Easley Combined Utility System and solar
Easley Combined Utility System is a municipal utility serving about 16,019 homes in South Carolina. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 13.3¢15% below South Carolina average
- Typical bill
- $130980 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~23%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 13.7 yrs6.5 kW, cash
Export rules for Easley Combined Utility System customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (South Carolina rule).
Since June 2021 new solar customers of Duke Energy and Dominion Energy SC are on 'Solar Choice' tariffs: you're billed on time-of-use rates, solar offsets usage within the same period, and monthly excess is credited at the low avoided-cost rate (~2-4 c/kWh). Duke has a $30 minimum bill.
Solar for a typical Easley Combined Utility System home
| System | 6.5 kW (80% of 980 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $19,425, $15,925 after incentives |
| First-year savings | $1,232 |
| Payback | 13.7 years |
| 25-year net | $15,176 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 103
- Share of customers
- 0.6%
- Residential solar capacity
- 1 MW
- Residential customers
- 16,019
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Easley Combined Utility System and solar
Does Easley Combined Utility System have net metering?
Easley Combined Utility System follows South Carolina's rules: Since June 2021 new solar customers of Duke Energy and Dominion Energy SC are on 'Solar Choice' tariffs: you're billed on time-of-use rates, solar offsets usage within the same period, and monthly excess is credited at the low avoided-cost rate (~2-4 c/kWh). Duke has a $30 minimum bill.
How much does electricity cost with Easley Combined Utility System?
Residential customers paid an average of 12.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 13.3¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 980 kWh a month, a bill of about $130.
Is solar worth it with Easley Combined Utility System?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 6.5 kW system costing about $15,925 pays back in about 13.7 years, with $15,176 net over 25 years.
How many Easley Combined Utility System customers have solar?
About 103 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.6% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Easley Combined Utility System (EIA ID 6709). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.