Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative and solar
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 30,215 homes in Virginia, North Carolina. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 15.4¢6% below Virginia average
- Typical bill
- $1621,050 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- RetailFull retail net metering
- Typical payback
- 13.1 yrs9.1 kW, cash
Export rules for Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative customers
Full retail net metering (Virginia rule).
Virginia keeps 1:1 net metering with annual netting for Dominion and Appalachian Power. Solar offsets your usage at retail and credits roll over for 12 months; only surplus left at year end is paid at a low rate (Dominion ~5.8 c/kWh under the 2026 'NEM 2.0').
Solar for a typical Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative home
| System | 9.1 kW (100% of 1,050 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $25,795 |
| First-year savings | $1,882 |
| Payback | 13.1 years |
| 25-year net | $32,234 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 190
- Share of customers
- 0.6%
- Residential solar capacity
- 2 MW
- Residential customers
- 30,215
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative follows Virginia's rules: Virginia keeps 1:1 net metering with annual netting for Dominion and Appalachian Power. Solar offsets your usage at retail and credits roll over for 12 months; only surplus left at year end is paid at a low rate (Dominion ~5.8 c/kWh under the 2026 'NEM 2.0').
How much does electricity cost with Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 15.4¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,050 kWh a month, a bill of about $162.
Is solar worth it with Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 9.1 kW system costing about $25,795 pays back in about 13.1 years, with $32,234 net over 25 years.
How many Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 190 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.6% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (EIA ID 12260). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.