Sumter Electric Member and solar
Sumter Electric Member is an electric cooperative serving about 15,145 homes in Georgia. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 15.0¢1% below Georgia average
- Typical bill
- $1951,303 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~48%Reduced export credit
- Typical payback
- 16.7 yrs5.5 kW, cash
Export rules for Sumter Electric Member customers
Reduced export credit (Georgia rule).
Georgia has no full net metering for new customers. Georgia Power credits solar you use at home at retail, and pays about 7.2 cents/kWh in 2026 for power sent to the grid (its solar avoided cost plus a 4-cent adder). Its monthly net metering program is full and closed. Electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) generally pay avoided cost.
Solar for a typical Sumter Electric Member home
| System | 5.5 kW (50% of 1,303 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $16,700 |
| First-year savings | $1,012 |
| Payback | 16.7 years |
| 25-year net | $10,308 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 68
- Share of customers
- 0.5%
- Residential solar capacity
- 1 MW
- Residential customers
- 15,145
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Sumter Electric Member and solar
Does Sumter Electric Member have net metering?
Sumter Electric Member follows Georgia's rules: Georgia has no full net metering for new customers. Georgia Power credits solar you use at home at retail, and pays about 7.2 cents/kWh in 2026 for power sent to the grid (its solar avoided cost plus a 4-cent adder). Its monthly net metering program is full and closed. Electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) generally pay avoided cost.
How much does electricity cost with Sumter Electric Member?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 15.0¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,303 kWh a month, a bill of about $195.
Is solar worth it with Sumter Electric Member?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 5.5 kW system costing about $16,700 pays back in about 16.7 years, with $10,308 net over 25 years.
How many Sumter Electric Member customers have solar?
About 68 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.5% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Sumter Electric Member Corp (EIA ID 18305). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.