Idaho Power
Southern Idaho, including Boise, Nampa, Twin Falls and Pocatello, plus a small eastern Oregon territory. The largest utility in the state, and the one the Commission moved onto net billing. Its Oregon territory is allowed to mirror these Idaho policies rather than follow Oregon’s.
- Type
- Investor owned
- Accounts
- 630K
What they credit you
Net billing at about 4.27 cents
Published termsIdaho Power moved from net metering to net billing in January 2024, with the annual average export credit rate falling from 6.18 cents to 4.27 cents.
- Month to month
- Per the utility’s own schedule.
Published terms · checked 2026-09-05 · source
Battery backup is mandatory
in Idaho Power territory.
Idaho Power does not credit the power you send back at the rate it charges you to take it.
That does not make solar a bad idea in Idaho Power territory. It changes what you should build. When exports are worth a fraction of retail the credit stops being the return, and the job becomes using more of your own production inside the house, which usually means a larger array than a one for one utility would need.
Sizing is where that gets decided, so ask about it directly. Idaho Power pays about 4.27 cents for an exported kilowatt hour after its 2024 move to net billing, a 31% cut, so the value of an Idaho system now sits in what the house consumes as it is produced. Idaho Power sets its own limits. Ask Idaho Power what it allows before you accept that a bigger system is off the table.
A battery then does two separate jobs. It moves daytime production into the evening so you use it instead of selling it, and it keeps the house running when the grid goes down. That second job is not a bonus. Panels on their own shut off in an outage, by design, so a roof full of them powers nothing during a storm. That is the part we will not refer around.
So we treat it as a requirement, not an upgrade. We will not refer you for a panels-only system in Idaho Power territory, and you should be skeptical of anyone who quotes you one without raising storage first.
Our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement
What your installer should be telling you
Confirm the current export credit rate in writing, and confirm which side of the 20 December 2019 grandfathering line any existing system falls on.
Applying to Idaho Power
What Idaho Power itself requires, as distinct from what the state rule requires. Read from its own published guidelines on the date shown.
- There is no statewide net metering policy
- The Commission has required investor owned utilities to offer net metering through separate docket proceedings rather than under a single state rule, and has approved an alternative compensation mechanism for one utility.
- Idaho Power moved to net billing in January 2024
- The annual average export credit rate fell from 6.18 cents to 4.27 cents, a reduction of roughly 31%, and the Commission paused annual adjustments.
- Systems from before 21 December 2019 keep net metering until 2045
- If you installed or purchased by 20 December 2019 you are grandfathered until 20 December 2045. Twenty-six years is among the longest protection in the country and it is worth asking a seller for the date.
- Ask which docket governs your utility
- Because Idaho legislated nothing, the rules are in a Commission order specific to your company. There is no state statute to fall back on if you disagree with a quote.
From Idaho Power’s published guidelines · checked 2026-09-05 · source
Idaho Power net metering questions
- Does Idaho Power offer one for one net metering?
- No. Idaho Power moved from net metering to net billing in January 2024, with the annual average export credit rate falling from 6.18 cents to 4.27 cents.
- What does Idaho Power pay for power sent back to the grid?
- Net billing at about 4.27 cents. Per the utility’s own schedule.
- Do I need a battery with Idaho Power?
- Yes, and we treat it as mandatory. Because Idaho Power does not credit exports one for one, the return has to come from using your own production rather than selling it, which after dark means storage and usually a larger array than a one for one utility would need. The other half is backup: panels alone shut off in an outage, so a battery is what keeps the house running in a storm. We do not refer panels-only systems in Idaho Power territory. This is our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement.
- How do I find my Idaho Power bill?
- Sign in at idahopower.com. Open My Account, then Billing. Open the latest bill and save the PDF. Or screenshot the summary page. If you cannot get to it, a rough guess at your average monthly amount is enough to start.
- What is the catch with Idaho Power?
- Confirm the current export credit rate in writing, and confirm which side of the 20 December 2019 grandfathering line any existing system falls on.
Installers serving Idaho Power customers
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