In Idaho the meter matters as much as the sun. On Idaho Power, solar power your home does not use the moment it is made earns a small export credit, so a typical owned system takes 28.0 to 31.7 years to pay for itself before incentives, longer than the 25 years panels usually last. Where extra kWh offset later use one for one, as at Avista once it confirms you can enroll, it takes about 19.0 years. Statewide the figure is about 26.0 years.
Simple payback before incentives, Idaho Power28.0 to 31.7 years
With kWh-for-kWh credits at AvistaAbout 19.0 years
Typical owned 7.44 kW Idaho system at $22,022 cash (EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026), no incentive counted. Our per-utility figures of October 19, 2026: each utility’s own price and export credits, with 40% of the solar power used at home as it is made (a modeled share). Statewide about 26.0 years. No upkeep and no future price rises are counted. See the math.
- Utility: Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power pay cents for exports; Avista and Kootenai Electric bank kWh.
- Daytime use: power used as it is made saves the full price.
- Time in home: plan to stay for decades.
2026 rules: new home systems get no 30% federal homeowner credit (IRS). Idaho has no state solar rebate. New Idaho Power solar homes have been on net billing since January 1, 2024, and its current export credit rates took effect January 1, 2026.
How we checked this guide
Credits and charges come from the utility tariffs, the deduction from Idaho law, and the price from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The example is the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Idaho home. Our assumptions are labelled.
The writer and checker shown above are EcoGen staff. EcoGen is paid when homeowners request quotes, which is explained beside the quote form. Read our editorial standards.
Which Idaho homes come out ahead?
Two Idaho homes can buy the same panels at the same price, under the same sun, and end up years apart. The gap is how the meter counts the power your roof sends out. Read each row across.
Who is home in daylight
Worth a closer look
Someone is home in the day, or laundry, cooling or a car charger runs while the sun is up.
Pause and check
The house is empty all day on Idaho Power, so most output leaves at the export credit.
Check next: your hourly usage in the utility portal.
Utility
Worth a closer look
Avista or Kootenai Electric confirms in writing that a new system gets kWh-for-kWh credits.
Pause and check
The quote treats Idaho Power exports as worth the full price.
Check next: the utility and export value per kWh on the quote.
Price and time in home
Worth a closer look
A cash price near the Index’s $22,022 for 7.44 kW ($2.96 per watt), and you plan to stay.
Pause and check
A loan with a dealer fee, or a move well before payback.
Check next: cash and financed prices side by side.
How often does your meter count?
A kWh (kilowatt-hour) is the unit on your power bill. An export credit is what you get for each kWh your panels send to the grid. Idaho utilities count in two ways.
- The moment it is made. Idaho Power charges the normal price for every kWh you take from the grid and credits every kWh that flows out at its export rate. For a house empty all day, most midday output becomes exports.
- Across the year, kWh for kWh. Avista and Kootenai Electric bank extra kWh for later bills, so summer surplus can cover winter use.
| Utility | How exports are counted | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho Power | Dollar credit per kWh, by hour and season (below). | The top rate starts after panels peak. |
| Rocky Mountain Power | Dollar credit by season: 14.666 cents per kWh on-peak and 3.664 cents per kWh off-peak June through October; 5.597 cents per kWh and 1.228 cents per kWh November through May. | In effect since December 1, 2025. |
| Avista | kWh for kWh on later bills. | Credits left on March 31 go to Avista unpaid. Enrollment is capped at 1.52 MW; confirm you can join. |
| Kootenai Electric | kWh for kWh, with a loss charge of $0.00971 per kWh on exported power. | Net-metered homes pay a $32.50 monthly service charge. |
| Other co-ops and city utilities | Each sets its own rules. | Get the terms in writing. |
One Idaho roof, two meters
Simple payback is the years your savings take to cover what you paid: net cost divided by yearly savings. Here is the typical Idaho home system (7.44 kW, about 11,205 kWh a year) on Idaho Power, which serves Boise and much of southern Idaho.
