UNS Electric and solar
UNS Electric is an investor-owned utility serving about 95,288 homes in Arizona. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 17.2¢11% above Arizona average
- Typical bill
- $146849 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~32%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 12 yrs3 kW, cash
Export rules for UNS Electric 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 UNS Electric home
| System | 3 kW (53% of 849 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $9,800, $8,800 after incentives |
| First-year savings | $744 |
| Payback | 12.0 years |
| 25-year net | $11,836 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 11,315
- Share of customers
- 11.9%
- Residential solar capacity
- 91 MW
- Residential customers
- 95,288
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about UNS Electric and solar
Does UNS Electric have net metering?
UNS Electric 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 UNS Electric?
Residential customers paid an average of 17.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 17.2¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 849 kWh a month, a bill of about $146.
Is solar worth it with UNS Electric?
For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 3 kW system costing about $8,800 pays back in about 12 years, with $11,836 net over 25 years.
How many UNS Electric customers have solar?
About 11,315 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 11.9% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: UNS Electric, Inc (EIA ID 19728). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.