In short: Kokomo has about 60,100 people and sits in Howard County. Duke Energy Indiana, LLC, Indiana Michigan Power Co and Carroll-White REMC serves different parts of Howard County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 12.75¢ to 16.31¢ per kWh (EIA). FEMA rates Howard County strong winds “relatively high”. Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,160 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is about average for the U.S..
This page covers what is local to Kokomo: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our Indiana energy guide.
Kokomo at a glance
- Place: Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana; about 60,093 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: Duke Energy Indiana, LLC (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 12.75¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 113 minutes of power on normal days and 296 counting major storms, with 0.9 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Kokomo).
- Utility: Indiana Michigan Power Co (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 16.31¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 98 minutes of power on normal days and 157 counting major storms, with 0.7 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Kokomo).
- Utility: Carroll-White REMC (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 14.93¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 377 minutes of power on normal days (utility-wide, not just Kokomo).
- Sun: 3.97 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 1.48 in December to 6.24 in July (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,160 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 890 cooling degree-days and 5,850 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating is the big load.
- Top hazards in Howard County: strong winds “relatively high”, tornadoes “relatively moderate” and hail “relatively moderate” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively low”).
- Public charging: 36 ports at 14 locations in Kokomo, 15 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Duke Energy Indiana, LLC is an investor-owned utility and served about 796,265 home customers in 2024; its 12.75¢ average was below the 16.73¢ statewide average for July 2026. Indiana Michigan Power Co is an investor-owned utility and served about 422,062 home customers in 2024; its 16.31¢ average was close to the 16.73¢ statewide average for July 2026. Carroll-White REMC is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 14,807 home customers in 2024; its 14.93¢ average was below the 16.73¢ statewide average for July 2026. Those are utility-wide averages, not a quote for your address; your own bill is the real number.
For reliability, Carroll-White REMC reported 377 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, more than the statewide figure of 121 (EIA-861). Utility-wide numbers hide a lot: a home at the end of a long rural line usually has more outages than the average.
Net metering, export rates and incentives are set at state level and by each utility. Start with the Indiana guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Kokomo
- Strong winds (relatively high): High winds knock out lines on ordinary days. A battery or portable power station handles the common short outages; add a generator for multi-day repairs.
- Tornadoes (relatively moderate): Tornado-season storms cut power quickly. A battery that switches on by itself, or a portable generator ready to go, covers the first night; sirens and weather radios need power too.
- Heating load: a winter outage can stop a furnace blower, boiler pump or heat pump. List what your heat needs to run before choosing a generator or battery.
- Short outages: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights; a home battery switches over automatically.
Size your setup with the generator sizing tool and the battery backup calculator, and compare options in backup power. Generator safety (CPSC): outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage, and battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside. A licensed electrician should install any transfer switch, with a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in Kokomo
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,160 kWh a year in Kokomo (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at Duke Energy Indiana, LLC’s 2024 average of 12.75¢, that is about $148 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: July is the sunniest month at 6.24 and December the dimmest at 1.48, a 4.2-to-1 gap, so a battery or a bigger system helps in winter.
Check your own roof with the solar potential tool, see solar costs and net metering vs net billing, and read the steps in solar installation. Hail and storm exposure are worth raising with installers and your insurer.
Batteries and EV charging
A home battery earns its place when outages are frequent, when your utility pays little for exported solar, or when evening prices are high; compare in home batteries and battery costs. Kokomo has 36 public charging ports in the federal station list including 15 DC fast, but home charging is cheaper and easier: see the EV charging cost calculator and EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Kokomo: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Solar, generator transfer switches and EV chargers normally need an electrical permit from the Kokomo building or permitting department, or from Howard County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Kokomo, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the Indiana guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: Westfield, Noblesville, Carmel and Anderson, or the whole Indiana energy guide.
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Kokomo energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Kokomo?
Duke Energy Indiana, LLC, Indiana Michigan Power Co and Carroll-White REMC all serve parts of Howard County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (Duke Energy Indiana, LLC 12.75¢, Indiana Michigan Power Co 16.31¢, Carroll-White REMC 14.93¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in Kokomo?
About 1,160 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 6,960 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Is a generator or a battery better for strong winds in Howard County?
It depends how long the outage lasts. A battery is quiet, automatic and good for short outages and for pairing with solar; a standby generator keeps going as long as it has fuel, which suits multi-day events. Many homes use a battery for everyday outages and add a generator for the rare long one.
Will a home battery keep my heat on in an outage?
It can keep a furnace blower, boiler pump or a heat pump running for a while, but long cold outages drain a battery fast without solar to recharge it. Pair it with a generator or wood or propane heat if outages here run for days.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in Kokomo?
Almost always an electrical permit for a transfer switch, solar or an EV charger, issued by the city or county where you live. Your licensed electrician or installer normally pulls it. Never connect a generator to your house wiring without a transfer switch.
Sources: EIA Form 861 (2024) for utility prices and outages; NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2025) for sun and degree-days; FEMA National Risk Index for county hazards; AFDC station locator for public charging; Census Bureau for population. Estimates are ours and are not promises; see our editorial policy. Prices and programs change, so check each program page.