Solar Guide for Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op Customers

If you're a Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op customer considering solar energy, you're making a smart financial decision. With residential electricity rates averaging 13.35 cents per kWh, solar panels can dramatically reduce or even eliminate your monthly electric bill. The typical Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op customer spends approximately $107 per month on electricity — money that could be working for you instead of going to the utility.

Montana service area

Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op has a full retail rate net metering policy. This is one of the best net metering structures available — you receive full retail rate credits of 13.35¢/kWh for every excess kilowatt-hour your solar system sends to the grid. This means your solar panels generate maximum value, as surplus energy produced during sunny afternoons offsets your evening and nighttime consumption at the same rate.

An 8kW solar system for a Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op customer costs approximately $22,320 before the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit. After the ITC, your net cost drops to about $15,624. This system produces enough clean energy to save you approximately $1,524 per year, resulting in a payback period of roughly 9 years.

After your system pays for itself, you'll enjoy 13+ years of dramatically reduced electricity costs. Over a 25-year period, total savings for Yellowstone Valley Elec Co-op customers are estimated at $38,100 — and that's without accounting for the likely 2-3% annual increase in electricity rates that would make your savings even greater.