Ozarks Electric Cooperative and solar
Ozarks Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 86,120 homes in Arkansas, Oklahoma. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 14.5¢8% above Arkansas average
- Typical bill
- $1481,018 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~30%Avoided-cost export credit
- Typical payback
- 13.5 yrs7.8 kW, cash
Export rules for Ozarks Electric Cooperative customers
Avoided-cost export credit (Arkansas rule).
Under Act 278 of 2023, new solar customers (applications after Sept 30, 2024) still offset their own usage at retail, but any excess electricity sent to the grid is credited only at the utility's avoided cost, often under half of retail. Customers who connected earlier keep 1:1 retail credit through 2039-2040.
Solar for a typical Ozarks Electric Cooperative home
| System | 7.8 kW (90% of 1,018 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $21,050 |
| First-year savings | $1,546 |
| Payback | 13.5 years |
| 25-year net | $23,669 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 1,831
- Share of customers
- 2.1%
- Residential solar capacity
- 17 MW
- Residential customers
- 86,120
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Ozarks Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Ozarks Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Ozarks Electric Cooperative follows Arkansas's rules: Under Act 278 of 2023, new solar customers (applications after Sept 30, 2024) still offset their own usage at retail, but any excess electricity sent to the grid is credited only at the utility's avoided cost, often under half of retail. Customers who connected earlier keep 1:1 retail credit through 2039-2040.
How much does electricity cost with Ozarks Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.5¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,018 kWh a month, a bill of about $148.
Is solar worth it with Ozarks Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 7.8 kW system costing about $21,050 pays back in about 13.5 years, with $23,669 net over 25 years.
How many Ozarks Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 1,831 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 2.1% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Ozarks Electric Coop Corp - (AR) (EIA ID 14289). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.