- Cash price
- $22,022
- Confirmed incentives
- $0
- Year-one production
- 11,205 kWh
- Used at home / exported
- 40% / 60%
- Price for power used at home (Idaho Power)
- $0.1113/kWh
- Export credit (average of Schedule 6)
- $0.0427/kWh
- Upkeep counted
- None
- Used-at-home value
11,205 × 40% × $0.1113$499/yr - Export value
11,205 × 60% × $0.0427$287/yr - Yearly savings
$499 + $287$786/yr - Simple payback before incentives
$22,022 ÷ $786about 28.0 years
Inputs: the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Idaho system (7.44 kW, $22,022 cash, September 2026; 1,506 kWh per kW a year) and our per-utility figures for Idaho Power: its 12-month average price of 12.84¢ (EIA, August 2025 to July 2026) less the $15 monthly service charge, which leaves 11.13¢ for each kWh you use at home, and an export credit of 4.27¢, the Idaho PUC’s average of the Schedule 6 credits (Order No. 36785 table; most exports earn 3.3920 cents per kWh or 2.9019 cents per kWh, a few 15.6836 cents per kWh). With every export at the lowest 2.9019 cents the payback is 31.7 years, so the figure prints as 28.0 to 31.7 years. The 40/60 split is a modeled share, not a measured Idaho average: at 28% to 55% home use the payback runs 24.4 to 31.7 years. No incentive, no upkeep and no future price rises are counted. On Idaho Power the system does not pay for itself within the 25 years panels are usually expected to last.
Now change the meter rule. Under kWh-for-kWh netting, as at Avista, a banked kWh used later is worth the full price. Rocky Mountain Power’s net billing lands close to Idaho Power’s.
| Scenario | Export credit | Export value | Yearly savings | Simple payback before incentives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Power net billing | $0.0427/kWh | $287 | $786 | 28.0 to 31.7 years |
| Rocky Mountain Power net billing | $0.042/kWh | $282 | $756 | 29.1 to 39.6 years |
| kWh-for-kWh netting, Avista | $0.1034/kWh | $695 | $1,158 | about 19.0 years |
The whole gap comes from exports. Three things shorten the Idaho Power number: more power used while the sun is up, a system sized to daytime use, and the deduction at your own tax rate. One can lengthen it: Idaho Power’s energy charge is 12.1195 cents per kWh in summer and 9.9332 cents per kWh otherwise for the first 800 kWh a month, plus riders.
Try your own Idaho numbers
It starts with the Idaho Power case. Enter your own quote and press Calculate. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Example result
about 28.0 years
simple payback before incentives
- Used-at-home value
- $499/yr
- Export value
- $287/yr
- Owner costs
- −$0/yr
- Yearly savings
- $786/yr
- Net cost
- $22,022
Set the export credit to the price per kWh to see kWh-for-kWh netting. Flat first-year values; rates, panel wear and repairs will change the result.
What Idaho Power pays for the power you send out
Exports earn 15.6836 cents per kWh from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday, June 1 to September 30. All other summer hours earn 3.3920 cents per kWh. Every hour from October 1 to May 31 earns 2.9019 cents per kWh. So 100 kWh sent out earn $15.68 on a summer evening but $2.90 in winter.
Used at home: 4,482 kWh. Each one replaces power you would have bought, so it saves the price per kWh after fixed charges ($0.1113 here, Idaho Power).
Sent to the grid: 6,723 kWh. These earn whatever your utility pays for exports ($0.0427 here, the average of Idaho Power’s credits). That can be far less.
Panels peak around midday, when the credit is low. Idaho homes paid an average of 12.65¢ per kWh (EIA). Credits do not expire, and Idaho Power keeps these rates until a filing due April 1, 2028.
Get quotes built on your own meter rules
Your utility changes the answer. Ask each installer which export value it used.
Solar providers that serve your area may contact you, and they pay EcoGen for the introduction. How we make money.
Idaho’s tax break is a deduction, not a credit
A credit cuts the tax you owe. A deduction cuts the income Idaho taxes, so it saves the amount times your own tax rate.
Under Idaho Code 63-3022C, you deduct 40% of the cost in the year the system is switched on and 20% in each of the next three years, up to $5,000 a year. For the typical $22,022 system, 40% is $8,809, held to $5,000; each later year is $4,404. That is $18,213 of income, not of tax.
A quote that subtracts $18,213 from the price is treating the deduction as a credit. Ask what tax rate it used.
Paying for Idaho solar
With a payback this long, borrowing costs matter. Oversizing does too: on net billing, extra panels mostly make exports worth a few cents.
| Option | Who owns the panels | Upfront | Ongoing | Check before signing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | You | Full price | None to a lender. | The export value the quote assumed. |
| State Energy Loan | You | A $100 credit analysis fee | Up to $40,000 at 3% interest for 3 years, 5% for 5 years or 7% for 7 years. | Open until December 31, 2026 or until funds run out. |
| Bank or installer loan | You | Often $0 | Loan payment plus your remaining utility bill. | A dealer fee adds years. |
| Lease or PPA | Solar company | Often $0 | A monthly or per-kWh payment. | Whether one is offered at all. The deduction law does not address leases. |
See our solar financing guide. Under Idaho Code 55-3208, an HOA cannot ban rooftop solar but may pick the spot, if a roof within 45 degrees of south is allowed.
