Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Updated October 14, 2026.
A typical West Virginia system is 9.70 kW and costs about $28,421 in cash at $2.93 per watt. Nothing takes money off that price. In our two worked cases it pays back in 19.7 to 25.6 years, set by your utility’s export credit: 12.41¢ at Appalachian Power, 9.343¢ at Mon Power.
Free for you. Solar providers pay us when you ask for quotes. How we make money
At the four big utilities, new home systems no longer swap one kWh sent out for one kWh used later. Each kWh your panels make is worth one of two amounts. Our cases assume 40% is used at home as it is made.
| Utility credit used | Year-one savings | After upkeep | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Power or Wheeling Power, 12.41¢ (Tariff N.M.S.) | $1,734 | $1,443 | 19.7 years |
| Mon Power, 9.343¢ (set through December 31, 2026) | $1,400 | $1,109 | 25.6 years |
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Both are long, and we show them as they are. A West Virginia system pays back faster when more of its power is used at home as it is made, because home use saves more per kWh than an export earns.
The company at the top of your electric bill sets the credit for the power you send out. Two of the four big companies belong to AEP and two to FirstEnergy.
Southern West Virginia, including Charleston, Huntington and Beckley, plus the Wheeling area. Both belong to AEP. The credit comes from Tariff N.M.S.
Next: ask for savings priced at 12.41¢ for exports, not your full rate.
Mon Power serves the north and center, including Morgantown, Clarksburg and Parkersburg. Potomac Edison serves the Eastern Panhandle. Both belong to FirstEnergy. Home rate: $6.00 a month plus 12.023¢ per kWh.
Next: ask to see savings with a lower credit after 2026.
The state rule covers every utility: full retail credit, or a rate the Public Service Commission approved for that utility. We could not confirm the current credit at the smaller utilities.
Next: get the credit and the size limit in writing.
| Who sends your bill | Credit per kWh | 1,000 kWh sent out earn | Home size limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Power or Wheeling Power | 12.41¢ | $124.10 | 25 kW |
| Mon Power or Potomac Edison | 9.343¢ | $93.43 | 25 kW |
| Co-op, city utility or utility under 30,000 home customers | Set by each utility | Ask your utility | 50 kW |
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The credit comes off your bill, not as a check. It cannot lower your monthly customer charge or a fixed minimum bill: at Mon Power and Potomac Edison the $6.00 customer charge is the minimum bill. Neither tariff says what happens when your credits are larger than your bill, so ask your utility for that answer in writing.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison home use saves the 12.023¢ energy charge, before small added charges such as the 0.269¢ Environmental Control Charge. Their home rates took effect August 1, 2026.
Neither credit is promised for the life of your system. Any change needs approval from the Public Service Commission (PSC), the state’s utility regulator.
9.343¢ is set through this date. No 2027 rate was in Mon Power’s tariff when we read it on October 14, 2026.
12.41¢ comes from a PSC order of August 28, 2025. Later changes need PSC approval.
Only for homes that applied by March 1, 2026 and were finished by September 1, 2026 (AEP), or applied by December 31, 2024 and finished by December 31, 2025 (FirstEnergy).
All net metered systems at a utility are capped at 3% of its peak hour demand, with 0.5% kept for homes.
An older system may be on the full-credit rule, which swaps one kWh sent out for one kWh used later. The rule stays with the house, not the owner, for 25 years. It ends on December 31, 2049 at Mon Power and Potomac Edison, and on March 1, 2051 at Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power.
Ask the utility in writing which rule the house is on. Adding panels that raise output by more than 10% or 1 kW, whichever is greater, moves the house to the new credit. Adding a battery does not. The utility must answer a written question about a planned addition within 10 business days.
The September 2026 benchmark: $0.04 above the US average and 32nd lowest of 51. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
| Size (kW DC) | Cash price | Power made a year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | $14,650 | 6,555 kWh |
| 8 kW | $23,440 | 10,488 kWh |
| 9.70 kW (typical) | $28,421 | 12,717 kWh |
| 12 kW | $35,160 | 15,732 kWh |
You pay the full price. The one money item left is the bill credit from your utility.
We found none. FirstEnergy says it has no rebate for customer-owned systems.
The 2025 state income tax credit list has none for home solar. The old credit ended with systems installed before July 1, 2013.
Not for a system you own finished after December 31, 2025.
The state’s list of sales tax exemptions names none for solar equipment.
Way to pay | Who owns the panels | What to check here |
|---|---|---|
Cash | You | No rebate or credit lowers the price; ask if all sales tax is included |
Loan | You | The financed total next to the cash price, with any dealer fee shown |
Lease | The company | The company may claim a federal business credit; it lowers your price only if the contract passes it on |
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West Virginia incentives guideWhat $0-down solar means in West Virginia
Both are based in West Virginia and hold an active state contractor license. A to Z, not ranked. Facts from their own sites and the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board, read October 13 to 14, 2026.
Only two companies cleared our checks for West Virginia in October 2026, so we show two rather than pad the list. Neither buys homeowner leads from EcoGen America. How we make money.
Ask each installer to write down which credit it used, 12.41¢ or 9.343¢, and what happens to your savings if the credit drops.
Price solar for your West Virginia homeEcoGen 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