Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. NV Energy rates from October 1, 2026. Updated October 19, 2026.
A typical Nevada home system is 9.29 kW and costs about $24,897 in cash at $2.68 per watt. It pays for itself in about 16.4 years at Sierra Pacific in the north (15.8 to 17.0 years), simple payback before incentives, and in 12.8 years at best at Nevada Power in the south, in our older model. The gap is how NV Energy counts the power you send out: by the month in the south, every 15 minutes in the north.
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NV Energy is two companies with two clocks. The same 9.29 kW system, on the same desert roof, pays back years apart depending on which clock counts your extra power.
| Case | Value of the power | Minus $278.70 upkeep | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Power, monthly netting (Schedule NMR-405): every kWh offsets one bought at 13.29¢. Best case | $2,223 | $1,944 | 12.8 years |
| Sierra Pacific, 15-minute netting (Schedule NMR-2025): 60% sent out at 8.06¢, our per-utility figure | $1,514 | No upkeep counted | 16.4 years (15.8 to 17.0) |
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Both NV Energy companies print “NV Energy” on the bill. Where you live tells you which one you have, and that decides how your solar power is counted.
Las Vegas and southern Nevada. Standard home plan RS from October 1, 2026: 11.514¢ per kWh plus $18.00 a month. Extra power is netted over the billing month.
Next: ask how the quote treats the daily demand line from January 2027.
Reno, Sparks, Carson City and northern Nevada. Standard home plan D-1 from October 1, 2026: 11.386¢ per kWh plus $18.50 a month. Extra power is netted every 15 minutes.
Next: ask for savings counted in 15-minute blocks, not monthly totals.
Pahrump and nearby areas, a member-owned co-op. Home systems up to 25 kW applied for after August 30, 2024 are credited at the co-op’s avoided cost, which it does not publish.
Next: get the credit per kWh in writing before you sign.
| NV Energy company | You pay per kWh | Credit per extra kWh | Extra power counted | Basic charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Power (south) | 11.514¢ | 8.35¢ | By the billing month | $18.00 a month |
| Sierra Pacific (north) | 11.386¢ | 8.06¢ | In 15-minute blocks | $18.50 a month |
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Credits from NV Energy cannot pay the basic service charge, so a solar home always gets a bill. Example: 100 extra kWh earn $8.35 in the south and $8.06 in the north. In the north, if you send out 100 kWh by day and buy 100 kWh back at night, you pay $11.39 and get $8.06, a difference of $3.33.
Valley Electric’s credit is a dollar amount that can pay energy charges, the monthly service charge and other charges on your bill. You need its Permission to Construct letter before you build and its Permission to Operate letter before you switch on. If your bill shows neither NV Energy nor Valley Electric, ask your utility for its solar credit terms in writing.
The share is fixed. The cents are not: NV Energy adjusts its energy price every quarter, and the credit moves with it.
Of the energy price, for new NV Energy solar homes. Open since June 2020, with no cap on how many homes can join.
At the address where the system was first installed. The tier stays with the house, not the owner.
And no more than 100% of your yearly electricity use.
NV Energy files energy price changes on February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15.
| Tier | Share of the energy price | Open to new homes? |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 95% | Closed |
| Tier 2 | 88% | Closed |
| Tier 3 | 81% | Closed in June 2020 |
| Tier 4 | 75% | Open, no cap |
Nevada Power bills already include a charge for your highest power use each day, inside the price per kWh. In January 2027 it gets its own line, and NV Energy expects solar homes to pay a little more.
NV Energy’s figure for a typical southern Nevada home.
The rate in NV Energy’s own example.
3.5 kW × $0.14. NV Energy puts the average at $15 to $20 on a bill.
NV Energy says the energy price drops at the same time, for a neutral bill on average.
Solar homes are the exception. Panels cut the kWh you buy, not your highest use on a summer evening, and NV Energy says rooftop solar customers in southern Nevada can expect a small increase. It says excess energy credits will be applied each month to daily demand costs.
There is a second effect. Your credit is 75% of the energy price, so if that price goes down in 2027, the credit per kWh goes down with it. The posted rate sheets did not show 2027 rates when we checked. Sierra Pacific homes in the north are not part of this change.
At the September 2026 benchmark of $2.68 per watt, 8th lowest of 51 in the Cost Index. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
System size | Cash price | Power made a year | Average a month |
|---|---|---|---|
5 kW | $13,400 | 9,005 kWh | 750 kWh |
8 kW | $21,440 | 14,408 kWh | 1,201 kWh |
9.29 kW (typical) | $24,897 | 16,731 kWh | 1,394 kWh |
12 kW | $32,160 | 21,612 kWh | 1,801 kWh |
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NV Energy no longer pays a rebate for panels or batteries. What is left is a property tax break and two offers from the Nevada Clean Energy Fund, a nonprofit lender.
A qualified system is left out of your taxable value (NRS 701A.200). Ask your county assessor.
Nevada has no state income tax on individuals, so there is no return for a credit to lower.
Off a solar and battery system, through a prepaid lease. You own it after at least 6 years.
Fixed rate, $3,000 to $50,000, over 3 to 8 years. A $40 document fee on solar loans.
| Way to pay | Who owns the panels | Nevada detail to check |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | You | That the quote uses your utility’s netting rule and credit |
| RE-UP loan | You | The $40 document fee, and whether 3% to 5% cash collateral is asked for |
| Nevada BRIGHT | A nonprofit, for at least 6 years | The discount offered, what happens if you sell, and the cost to take ownership |
| Other lease or PPA | The company | Price per kWh or month, yearly increase, and transfer or buyout if you sell |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Three companies with offices in Nevada, A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites, their Google listings and the Nevada State Contractors Board, read October 13 to 15, 2026.
Momentum Solar buys homeowner leads from EcoGen America. That does not change its facts or its place in this A to Z list. How we make money.
Ask each installer to name the netting rule and the credit behind its savings figure.
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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
