In short: Louisiana had the lowest home electricity price of any state in July 2026, 12.72¢ per kWh (EIA), yet customers lost about 728 minutes of power in 2024, and even normal days averaged 206 minutes. For most Louisiana homes, reliable backup through hurricane and storm season comes before solar savings.
Cheap power and long outages: that’s the Louisiana combination. It makes the state very different from places where solar is driven by high bills. Here are the numbers behind it, what they mean for generators, batteries, solar and EVs, and the rules that differ between New Orleans and the rest of the state.
Louisiana at a glance
- Home electricity price: 12.72¢/kWh in July 2026, down from 13.12¢ in July 2025; 13.35¢ average for January to July 2026. U.S. average 18.31¢ (EIA, preliminary).
- Outages (2024): about 728 minutes per customer with major events, 206 without; about 2.7 interruptions a year, 1.75 without major events (EIA-861).
- Sun: about 4.74 kWh/m² per day in New Orleans (NASA POWER, 2001–2020); rough estimate about 1,380 kWh per kW of panels per year.
- Net metering: net billing outside New Orleans. A 2019 Louisiana Public Service Commission order credits exports from systems applied for after December 31, 2019 at the avoided-cost rate (about 3¢/kWh); older systems keep retail net metering for 15 years. Entergy New Orleans is regulated by the New Orleans City Council, which sets its own rules.
- Plug-in solar law: none found as of October 2, 2026.
- EVs and charging: 22,600 battery-electric and 5,700 plug-in hybrids registered through 2025; 848 public ports at 259 locations, 422 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 2026).
- Main utilities: Entergy Louisiana (about 1.1 million customers, 46% of the state), Cleco Power (about 295,000), SWEPCO (about 235,000) and Entergy New Orleans (about 209,000) (EIA-861, 2024).
- Weather risk (FEMA National Risk Index, Dec 2025): hurricane, ice storm, cold wave and tornado relatively high; winter weather, heat wave and strong wind relatively moderate; wildfire relatively low.
- Public Safety Power Shutoffs: no program found at Entergy Louisiana, Cleco or SWEPCO.
Backup power in Louisiana
Louisiana ranked 9th-worst for total outage minutes among the 50 states and D.C. in EIA’s 2024 data, and 7th-worst on normal days. That second number matters: even without hurricanes, a typical customer was out more than three hours in the year. Add a named storm and the total climbs fast. On average, each 2024 interruption lasted about four and a half hours.
FEMA’s index adds a detail people forget: ice storms and cold waves are rated relatively high here too, alongside hurricanes and tornadoes. So a Louisiana backup plan has to handle both August heat and the occasional hard freeze.
- After a hurricane, outages can run for days. A portable generator with a transfer switch, or a natural-gas standby unit, is what most households use to keep the fridge, fans, a window AC unit and medical equipment going. Size it with the generator sizing tool; central air takes a large unit.
- A battery for the quiet hours. A home battery or a large portable power station runs a CPAP, fans, phones and lights overnight without exhaust, and solar can recharge it during the day. Check capacity with the battery backup calculator.
- Get ready before the season. Have a licensed electrician install the inlet and transfer switch in spring, and store fuel safely; stations close after big storms.
Carbon monoxide is the hidden danger after a hurricane. CPSC warns every season: run generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away from windows and doors, never in a garage, carport or on a porch, even with doors open. Keep battery-powered CO alarms on every level, and never backfeed power through an outlet.
Solar in Louisiana
Louisiana has good sun, about 1,380 kWh per kW of panels a year by our rough estimate for New Orleans, but the lowest price in our data. Outside New Orleans, every kWh you use as it’s produced saves about 12.7¢, while every kWh you export earns roughly 3¢ under the 2019 LPSC order. That puts each kW of panels somewhere between about $40 and $175 a year, depending almost entirely on how much you use yourself. That’s an estimate, not a promise, and it makes a system sized to your daytime use far more sensible than one sized to your whole bill.
Louisiana already has a lot of older solar: 34,417 net-metered home systems in EIA’s 2024 count, most installed when retail net metering was still open to new systems. If you have one of them, it keeps retail net metering for 15 years, so ask your utility before you add panels or a battery.
In New Orleans, Entergy New Orleans answers to the City Council rather than the LPSC, and the Council writes its own net metering rules. If you live in Orleans Parish, ask Entergy New Orleans or the Council’s utility office for the current terms.
We didn’t confirm any active state incentive. Louisiana’s old residential solar tax credit is reported to have expired at the end of 2015, and the federal credit ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025. There’s no plug-in solar law either, so plug-in kits fall under utility rules. Learn more in our solar guide, solar costs and net metering explained, and try the solar potential calculator.
