NineStar Connect and solar
NineStar Connect is an electric cooperative serving about 18,751 homes in Indiana. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 17.5¢3% above Indiana average
- Typical bill
- $2201,258 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~31%Reduced export credit
- Typical payback
- 15.6 yrs5.7 kW, cash
Export rules for NineStar Connect customers
Reduced export credit (Indiana rule).
Indiana ended net metering for new customers in mid-2022. Under 'Excess Distributed Generation' (EDG) billing, solar you use at home offsets retail, but any electricity sent to the grid is credited at about 1.25 times the utility's wholesale energy price (AES Indiana: about 5.4 cents/kWh as of July 2026).
Solar for a typical NineStar Connect home
| System | 5.7 kW (50% of 1,258 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $18,035 |
| First-year savings | $1,083 |
| Payback | 15.6 years |
| 25-year net | $15,298 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- —
- Share of customers
- —
- Residential solar capacity
- —
- Residential customers
- 18,751
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about NineStar Connect and solar
Does NineStar Connect have net metering?
NineStar Connect follows Indiana's rules: Indiana ended net metering for new customers in mid-2022. Under 'Excess Distributed Generation' (EDG) billing, solar you use at home offsets retail, but any electricity sent to the grid is credited at about 1.25 times the utility's wholesale energy price (AES Indiana: about 5.4 cents/kWh as of July 2026).
How much does electricity cost with NineStar Connect?
Residential customers paid an average of 16.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 17.5¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,258 kWh a month, a bill of about $220.
Is solar worth it with NineStar Connect?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 5.7 kW system costing about $18,035 pays back in about 15.6 years, with $15,298 net over 25 years.
How many NineStar Connect customers have solar?
NineStar Connect did not report residential net-metered solar to EIA for 2025.
Legal name: NineStar Connect (EIA ID 8000). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.