In short: Pasco has about 81,700 people and sits in Franklin County. Inland Power & Light Company, PUD No 1 of Franklin County and Big Bend Electric Coop, Inc serves different parts of Franklin County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 8.98¢ to 9.68¢ per kWh (EIA). Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,230 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 Pasco: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our Washington energy guide.
Pasco at a glance
- Place: Pasco, Franklin County, Washington; about 81,724 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: Inland Power & Light Company (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 8.98¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 278 minutes of power on normal days and 386 counting major storms, with 1.1 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Pasco).
- Utility: PUD No 1 of Franklin County (public power district). Homes paid an average 9.68¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 55 minutes of power on normal days, with 0.4 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Pasco).
- Utility: Big Bend Electric Coop, Inc (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 9.1¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 192 minutes of power on normal days and 248 counting major storms, with 0.8 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Pasco).
- Sun: 4.22 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 0.99 in December to 7.66 in July (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,230 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 1,030 cooling degree-days and 5,010 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating and cooling both matter.
- Top hazards in Franklin County: heat waves “relatively moderate”, river and heavy-rain flooding “relatively moderate” and ice storms “relatively moderate” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively low”).
- Public charging: 72 ports at 27 locations in Pasco, 19 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Inland Power & Light Company is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 41,684 home customers in 2024; its 8.98¢ average was below the 14.71¢ statewide average for July 2026. PUD No 1 of Franklin County is a public power district utility and served about 27,388 home customers in 2024; its 9.68¢ average was below the 14.71¢ statewide average for July 2026. Big Bend Electric Coop, Inc is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 5,841 home customers in 2024; its 9.1¢ average was below the 14.71¢ 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, Inland Power & Light Company reported 278 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, more than the statewide figure of 159 (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 Washington guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Pasco
- Heat waves (relatively moderate): Heat waves strain the grid just when air conditioning matters most. Decide what must stay cool, such as one room, medicine and the fridge, and size backup to that rather than the whole house.
- River and heavy-rain flooding (relatively moderate): Heavy rain can flood basements and take out power. Put sump pumps on backup power and keep equipment above the flood line.
- 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 Pasco
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,230 kWh a year in Pasco (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at Inland Power & Light Company’s 2024 average of 8.98¢, that is about $110 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 7.66 and December the dimmest at 0.99, a 7.7-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.
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. Pasco has 72 public charging ports in the federal station list including 19 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 Pasco: 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 Pasco building or permitting department, or from Franklin County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Pasco, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the Washington guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: Kennewick and Richland, or the whole Washington energy guide.
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Pasco energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Pasco?
Inland Power & Light Company, PUD No 1 of Franklin County and Big Bend Electric Coop, Inc all serve parts of Franklin County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (Inland Power & Light Company 8.98¢, PUD No 1 of Franklin County 9.68¢, Big Bend Electric Coop, Inc 9.1¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in Pasco?
About 1,230 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 7,380 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in Pasco?
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.