Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Schedule 6 reread October 14, 2026. Updated October 14, 2026.
A typical Idaho home system is 7.44 kW and costs about $22,022 in cash at $2.96 per watt. Power is cheap at 12.65¢, and Idaho Power credits most power you send out at 2.9¢ to 3.4¢. In our two worked cases that means 18.4 to 35.9 years to pay back.
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Idaho panels make about 1,506 kWh per kW a year. What decides the payback is how your utility counts the power your home does not use at that moment.
| Meter rule and utility | Exports earn | Year-one savings | After upkeep | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net billing, Idaho Power (4¢ illustration) | 4¢ | $836 | $613 | 35.9 years |
| kWh-for-kWh netting, Avista if it takes your system | 12.65¢ | $1,417 | $1,194 | 18.4 years |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
On net billing, power you use while the sun is up is worth about four times what you send out. A larger array mostly adds exports, so it lengthens the wait rather than shortening it.
New Idaho Power solar homes have been on net billing since January 1, 2024. You pay the normal price for every kWh you take from the grid, and each kWh that flows out earns the credit for its hour.
3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday to Saturday, June 1 to September 30, except holidays. 100 kWh earn $15.68.
Mornings, midday, Sundays and holidays. 100 kWh earn $3.39.
Every hour of the eight-month season. 100 kWh earn $2.90.
Idaho Power keeps these rates until a filing due April 1, 2028. Yearly updates may follow.
The exact rates are 15.6836¢, 3.3920¢ and 2.9019¢, effective January 1, 2026 (Idaho Public Utilities Commission Order No. 36892). Compare what you pay: 12.1195¢ in summer and 9.9332¢ the rest of the year for the first 800 kWh a month, plus a $15 monthly service charge. Dollar credits carry to later bills and do not expire. Home systems can be up to 25 kW, a battery does not count toward that, and the application fee is $100. Panels make the most power around midday, when the credit is 3.3920¢ or less.
Ask the seller whether the system has legacy status. Systems connected by December 20, 2019, or applied for by then with a binding financial commitment by January 19, 2020 and connected by December 20, 2020, keep kWh-for-kWh net metering until December 2045, and the status passes to the next owner. It is lost if the system is offline for over six months or moved to another site. An owner may add up to 10% of the original size, or 1 kW if that is more, to replace broken or worn parts; anything bigger must be metered separately and does not get legacy status.
The name at the top of your electric bill decides the rule. Idaho Power serves about 63% of Idaho homes. Northern Idaho is where kWh netting survives.
Schedule 6 net billing, by season and hour. Boise and much of southern Idaho. No battery payment.
Next: ask for exports priced at all three Schedule 6 credits, not your full rate.
Schedule 136 net billing in parts of eastern Idaho, from December 1, 2025. The top credit is for 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., June to October.
Next: ask for savings priced at the four Schedule 136 credits, and price any battery for the Wattsmart payment.
Schedule 63 net metering in northern Idaho, for systems up to 100 kW. Its rule caps the program at 1.52 MW, yet federal data showed 5.426 MW enrolled in 2024.
Next: ask Avista in writing whether Schedule 63 still takes new systems.
Utility | What extra power earns | Fees and limits | Leftover credit |
|---|---|---|---|
Idaho Power | 15.6836¢ summer evenings, 3.3920¢ other summer hours, 2.9019¢ October to May | $100 application fee; 25 kW | Dollar credit carries forward and does not expire |
Rocky Mountain Power | 14.666¢ on-peak, 3.664¢ off-peak June to October; 5.597¢ and 1.228¢ November to May | $85 application fee; 25 kW | Carries to the next bill; credit left after February can move to your other meters in March, $10 a meter |
Avista | One kWh credit for each extra kWh | 100 kW; 1.52 MW program cap in the rule | kWh left on March 31 go to Avista, unpaid |
Kootenai Electric Cooperative | One kWh credit for each extra kWh | $32.50 monthly service charge at net meter homes; 0.971¢ loss charge per kWh sent out | Banked kWh do not expire; adjusted each April for the co-op’s energy cost |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Idaho gives a deduction, not a credit. A credit cuts the tax you owe. A deduction cuts the income Idaho taxes, so what you save is the deduction times your own Idaho tax rate.
Of what you paid, in the year the system is switched on, held to the yearly limit.
Claimed on your Idaho return for years two, three and four.
The deduction cannot be more than this in any one tax year.
Four years at the $5,000 limit. The law has no end date.
Tax year | Share of cost | You deduct |
|---|---|---|
Year 1 | 40%, $8,809 | $5,000 (the limit) |
Years 2 to 4 | 20%, $4,404 each | $13,213 |
Total | $18,213 of income |
The September 2026 benchmark, $0.07 above the $2.89 US average and 33rd lowest of 51. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
| System size | Cash price | Made each year |
|---|---|---|
| 4 kW | $11,840 | 6,024 kWh |
| 6 kW | $17,760 | 9,036 kWh |
| 7.44 kW (typical) | $22,022 | 11,205 kWh |
| 10 kW | $29,600 | 15,060 kWh |
Beyond the deduction, Idaho offers a low-rate state loan, and one utility pays toward a battery. Neither lowers the price of the panels.
The most the state energy office lends, through a partner lender, after a credit check.
3% for 3 years, 5% for 5 years or 7% for 7 years. A $100 credit analysis fee applies.
First come, first served until the money runs out or this date, whichever comes first.
Paid once per household by Rocky Mountain Power for a new battery added to solar.
Wattsmart pays $1,000 for a battery under 10 kW and $2,000 over 10 kW, and the payment may be capped at 70% of the battery’s equipment cost. From the second year it adds a bill credit of $15 per kW, up to $100 a year, during a four-year term; after that, $50 per kW up to $250. A 5 kW battery earns $75 a year. These amounts took effect July 1, 2026; before then the payment was $400 per kW, so an older quote can overstate it. Leave the program early and you repay part.
Way to pay | Who owns the panels | Upfront | Check before you sign |
|---|---|---|---|
Cash | You | Full price | The export value the savings assume |
State Energy Loan | You | $100 fee | Whether funds remain before December 31, 2026 |
Bank or installer loan | You | Often $0 | Financed total next to the cash price; any dealer fee |
Lease or PPA | The company | Often $0 | Whether one is offered at all; the deduction law does not address leases |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites and the Idaho license registry, read October 13 and 14, 2026. We list two because the other companies we checked had closed or showed an expired license.
Neither company buys homeowner leads from EcoGen America. How we make money.
Ask each installer to name your utility’s schedule and to price exports at its real credits, not your full rate.
Check your Idaho roof for solarEcoGen America does not sell or install solar. When you request quotes, we pass your request to solar providers serving your area, and they pay us for the introduction. Providers can include installers, solar marketplaces and lead exchanges, and more than one may contact you. You never pay us. Privacy policy
CEO of EcoGen America. Since 2021 he has connected homeowners with residential solar installers in all 50 states.
About Dean
Founder of EcoGen America. He has worked in residential solar since 2016 and maintains the EcoGen Solar Cost Index.
About TrevorEditorial standardsCost Index methodologyVerified Installer methodology