019) the PSC sets the export credit in each utility's rate case. For the big investor-owned utilities, power you send to the grid earns a bill credit of roughly 7-10 cents/kWh, well below the retail rate.
How much does electricity cost with City of Owensboro?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.2¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 800 kWh a month, a bill of about $114.
Is solar worth it with City of Owensboro?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 3.5 kW system costing about $11,725 pays back in about 19.5 years, with $4,152 net over 25 years.
How many City of Owensboro customers have solar?
About 35 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.1% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: City of Owensboro - (KY) (EIA ID 14268). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.