Idaho Power and solar
Idaho Power is an investor-owned utility serving about 554,211 homes in Idaho, Oregon. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 12.6¢0% below Idaho average
- Typical bill
- $114904 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- 4.5¢Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 17.8 yrs3.7 kW, cash
Export rules for Idaho Power customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) — about 4.5¢ per exported kWh, instantaneous netting.
Weighted average export value estimated ~4-5 cents given seasonal ECR (15.68 summer on-peak, 3.39 summer off-peak, 2.90 non-summer for 2025-26). Legacy customers (pre-Dec 20, 2020) grandfathered on net metering until 2045.
Solar for a typical Idaho Power home
| System | 3.7 kW (50% of 904 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $14,415, $8,649 after incentives |
| First-year savings | $542 |
| Payback | 17.8 years |
| 25-year net | $3,946 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 18,931
- Share of customers
- 3.4%
- Residential solar capacity
- 151 MW
- Residential customers
- 554,211
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Idaho Power and solar
Does Idaho Power have net metering?
Weighted average export value estimated ~4-5 cents given seasonal ECR (15.68 summer on-peak, 3.39 summer off-peak, 2.90 non-summer for 2025-26). Legacy customers (pre-Dec 20, 2020) grandfathered on net metering until 2045. Exported power is credited at about 4.5¢ per kWh.
How much does electricity cost with Idaho Power?
Residential customers paid an average of 11.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 12.6¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 904 kWh a month, a bill of about $114.
Is solar worth it with Idaho Power?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 3.7 kW system costing about $8,649 pays back in about 17.8 years, with $3,946 net over 25 years.
How many Idaho Power customers have solar?
About 18,931 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 3.4% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Idaho Power Co (EIA ID 9191). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.