Trico Electric Cooperative and solar
Trico Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 53,721 homes in Arizona. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 14.4¢7% below Arizona average
- Typical bill
- $133922 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~39%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 14 yrs3.1 kW, cash
Export rules for Trico Electric Cooperative customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (Arizona rule).
For APS, TEP and UNS customers, electricity you use directly saves you the full retail rate, but power you send to the grid is credited at a lower 'export rate' that is locked for 10 years from when you connect. The export rate drops up to 10% each year for new customers; it is about 5.55 cents for APS (Sept 2026 tranche) and 4.62 cents for TEP (Oct 2026 tranche). SRP, a public utility, has its own solar price plans.
Solar for a typical Trico Electric Cooperative home
| System | 3.1 kW (49% of 922 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $10,010, $9,010 after incentives |
| First-year savings | $659 |
| Payback | 14.0 years |
| 25-year net | $8,747 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 5,956
- Share of customers
- 11.1%
- Residential solar capacity
- 48 MW
- Residential customers
- 53,721
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Trico Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Trico Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Trico Electric Cooperative follows Arizona's rules: For APS, TEP and UNS customers, electricity you use directly saves you the full retail rate, but power you send to the grid is credited at a lower 'export rate' that is locked for 10 years from when you connect. The export rate drops up to 10% each year for new customers; it is about 5.55 cents for APS (Sept 2026 tranche) and 4.62 cents for TEP (Oct 2026 tranche). SRP, a public utility, has its own solar price plans.
How much does electricity cost with Trico Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 14.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.4¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 922 kWh a month, a bill of about $133.
Is solar worth it with Trico Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 3.1 kW system costing about $9,010 pays back in about 14 years, with $8,747 net over 25 years.
How many Trico Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 5,956 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 11.1% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Trico Electric Cooperative Inc (EIA ID 19189). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.