Dixie Electric Membership and solar
Dixie Electric Membership is an electric cooperative serving about 111,329 homes in Louisiana. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 14.0¢8% above Louisiana average
- Typical bill
- $1871,331 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~27%Avoided-cost export credit
- Typical payback
- 16.4 yrs5.5 kW, cash
Export rules for Dixie Electric Membership 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 Dixie Electric Membership home
| System | 5.5 kW (50% of 1,331 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $15,325 |
| First-year savings | $911 |
| Payback | 16.4 years |
| 25-year net | $10,930 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 1,369
- Share of customers
- 1.2%
- Residential solar capacity
- 9 MW
- Residential customers
- 111,329
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about Dixie Electric Membership and solar
Does Dixie Electric Membership have net metering?
Dixie Electric Membership 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 Dixie Electric Membership?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.0¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,331 kWh a month, a bill of about $187.
Is solar worth it with Dixie Electric Membership?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 5.5 kW system costing about $15,325 pays back in about 16.4 years, with $10,930 net over 25 years.
How many Dixie Electric Membership customers have solar?
About 1,369 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 1.2% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Dixie Electric Membership Corp - (LA) (EIA ID 5202). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.