Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative and solar
Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 20,472 homes in Iowa. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 15.4¢9% above Iowa average
- Typical bill
- $1841,197 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- RetailFull retail net metering
- Typical payback
- 19.5 yrs5.2 kW, cash
Export rules for Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative customers
Full retail net metering (Iowa rule).
Iowa's two investor-owned utilities (MidAmerican and Alliant) credit solar exports at the retail energy rate through net billing or inflow-outflow billing. Customers who connect before a future value-of-solar rate takes effect (by July 2027 at the latest) keep retail-rate export credit for 20 years.
Solar for a typical Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative home
| System | 5.2 kW (50% of 1,197 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $20,400 |
| First-year savings | $1,093 |
| Payback | 19.5 years |
| 25-year net | $6,356 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 330
- Share of customers
- 1.6%
- Residential solar capacity
- 3 MW
- Residential customers
- 20,472
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative and solar
Does Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative have net metering?
Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative follows Iowa's rules: Iowa's two investor-owned utilities (MidAmerican and Alliant) credit solar exports at the retail energy rate through net billing or inflow-outflow billing. Customers who connect before a future value-of-solar rate takes effect (by July 2027 at the latest) keep retail-rate export credit for 20 years.
How much does electricity cost with Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 15.4¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,197 kWh a month, a bill of about $184.
Is solar worth it with Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 5.2 kW system costing about $20,400 pays back in about 19.5 years, with $6,356 net over 25 years.
How many Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative customers have solar?
About 330 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 1.6% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Eastern Iowa Light & Power Coop (EIA ID 5605). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.