Is solar worth it in North Carolina?
A 7.0 kW rooftop system near Charlotte produces about 10,125 kWh a year. Priced against the 50 residential tariffs currently on file in North Carolina, payback runs from 8 years on the best of them to 44 on the worst.
Why the tariff matters more than the panels
Two households in North Carolina with identical roofs and identical systems can see paybacks 8 and 44 years apart, purely because they are on different tariffs. Solar produces at midday; households consume in the evening. Only 51% of what these panels make is used as it is made — the rest is exported, and what an exported kWh earns is set by the tariff and by state net metering rules, not by the hardware.
That is why the figures here are computed hour by hour against each real tariff rather than by taking a bill and assuming solar removes a share of it. How this is modeled →
Payback by tariff in North Carolina
7.0 kW system at $3.00/W, household using 1000 kWh a month, no incentives. A range means the export credit is not filed with the tariff and the outcome depends on net metering rules — 41 of 50 tariffs here belong to a utility that reports residential net metering.
| Utility | Tariff | Structure | Annual saving | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Residential Off-Peak Plan | Time-of-use | $1,259–$2,544 | 8–17y |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | EV Residential Electric Vehicle Charging (Experimental) | Time-of-use | $1,096–$1,988 | 11–19y |
| Roanoke Electric Member Corp | Residential Service - Time of Day | Time-of-use | $1,104–$1,753 | 12–19y |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Residential Schedule 1G (Experimental Service) | Time-of-use | $793–$1,634 | 13–26y |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | 1EV Residential Service with Electric Vehicle Charging (Experimental) | Time-of-use | $868–$1,633 | 13–24y |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Residential Schedule 1 | Time-of-use + tiered | $822–$1,626 | 13–26y |
| Virginia Electric & Power Co | Residential Energy TOU Schedule 1T | Time-of-use | $730–$1,575 | 13–29y |
| Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp | Residential TOU Pilot - Single Phase | Time-of-use | $1,010–$1,532 | 14–21y |
| Roanoke Electric Member Corp | Residential Service | Flat | $770–$1,505 | 14–27y |
| Progress Energy Carolinas Inc | Residential Service - Single Phase | Time-of-use + tiered | $751–$1,478 | 14–28y |
| Progress Energy Carolinas Inc | Residential Service - Three Phase | Time-of-use + tiered | $747–$1,474 | 14–28y |
| Progress Energy Carolinas Inc | Residential Time of Use (R-TOU) Three Phase | Time-of-use | $631–$1,459 | 14–33y |
| Progress Energy Carolinas Inc | Residential Time of Use (R-TOU) Single Phase | Time-of-use | $631–$1,459 | 14–33y |
| Progress Energy Carolinas Inc | Residential Time of Use EV(R-TOU-EV) Single Phase | Time-of-use | $787–$1,441 | 15–27y |
| Progress Energy Carolinas Inc | Residential Time of Use EV(R-TOU-EV) Three Phase | Time-of-use | $787–$1,441 | 15–27y |
Price it for your own usage and system size →
What would change this
Your roof. Production is modeled for Charlotte on a south-facing array at 20° tilt. Shading, orientation and pitch all move it, and solar resource varies within North Carolina itself.
Your usage pattern. A household at home during the day self-consumes more and exports less, which shortens payback wherever export credit is poor.
Rising rates. These figures hold today's prices flat. Electricity prices have been rising, and every rise shortens payback — so treat these as a conservative bound.
State and local incentives. Not included here, and in some states they are worth more than the federal credit was. Check your state energy office before deciding.