Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Export credits read September 30, 2026. Updated October 19, 2026.
A typical Louisiana system is 7.84 kW and costs about $21,090 cash at $2.69 per watt. Simple payback before incentives is about 23.2 years statewide and 26.3 years with Entergy Louisiana, the largest utility, which pays 3.86¢ per kWh sent out (22.6 to 30.3 years, depending on home use). With Entergy New Orleans, which still nets exports one for one, it is about 14.2 years.
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Louisiana has two solar rules, set by two regulators. The New Orleans City Council kept net metering for Entergy New Orleans. The Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) moved the utilities it regulates to a low export credit for systems connected after December 31, 2019.
| Where you live and the export rule | Saved in year one | Range, by home use | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entergy New Orleans, one for one (Schedule NM-4) | $1,490 | None: one for one | 14.2 years |
| Entergy Louisiana, 3.86¢ (Rider Schedule DG, 2026) | $801 | 22.6 to 30.3 years | 26.3 years |
| Cleco, 3.85¢ (systems connected after 2019) | $892 | 19.9 to 27.8 years | 23.6 years |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Same panels, same sun, same price. The gap is the export rule. Outside New Orleans, a system pays back faster only when more of its power is used at home as it is made.
The utility named at the top of your bill sets your credit. The PSC’s 2026 table lists 15 utilities. Entergy New Orleans and city-owned utilities are not on it.
Avoided cost of $0.0386407 since April 1, 2026, under Rider Schedule DG. $100 one-time meter charge. Home systems up to 25 kW.
Next: ask for savings priced at 3.86¢, not your full rate.
Regulated by the New Orleans City Council, not the PSC. Home systems up to 25 kW. $50 one-time meter charge.
Next: ask Entergy New Orleans in writing whether your address can connect solar.
Each PSC utility resets its credit once a year. City-owned utilities, such as Lafayette Utilities System, are not under the PSC rule and set their own.
Next: get the credit and any solar charges in writing.
| Utility | Cents per kWh | Rate starts |
|---|---|---|
| Entergy Louisiana | 3.86¢ | April 1, 2026 |
| Cleco Power | 3.85¢ | March 1, 2026 |
| Southwestern Electric Power (SWEPCO) | 3.66¢ | April 1, 2026 |
| DEMCO | 3.85¢ | March 1, 2026 |
| SLEMCO | 3.93¢ | February 1, 2026 |
| Pointe Coupee Electric (highest) | 3.99¢ | January 1, 2026 |
| Northeast Louisiana Power (lowest) | 3.58¢ | January 1, 2026 |
The credit is the average wholesale price in your utility’s area over the last calendar year, so it moves every year. Entergy Louisiana paid 2.59¢ ($0.0259331) from April 1, 2025, and its net metering web page still showed that figure when we read it on September 30, 2026. Its tariff, Rider Schedule DG Attachment A, and the PSC’s 2026 table both show 3.86¢ from April 1, 2026.
Under Schedule DG the meter counts power in and power out separately. Credit you cannot use moves to the next month. If you close the account, Entergy pays what is left by check at the same rate. A system should cover no more than your own yearly use.
The state rule does not reach Entergy New Orleans. Entergy Louisiana’s own page says so: “These rules do not impact customers of Entergy New Orleans.”
Power sent out cancels power bought in the same month. Spare kWh roll forward.
Under Schedule NM-4, the City Council’s net metering rule sheet.
One time, for a home’s net meter.
Entergy New Orleans does not connect solar there.
The Downtown Network Area is roughly the part of the city between the Expressway to the West Bank, Claiborne Avenue, Esplanade Avenue and the river, including the French Quarter. Ask Entergy New Orleans about your exact address before you pay for a design. A quote built on statewide numbers can also get New Orleans wrong in the other direction: if your bill comes from Entergy New Orleans, it should show net metering, not a credit of a few cents.
Buying a house that already has solar? Outside New Orleans, the date its system was connected decides what its exports are worth.
Systems installed by then keep one-for-one credit for power sent out.
After that, their exports earn the avoided-cost rate like newer systems.
The older terms pass to the new owner.
A material change to the system needs a new application and ends the old terms.
Ask the seller for the interconnection agreement, the utility’s written permission to connect. It shows the date. Ask the utility before adding panels to an older system.
The September 2026 benchmark, $0.20 below the US average, ninth lowest of 50 states and DC. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
| System size | Cash at $2.69 per watt | kWh a year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | $13,450 | 7,450 |
| 7.84 kW (typical) | $21,090 | 11,682 |
| 10 kW | $26,900 | 14,900 |
| 12 kW | $32,280 | 17,880 |
Neither Entergy utility pays for panels. Both pay you to let them draw on a home battery when demand is high, and both say they do not call those events when a severe storm is forecast.
For a new battery, up to $1,000. Apply within one year of installation. A 10 kWh battery gets $750.
Of average output during events, up to $600 a year, paid by January 31 on a prepaid card.
Of average output during events, up to $600 for a home, paid by check by the end of March.
Ordered by the City Council on December 18, 2025. On October 1, 2026 the Council set starting amounts: $550 per kWh of battery installed, $850 for income-qualified homes, up to $15,000 a home, all open to later Council review. Entergy New Orleans must propose a start date no later than the first quarter of 2027; no application posted as of October 30, 2026.
Entergy Louisiana events last no more than 3 hours. The yearly payment follows what your battery actually delivers, so a battery held back for outages earns less. Both programs list Tesla Powerwall, Enphase IQ Battery and FranklinWH models. Batteries are not in the cost table above.
Nothing lowers the purchase price of a Louisiana home system today. One law keeps the panels off your property tax bill.
La. R.S. 47:1706 covers solar equipment on a home you own and live in. No state form.
The 2025 Form IT-540 instructions list no solar credit.
Not for a system you own placed in service after December 31, 2025.
The city says the program is being restructured and now proposes no-cost solar for low-income homes. No amount or dates posted as of October 30, 2026.
Louisiana incentives in fullWhat no-money-down solar means in Louisiana
A to Z, not ranked. Each has a Louisiana office and an active state contractor license with the solar energy equipment classification, checked October 13, 2026. Other facts from their own sites, read October 13 and 14, 2026.
The order is alphabetical. You can look up any Louisiana contractor license in the State Licensing Board for Contractors search. How we make money.
Ask each installer which rule its savings use: one for one in New Orleans, or your utility’s 2026 credit everywhere else.
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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
