Cumberland Valley Electric and solar
Cumberland Valley Electric is an electric cooperative serving about 22,582 homes in Kentucky, Tennessee. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 13.9¢0% below Kentucky average
- Typical bill
- $1571,128 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~54%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 18.7 yrs5.1 kW, cash
Export rules for Cumberland Valley Electric 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 Cumberland Valley Electric home
| System | 5.1 kW (50% of 1,128 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $15,485 |
| First-year savings | $838 |
| Payback | 18.7 years |
| 25-year net | $6,520 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 59
- Share of customers
- 0.3%
- Residential solar capacity
- 1 MW
- Residential customers
- 22,582
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Cumberland Valley Electric and solar
Does Cumberland Valley Electric have net metering?
Cumberland Valley Electric 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 Cumberland Valley Electric?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 13.9¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,128 kWh a month, a bill of about $157.
Is solar worth it with Cumberland Valley Electric?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 5.1 kW system costing about $15,485 pays back in about 18.7 years, with $6,520 net over 25 years.
How many Cumberland Valley Electric customers have solar?
About 59 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.3% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Cumberland Valley Electric, Inc. (EIA ID 4622). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.