Forked Deer Electric Cooperative and solar
Forked Deer Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 8,331 homes in Tennessee. 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¢13% above Tennessee average
- Typical bill
- $2111,372 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~18%No statewide net metering
- Typical payback
- 21 yrs6 kW, cash
Export rules for Forked Deer Electric Cooperative customers
No statewide net metering (Tennessee rule).
Tennessee has no net metering law; almost all homes are served by TVA-supplied local power companies. Solar offsets your own usage, but exported power is typically bought at TVA's low wholesale avoided-cost rate (about 2.7 c/kWh in late 2026) or a local utility's own rate.
Solar for a typical Forked Deer Electric Cooperative home
| System | 6 kW (50% of 1,372 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $22,100 |
| First-year savings | $997 |
| Payback | 21.0 years |
| 25-year net | $5,417 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- —
- Share of customers
- —
- Residential solar capacity
- —
- Residential customers
- 8,331
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Forked Deer Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Forked Deer Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Forked Deer Electric Cooperative follows Tennessee's rules: Tennessee has no net metering law; almost all homes are served by TVA-supplied local power companies. Solar offsets your own usage, but exported power is typically bought at TVA's low wholesale avoided-cost rate (about 2.7 c/kWh in late 2026) or a local utility's own rate.
How much does electricity cost with Forked Deer Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 15.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 15.4¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,372 kWh a month, a bill of about $211.
Is solar worth it with Forked Deer Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 6 kW system costing about $22,100 pays back in about 21 years, with $5,417 net over 25 years.
How many Forked Deer Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
Forked Deer Electric Cooperative did not report residential net-metered solar to EIA for 2025.
Legal name: Forked Deer Electric Coop, Inc (EIA ID 40236). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.