Duke Energy Kentucky and solar
Duke Energy Kentucky is an investor-owned utility serving about 140,950 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.)
- 14.7¢6% above Kentucky average
- Typical bill
- $136926 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~51%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 19.2 yrs4.3 kW, cash
Export rules for Duke Energy Kentucky 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 Duke Energy Kentucky home
| System | 4.3 kW (49% of 926 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $13,605 |
| First-year savings | $710 |
| Payback | 19.2 years |
| 25-year net | $5,168 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 1,026
- Share of customers
- 0.7%
- Residential solar capacity
- 7 MW
- Residential customers
- 140,950
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about Duke Energy Kentucky and solar
Does Duke Energy Kentucky have net metering?
Duke Energy Kentucky 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 Duke Energy Kentucky?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.7¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 926 kWh a month, a bill of about $136.
Is solar worth it with Duke Energy Kentucky?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 4.3 kW system costing about $13,605 pays back in about 19.2 years, with $5,168 net over 25 years.
How many Duke Energy Kentucky customers have solar?
About 1,026 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.7% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Duke Energy Kentucky (EIA ID 19446). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.