Idaho’s clean energy future is under serious threat—again.
Idaho Power has filed a new application with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to significantly decrease the compensation rooftop solar owners receive for the excess electricity they send to the grid. Known as Export Credit Rates (ECRs), these payments are the financial backbone of home solar investments. Under the proposed changes, ECRs could drop by more than 60%—making solar far less viable just as utility rates continue to rise for everyone.
At the Idaho Conservation League (ICL), we’ve long advocated for energy policies that support clean, local power and protect Idahoans’ right to generate their own electricity. This proposal is yet another move by Idaho Power to undermine rooftop solar, and it couldn’t come at a worse time.
What Idaho Power is Proposing
Idaho Power’s latest proposal to the Public Utilities Commission would drop compensation for solar exports from 6.18 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh)—a rate that only took effect in January 2024—to an average of 2.46 cents per kWh annually. That’s a 72% reduction from the previous standard rate of 8.8 cents, which had been in place for over a decade.
If approved, these new rates would take effect June 1, right as Idaho enters peak solar season.
Here’s why this is alarming:
- Seasonal Cuts Are Even Worse: From October through May, Idaho Power wants to pay solar owners less than 1 cent per kWh—a jaw-dropping 80% decrease—even as it charges customers at least 8 cents per kWh for the very same electricity. That gap goes straight to Idaho Power’s bottom line.
- Annual Rate Changes Discourage Adoption: This is all part of the utility’s new “Net Billing” program, which the PUC approved in December 2023 despite widespread public opposition. The program allows ECRs to be recalculated every year, leaving prospective solar customers in the dark about their return on investment. That financial uncertainty is a major barrier to adoption.
- Biased Data Undermines Rooftop Solar: Idaho Power is basing its calculations on its own internal 2022 “Value of Distributed Energy Resources Study.” ICL and other organizations hired an independent expert to review this study and found that Idaho Power is significantly undervaluing rooftop solar by cherry-picking data and using flawed methodologies.
- Meanwhile, Utility Profits Grow: As Idaho Power tries to pay solar owners less, it’s also increasing fixed charges on all customers. As of January 2025, Idahoans will pay a $15 monthly flat fee—triple what it was just a few years ago. These fixed fees disproportionately harm lower-income households and remove incentives to save energy.
ICL’s History of Advocacy
This is not our first battle to protect rooftop solar.
In 2019, 2023 and again in 2024 ICL joined forces with hundreds of Idahoans in calling on the PUC to protect net metering, the policy that allowed solar customers to be credited at full retail rates for the electricity they supplied to the grid. We warned then that Idaho Power was seeking to dismantle this fair system and replace it with a confusing, less generous framework.
Despite strong public support for clean energy and customer choice, the PUC allowed Idaho Power to move forward with this new system. And now, the utility is wasting no time in exploiting it—proposing massive cuts to solar compensation that could jeopardize the future of distributed solar in our state.
Why Rooftop Solar Matters
This isn’t just about rates. It’s about values.
- Rooftop solar reduces grid congestion, especially during hot summer afternoons when demand spikes.
- It lowers transmission losses by generating power close to where it’s used.
- It can delay or eliminate the need for costly grid upgrades, saving everyone money.
- It creates local jobs and supports small businesses.
- And it gives Idahoans energy freedom—the ability to produce their own clean electricity and reduce dependence on large utility companies.
The current proposal by Idaho Power disregards all of these benefits and instead prioritizes short-term profit.
What You Can Do
Right now, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission is accepting public comments on this proposal. The Commission is expected to make a decision by May, so time is short.
Add your voice today and help us protect rooftop solar in Idaho:
Submit a comment
Reference Case #: IPC-E-25-15
Your comment can be simple and personal. You don’t need to be an energy expert—just share why rooftop solar matters to you, your family, or your community. Whether it’s about reducing bills, protecting the environment, or standing up for fair treatment, your voice matters.
ICL is committed to defending energy choices for all Idahoans. With your help, we can stop this damaging proposal and ensure a cleaner, fairer energy future for everyone.
Let’s stand up for solar—before it’s too late.