Net Metering by State

What your electric utility actually pays for exported solar power.

Idaho solar export compensation

What Idaho pays for exported rooftop solar power, with the source and the date each figure was checked.

Record verified 2026-09-16 · 17 of 17 fields sourced

What does your utility pay?

Fixed export rate

Summer On-Peak 15.6836¢/kWh; Summer Off-Peak 3.3920¢/kWh; Non-summer 2.9019¢/kWh under Schedule 6.

Idaho Power · Idaho

Effective January 1, 2026

Non-legacy customers receive dollar financial credits under real-time net billing; legacy systems retain monthly net energy metering.

Source: docs.idahopower.com

Full Idaho Power detail →

Idaho has a net-metering statute, but exported-solar compensation is principally set by utility tariffs approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. Idaho Power uses legacy monthly net energy metering and, for non-legacy systems, real-time net billing with a seasonal, time-varying avoided-cost-based Export Credit Rate (ECR). Avista's Idaho Schedule 63 credits excess kilowatt-hours against later bills and uses retail-rate netting, with annual forfeiture of unused credits. Rocky Mountain Power closed Schedule 135 to new applications and uses Schedule 136 net billing for new customers, with seasonal/time-of-day export credits; legacy Schedule 135 customers remain on that schedule for 25 years.

Program details

Compensation mechanismIdaho Power's non-legacy compensation is real-time net billing with an avoided cost-based financial credit rate for exported energy; legacy systems remain under monthly net energy metering.
Export rateIdaho Power Schedule 6 lists Export Credit Rate, per kWh: Summer On-Peak 15.6836¢, Summer Off-Peak 3.3920¢, and Non-summer 2.9019¢.
Rate effectiveIdaho Power Schedule 6 is effective January 1, 2026; Rocky Mountain Power Schedule 136 credits are effective for customer billing cycles beginning after December 1, 2025.
Credit rolloverIdaho Power Financial Credits shall carry forward provided the Customer maintains electric service at the same Point of Delivery; Avista credits appear on the bill for following billing periods; Rocky Mountain Power excess credits carry-over to the next monthly bill.
Credit expirationAvista's remaining unused kWh credits are granted to the Company on March 31 of each calendar year without compensation; Idaho Power unused kWh Credits expire at the time the final bill is prepared.
Annual true-upAvista's annual credit expiration is March 31; Idaho Power annual transfer requests must be received on or before January 31 and transfers must be executed no later than March 31; Rocky Mountain Power transfer requests must be received by March 31.
Residential system capIdaho Power Schedule 6 limits the generation facility to 25 kilowatts (kW) or less; Rocky Mountain Power Schedule 136 says an eligible generating plant may not have more than 25 kilowatts for customers on Schedules 1 or 36.
Commercial system capIdaho Power Schedule 84's eligibility cap is the greater of 100 kW or 100% of demand; Rocky Mountain Power's non-residential cap is the greater of the customer's peak demand or 100 kW, not exceeding 2 MW.
Aggregate program capIdaho's enacted net-metering statute sets a utility threshold of one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the utility's single hour peak load during the previous year, after which the obligation to offer net metering to a new customer-generator may be limited.
Program statusIdaho Power Schedule 6 is closed to new applications for Net Energy Metering effective December 21, 2019; Rocky Mountain Power Schedule 135 is closed to applications for new service as of October 2, 2020.
RegulatorCommission means the Idaho public utilities commission as defined in section 61-102, Idaho Code.
DocketCase No. IPC-E-23-14, Order No. 36048; the Idaho Power first annual ECR update was Case No. IPC-E-25-15, Order No. 36785; Rocky Mountain Power's ECR case was Case No. PAC-E-25-02, Order No. 36845.
Governing ruleIdaho Code Chapter 8, Net Energy Metering, sections 61-801 through 61-805, together with utility tariffs and Idaho Public Utilities Commission orders.
GrandfatheringIdaho Power legacy status for eligible Exporting Systems will terminate December 2045; Rocky Mountain Power Schedule 135 service will terminate on October 2, 2045.
Interconnection applicationIdaho Power requires customers to meet all applicable requirements detailed in Schedule 68, Interconnections to Customer Distributed Energy Resources; Rocky Mountain Power requires an interconnection agreement prior to interconnection.
Interconnection timelineRocky Mountain Power Schedule 135 gives a customer 12 months from receipt of confirmation that the interconnection request is approved to interconnect.
Pending changeIdaho Power's annual ECR update requirement is suspended until 2028, and the company must maintain the rates set by Order No. 36785 until its April 1, 2028 filing; Rocky Mountain Power must maintain its ECR until filing for an update on July 1, 2028.

Rates by utility

State rules set the framework. Individual utilities often pay something different, and where they do the utility tariff governs.

Idaho PowerSummer On-Peak 15.6836¢/kWh; Summer Off-Peak 3.3920¢/kWh; Non-summer 2.9019¢/kWh under Schedule 6.
January 1, 2026
Non-legacy customers receive dollar financial credits under real-time net billing; legacy systems retain monthly net energy metering.
Avista Utilities (Idaho)Retail-rate netting for the billing period; no single dollar export rate is stated in Schedule 63.
Schedule 63 effective July 7, 2010, with the credit-expiration revision effective November 1, 2019.
Excess kWh credits appear on following bills; remaining unused credits are granted to Avista on March 31 without compensation.
Rocky Mountain Power (Idaho)Schedule 136: Summer billing months June through October: On-Peak 14.666¢/kWh and Off-Peak 3.664¢/kWh; November through May: On-Peak 5.597¢/kWh and Off-Peak 1.228¢/kWh.
Customer billing cycles beginning after December 1, 2025.
Schedule 135 is closed to new applications; Schedule 136 is net billing and excess credits carry over to the next monthly bill.

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