Home batteries in Louisiana
Here’s an odd gap: of those 34,417 net-metered solar homes, EIA counted just 2 with a battery in 2024. Yet Louisiana is exactly where solar plus a battery makes the most sense on paper. With exports worth about 3¢, storing your midday surplus for the evening is worth far more than selling it, and the same battery keeps the lights and fans on after a storm. A hurricane-season caveat: panels can be damaged and grids stay down for days, so many households pair a battery with a generator rather than relying on either alone. We didn’t confirm a state battery program. Compare in home batteries and battery costs.
EV charging in Louisiana
Louisiana had 22,600 battery-electric vehicles through 2025 and 848 public ports, about 27 cars per port, so public charging is thinner here than in most states; half the ports (422) are DC fast. Home charging is the cheapest in our data: using about 30 kWh per 100 miles (a typical fueleconomy.gov-style figure), 100 miles costs roughly $3.82 at the July 2026 rate, about $38 for 1,000 miles. That’s an estimate. Before a storm, charge fully; after one, chargers may be down for days. Run your numbers in the EV charging cost calculator and see EV charging at home. Level 2 charging needs a 240 V circuit by a licensed electrician. The federal charger credit ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026; we didn’t confirm a state charger rebate.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Louisiana: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Off-grid, small wind and micro-hydro
Small wind is a poor bet for most Louisiana homes. NASA’s coarse average near the state center is about 5.0 m/s at 50 meters but only about 3.0 m/s at 10 meters, below the 4.5 m/s the U.S. Department of Energy’s small wind guidebook suggests, and hurricane-force winds are a risk for any tower. For remote camps, solar with batteries and a generator is the practical off-grid setup. Flat terrain leaves little drop for micro-hydro, and we haven’t checked a state source on it. See off-grid power, wind energy and hydroelectric power.
Licensing and permits in Louisiana
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) licenses contractors, with an electrical classification and a solar energy equipment subclassification; a state license is required above set dollar thresholds. Many parishes also license electricians locally. Check a contractor on the LSLBC contractor search and ask about the local license. Permits come from your parish or city, and your utility must approve interconnection before solar or a battery is switched on. After a hurricane, be wary of door-to-door “storm” contractors and always check the license first.
Local guides in Louisiana
Utilities, rates, outage records, permit offices and local programs for each area:
Where we cover in Louisiana
- New Orleans: New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, Slidell, Covington, Mandeville
- Baton Rouge: Baton Rouge, Prairieville, Gonzales
- Lafayette: Lafayette, Youngsville
- Shreveport: Shreveport, Bossier City
- Lake Charles: Lake Charles
Local pages will follow as we verify local information and installers for each area.
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Louisiana energy FAQ
Does Louisiana have net metering?
Not at full retail for new systems outside New Orleans. Under a 2019 Public Service Commission order, systems applied for after December 31, 2019 earn the avoided-cost rate, about 3¢ per kWh, for exported power. Systems from before 2020 keep retail net metering for 15 years. Entergy New Orleans customers fall under the New Orleans City Council’s own rules.
What size generator do I need for a Louisiana hurricane?
It depends on whether you want to run central air. Fridge, freezer, fans, lights, a window AC and phones fit within a mid-size portable generator on a transfer switch. Central air usually needs a large portable or a standby generator sized by a licensed electrician. Add up your appliances with our generator sizing tool before you buy.
Is there a solar tax credit in Louisiana in 2026?
We didn’t confirm one. Louisiana’s state residential solar tax credit is reported to have ended in 2015, and the federal residential credit ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025. Any installer quoting a 2026 tax credit should show you exactly which program and where it’s published.
Is solar with a battery worth it in Louisiana?
It can be, mostly for backup. Because exports earn only about 3¢ per kWh outside New Orleans, a battery lets you use your own solar in the evening instead of selling it cheaply, and keeps essentials running after storms. Power is cheap, so savings alone pay back slowly; price several quotes.
How do I check a contractor’s license in Louisiana?
Search the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors online. Electrical work falls under its electrical classification, and solar has its own subclassification. Many parishes also license electricians, so ask for that license too, and confirm the permit is pulled before work begins.
Sources
Electricity prices: EIA Electric Power Monthly Tables 5.6.A and 5.6.B, July 2026 (preliminary). Outages, utilities and solar counts: EIA-861, 2024. Sun and wind: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020; small wind threshold from the U.S. Department of Energy. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. EVs and charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC), registrations through 2025 and station counts read October 3, 2026. Net billing: Louisiana Public Service Commission 2019 order; New Orleans City Council utility rules. Licensing: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. Checked October 2026.