Idaho Power: how it credits the solar power you send to the grid
A time-varying export credit: about 15.7 cents per kWh on summer on-peak hours, 3.4 cents summer off-peak and 2.9 cents the rest of the year, for June 2025 to May 2026. It's updated each June.
Checked November 12, 2026. Utilities change these rules; check the current tariff before you sign.
How it works
Idaho Power's rate changes by season and hour; we assume about 4 cents on average. That estimate is about 34% of Idaho's average electricity price.
Idaho Power moved new customers to real-time net billing in 2024: each kWh sent out earns that hour's export credit rate.
In October 2025 the Idaho PUC approved new rates, higher than the utility asked for but still well below retail.
Customers who installed before December 20, 2020 kept the old rules.
What it means for a typical Idaho home
An average Idaho home uses about 11,196 kWh a year. A 7 kW system costs about $17,990 at the 2026 median price and makes about 10,276 kWh in its first year, of which we assume about 6,166 kWh goes out to the grid because no one is home to use it.
| First-year savings | Payback | 25-year savings, after the price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Idaho Power's credit | $733 | 23 years | $2,823 |
| If every exported kWh earned the full price | $1,216 | 15 years | $18,261 |
The difference, about $15,438 over 25 years, is what Idaho Power's rules cost a typical system compared with full net metering. Using more of the power at home, while the sun is up, closes some of that gap. Uses Idaho's average electricity price; Idaho Power's own prices may be higher or lower. Paid in cash, no federal credit, prices rising 2.5% a year, one inverter replacement.
Utilities in neighboring states
| Utility | State | Exported power | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Power | Idaho | Reduced credit (net billing) | 4¢ (est.) |
| NV Energy | Nevada | Reduced credit (net billing) | About 75% of retail |
| Puget Sound Energy | Washington | Full credit (net metering) | Full retail |
| Portland General Electric | Oregon | Full credit (net metering) | Full retail |
| Rocky Mountain Power (Utah) | Utah | Reduced credit (net billing) | 4.3¢ (est.) |
All 55 utilities · Solar in Idaho · Lease and PPA terms by company
Sources: Idaho PUC: decision on Idaho Power's export credit rate (October 2025); U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), final 2025 data: Annual State Historical Spreadsheets (Form EIA-861, released October 7, 2026) and Electric Power Annual (October 21, 2026); EnergySage: median quoted price, first half of 2026.