Typical customer: Not worth it

Walton Electric Member and solar

Walton Electric Member is an electric cooperative serving about 133,581 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.)
14.5¢4% below Georgia average
Typical bill
$1791,240 kWh a month
Exports credited
~50%Reduced export credit
Typical payback
17.4 yrs5.2 kW, cash

Export rules for Walton 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.

Georgia net metering details

Solar for a typical Walton Electric Member home

System5.2 kW (50% of 1,240 kWh/month)
Cost$15,980
First-year savings$929
Payback17.4 years
25-year net$8,634

Uses the utility's average price.

Solar adoption

Homes with solar (2025)
689
Share of customers
0.5%
Residential solar capacity
6 MW
Residential customers
133,581

EIA-861, 2025.

Questions about Walton Electric Member and solar

Does Walton Electric Member have net metering?

Walton 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 Walton Electric Member?

Residential customers paid an average of 14.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.5¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,240 kWh a month, a bill of about $179.

Is solar worth it with Walton Electric Member?

For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 5.2 kW system costing about $15,980 pays back in about 17.4 years, with $8,634 net over 25 years.

How many Walton Electric Member customers have solar?

About 689 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 0.5% of residential customers (EIA-861).

Legal name: Walton Electric Member Corp (EIA ID 20065). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.