Upper Michigan Energy Resources and solar
Upper Michigan Energy Resources is an investor-owned utility serving about 33,339 homes in Michigan. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 18.4¢13% below Michigan average
- Typical bill
- $106578 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~49%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 18.4 yrs3 kW, cash
Export rules for Upper Michigan Energy Resources customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (Michigan rule).
Michigan's IOUs use a 'distributed generation' inflow/outflow tariff: you save the full retail rate on solar you use directly, but power sent to the grid is credited only at roughly the power-supply portion of the rate (about 8-15 cents depending on rate/time).
Solar for a typical Upper Michigan Energy Resources home
| System | 3 kW (56% of 578 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $11,900 |
| First-year savings | $593 |
| Payback | 18.4 years |
| 25-year net | $5,883 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 91
- Share of customers
- 0.3%
- Residential solar capacity
- 1 MW
- Residential customers
- 33,339
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Upper Michigan Energy Resources and solar
Does Upper Michigan Energy Resources have net metering?
Upper Michigan Energy Resources follows Michigan's rules: Michigan's IOUs use a 'distributed generation' inflow/outflow tariff: you save the full retail rate on solar you use directly, but power sent to the grid is credited only at roughly the power-supply portion of the rate (about 8-15 cents depending on rate/time).
How much does electricity cost with Upper Michigan Energy Resources?
Residential customers paid an average of 17.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 18.4¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 578 kWh a month, a bill of about $106.
Is solar worth it with Upper Michigan Energy Resources?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 3 kW system costing about $11,900 pays back in about 18.4 years, with $5,883 net over 25 years.
How many Upper Michigan Energy Resources customers have solar?
About 91 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.3% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp. (EIA ID 60631). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.