In short: Starkville has about 25,800 people and sits in Oktibbeha County. 4-County Electric Power Assn and City of Starkville serves different parts of Oktibbeha County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 12.08¢ to 12.88¢ per kWh (EIA). Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,320 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is good for solar.
This page covers what is local to Starkville: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our Mississippi energy guide.
Starkville at a glance
- Place: Starkville, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi; about 25,844 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: 4-County Electric Power Assn (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 12.88¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 124 minutes of power on normal days and 215 counting major storms, with 1.6 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Starkville).
- Utility: City of Starkville (city-owned). Homes paid an average 12.08¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 44 minutes of power on normal days, with 0.4 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Starkville).
- Sun: 4.53 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 2.30 in December to 6.47 in June (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,320 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 2,360 cooling degree-days and 2,720 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating and cooling both matter.
- Top hazards in Oktibbeha County: tornadoes “relatively moderate”, heat waves “relatively moderate” and cold waves “relatively moderate” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively low”).
- Public charging: 20 ports at 8 locations in Starkville, none of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
4-County Electric Power Assn is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 41,076 home customers in 2024; its 12.88¢ average was below the 14.54¢ statewide average for July 2026. City of Starkville is a city-owned utility and served about 12,632 home customers in 2024; its 12.08¢ average was below the 14.54¢ 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, 4-County Electric Power Assn reported 124 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, less than the statewide figure of 266 (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 Mississippi guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Starkville
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Starkville
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,320 kWh a year in Starkville (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at 4-County Electric Power Assn’s 2024 average of 12.88¢, that is about $170 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: June is the sunniest month at 6.47 and December the dimmest at 2.30, a 2.8-to-1 gap.
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. Starkville has 20 public charging ports in the federal station list (none of them 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 Starkville: 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 Starkville building or permitting department, or from Oktibbeha County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Starkville, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the Mississippi guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: see all of Mississippi, or the whole Mississippi energy guide.
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Starkville energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Starkville?
4-County Electric Power Assn and City of Starkville both serve parts of Oktibbeha County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (4-County Electric Power Assn 12.88¢, City of Starkville 12.08¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in Starkville?
About 1,320 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 7,920 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 Starkville?
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.