Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative and solar
Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 10,808 homes in Maine. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 20.5¢30% below Maine average
- Typical bill
- $107520 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- RetailFull retail net metering
- Typical payback
- 12.4 yrs4.8 kW, cash
Export rules for Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative customers
Full retail net metering (Maine rule).
Homeowners with rooftop solar in Maine get kWh-for-kWh net energy billing (NEB): each exported kWh offsets a kWh you buy later. Credits roll month to month but expire after 12 months. The 2025 reform law (LD 1777) targeted commercial/community NEB and did not change behind-the-meter rooftop terms.
Solar for a typical Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative home
| System | 4.8 kW (100% of 520 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $17,180 |
| First-year savings | $1,222 |
| Payback | 12.4 years |
| 25-year net | $28,011 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 32
- Share of customers
- 0.3%
- Residential solar capacity
- 0 MW
- Residential customers
- 10,808
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative follows Maine's rules: Homeowners with rooftop solar in Maine get kWh-for-kWh net energy billing (NEB): each exported kWh offsets a kWh you buy later. Credits roll month to month but expire after 12 months. The 2025 reform law (LD 1777) targeted commercial/community NEB and did not change behind-the-meter rooftop terms.
How much does electricity cost with Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 19.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 20.5¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 520 kWh a month, a bill of about $107.
Is solar worth it with Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 4.8 kW system costing about $17,180 pays back in about 12.4 years, with $28,011 net over 25 years.
How many Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 32 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.3% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Eastern Maine Electric Coop (EIA ID 5609). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.