Six lines to find on an Idaho quote
If a quote cannot show these, its savings cannot be checked.
- Netting rule. Net billing or kWh for kWh, with the utility schedule named.
- Export value. On Idaho Power, how many kWh it puts at 15.6836 cents per kWh, 3.3920 cents per kWh and 2.9019 cents per kWh.
- Home-use share. The share it assumes you use as it is made.
- Deduction math. The tax rate used to turn the deduction into dollars.
- Fees. Idaho Power’s $100 or Rocky Mountain Power’s $85 application fee.
- Cash and financed prices. Both totals, with any dealer fee shown.
Compare Idaho solar quotes
Ask each installer to name your netting rule. Enter your ZIP code to request quotes from solar providers that serve your area.
How EcoGen is paid
EcoGen 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.
Keep reading about Idaho solar
- Idaho solar guide: utilities, incentives and installers in one place
- Idaho solar companies: compare local installers before you request quotes
- Idaho solar incentives: the tax deduction, export credits and battery payments
- What solar costs in Idaho
- Free solar panels in Idaho: what is real
- Are solar panels worth it? The national guide and payback calculator
All 51 state guides
Idaho solar FAQs
Are solar panels worth it in Idaho?
It depends most on your utility and when you use power. Before incentives, a typical owned system on Idaho Power takes 28.0 to 31.7 years to pay for itself, longer than the 25 years panels usually last. Where extra kWh offset later use one for one, as at Avista, it takes about 19.0. Statewide the figure is about 26.0 years. Cheap power, 12.65¢ a kWh on average, keeps them all long.
What is net billing at Idaho Power?
Since January 1, 2024, new Idaho Power solar homes pay the normal price for every kWh they take from the grid and get a dollar credit for every kWh that flows out. So only power the house uses the moment it is made saves the full price.
What does Idaho Power pay for exported solar?
Exports earn 15.6836 cents per kWh from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday, June 1 to September 30. Other summer hours earn 3.3920 cents per kWh, and every hour from October 1 to May 31 earns 2.9019 cents per kWh. These rates took effect January 1, 2026 and stay until a filing due April 1, 2028.
Does Idaho have a solar tax credit?
No. Idaho has an income tax deduction: 40% of the cost in year one and 20% in each of the next three years, up to $5,000 a year. It lowers the income Idaho taxes, so it saves your tax rate times that amount. The federal credit ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025.
I installed solar in Idaho years ago. What do I have?
Idaho Power systems connected by December 20, 2019 keep kWh-for-kWh netting until December 2045. Rocky Mountain Power customers on the old plan, closed October 2, 2020, keep monthly netting until October 2, 2045. An Idaho Power legacy system offline over six months, or moved, loses it.
Does a battery help solar pay off in Idaho?
It can shift power into the hours that pay most. Idaho Power pays 15.6836 cents per kWh for exports on summer evenings and offers no battery payment. Rocky Mountain Power pays $1,000 or $2,000 once for a new qualifying battery added to solar, plus a yearly bill credit. Price the battery separately.
Sources, method and corrections
The example uses the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Idaho system (September 2026) with our per-utility payback figures of October 19, 2026 for Idaho Power, Rocky Mountain Power and Avista: each utility’s own 12-month EIA price less its fixed monthly charge, and its export credit. At Avista a banked kWh that gets used is valued at the full price. 40% of the solar power used at home as it is made, 60% sent to the grid, is a modeled share. No upkeep and no future price rises are counted. The deduction is not counted. Simple payback uses flat first-year values. The calculator sends nothing.
Spotted an error? Tell us through our corrections and feedback process.
- Idaho Power: Schedule 6 tariff sheets (export credits, energy charges, legacy rules)
- Idaho Power: customer generation FAQ (how net billing credits exports; checked October 5, 2026)
- Idaho Power: customer generation (rates kept until the 2028 filing)
- Rocky Mountain Power: Schedule 136, Net Billing Service
- Rocky Mountain Power: customer generation
- Avista: Idaho electric tariff, Schedule 63
- Kootenai Electric Cooperative: net metering program
- Idaho Code 63-3022C: alternative energy deduction
- Idaho energy office: State Energy Loan
- Idaho Code 55-3208: HOAs and solar panels
- U.S. EIA: average residential electricity price by state (August 2025 to July 2026; each utility’s own price for the paybacks)
- IRS: Residential Clean Energy Credit
- EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026: Idaho
