Kingsport Power and solar
Kingsport Power is an investor-owned utility serving about 43,364 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.)
- 12.6¢7% below Tennessee average
- Typical bill
- $1631,290 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~21%No statewide net metering
- Typical payback
- Never5.7 kW, cash
Export rules for Kingsport Power 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 Kingsport Power home
| System | 5.7 kW (50% of 1,290 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $21,170 |
| First-year savings | $783 |
| Payback | never within 25 years |
| 25-year net | −$532 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 97
- Share of customers
- 0.2%
- Residential solar capacity
- 1 MW
- Residential customers
- 43,364
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Kingsport Power and solar
Does Kingsport Power have net metering?
Kingsport Power 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 Kingsport Power?
Residential customers paid an average of 12.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 12.6¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,290 kWh a month, a bill of about $163.
Is solar worth it with Kingsport Power?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 5.7 kW system costing about $21,170 does not pay back within 25 years, with −$532 net over 25 years.
How many Kingsport Power customers have solar?
About 97 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.2% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Kingsport Power Co (EIA ID 10331). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.