In short: North Idaho plays by different rules from Boise. Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls homes are served by Avista (about 11.6¢ per kWh in 2024) or Kootenai Electric Cooperative (about 12.2¢), and both still offer kWh-for-kWh net metering. The catch is sun: about 1,120 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, 16% less than Boise.
Winter storms and ice are the area’s top-rated hazards, so backup matters as much as savings. Below: your utility’s rules, what the northern sun means for solar, and where permits come from. For statewide rules (the Idaho tax deduction, licensing), see our Idaho energy guide.
Coeur d’Alene at a glance
- Utilities: in Kootenai County, EIA lists Avista, Kootenai Electric Cooperative (KEC), Inland Power & Light and Northern Lights. Your bill tells you which one serves your address.
- Price, 2024 average: Avista about 11.6¢ per kWh; KEC about 12.2¢ (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales).
- Outages, 2024: Avista in Idaho 225 minutes per customer with major events, 165 without; KEC 187 and 125 (EIA-861).
- Sun: 3.84 kWh per square meter per day in Coeur d’Alene (NASA POWER, 2001–2020), from under 0.9 in December to 7.4 in July. Our rough estimate: about 1,120 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Kootenai County “relatively high” for winter weather and ice storms, and “relatively moderate” for landslides, heat waves and cold waves.
- Public charging: 28 public ports at 5 locations in Coeur d’Alene and 9 at 3 in Post Falls (AFDC, October 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Avista keeps classic net metering in Idaho under its Schedule 63. Systems up to 100 kW qualify. When you make more than you use in a month, the extra kWh carry forward to reduce later bills. The key date is March 31: each year, any unused kWh credits from the previous year go to Avista with no payment. The monthly basic charge still applies. So size the system to what you use in a year, not more. We read Schedule 63 from an archived copy (February 2026) because Avista’s site wouldn’t load for us; confirm it with Avista.
Kootenai Electric Cooperative is member-owned. Its member-owned generation page (archived January 2025) describes:
- A $250 application fee, with no further connection cost unless KEC must upgrade its equipment.
- Monthly netting. Surplus is banked as kWh for later months, and KEC doesn’t pay cash for banked kWh. The monthly service availability charge still applies.
- A design review and a final KEC inspection before you switch on, plus proof of a passed state electrical inspection.
- A visible, lockable disconnect switch for line-worker safety.
KEC doesn’t sell or install systems and won’t recommend installers, but it runs a community solar project for members who want solar without a roof system. Ask KEC for its current net-meter rate before you sign. Inland Power & Light and Northern Lights members should ask their co-op for its own rules. We found no Avista or KEC rebate for home batteries or EV chargers in Idaho.
Backup power in Coeur d’Alene
Kootenai County’s two “relatively high” hazards are winter weather and ice storms: snow and ice on wires and trees, in the season when heat matters most. Avista also runs Public Safety Power Shutoffs in Idaho on high fire-risk days (see the state page). Homes on wells, common outside Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, lose water with the power.
- Generator on a transfer switch: the long-duration answer for winter outages, the furnace blower and a well pump. See generators and generator installation.
- Home battery: quiet backup for shorter outages. KEC notes a battery-backed system can carry a home through short outages. See home batteries.
- Portable power station: for phones, medical devices and lights. See portable power stations.
Size it with the generator sizing tool or the battery backup calculator, and read our backup power guide. Keep a generator outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house with the exhaust pointed away, and clear snow from its spot before a storm (CPSC rules). Fit battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms.
Solar in Coeur d’Alene
North Idaho’s winters are dark: NASA’s December average is under a fifth of July’s. By our rough estimate a 6 kW system makes about 6,700 kWh a year, worth about $780 at Avista’s 2024 average price or $820 at KEC’s if it all offsets your own use. Because both utilities credit surplus kWh-for-kWh, summer surplus can cover darker months, up to Avista’s March 31 reset. Snow on panels trims winter output further. These are estimates, not quotes.
Check your roof with the solar potential tool and solar savings calculator, then read how solar installation works, solar costs and how net metering works.
Home batteries
With kWh-for-kWh net metering, a battery saves little on the bill here; its value is backup through ice storms and winter outages. Keep a lithium battery in a space that stays above freezing. EIA counted 659 Avista and 219 KEC home solar systems in Idaho in 2024, so installers in the area know both utilities’ paperwork. Compare battery costs and battery installation.
EV charging
At 30 kWh per 100 miles, charging at home costs about $3.50 per 100 miles on Avista and $3.65 on KEC at 2024 average prices (our estimates). Cold mornings cut range, so a garage Level 2 charger helps. It needs a 240-volt circuit, a licensed electrician and an electrical permit. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Coeur d'Alene: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- City of Coeur d’Alene: Building Services reviews plans, issues permits and inspects; the city uses the 2018 International Codes. It doesn’t publish a solar checklist that we found.
- Post Falls and unincorporated Kootenai County: the city or county building department.
- Electrical: KEC asks for an electrical permit and a passed inspection from the state’s building safety division. Ask your electrician whether the state or your city issues yours.
- Utility approval: Avista or KEC must approve before you connect.
Use an Idaho-licensed electrician (lookup on the state page), and check HOA rules on roof equipment and standby generators.
Cities we cover
- Coeur d’Alene
- Post Falls
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Coeur d’Alene energy questions
Does Avista still offer net metering in Idaho?
Yes. Under Schedule 63, surplus kWh carry forward to later bills, and on March 31 each year any unused credits from the previous year go to Avista without payment. That’s different from Idaho Power’s net billing in southern Idaho, where exports earn a separate, lower credit.
Does Kootenai Electric pay for extra solar power?
No cash. KEC banks extra kWh to offset later months and doesn’t issue payment for banked kWh. You still pay the monthly service availability charge. Applying costs $250.
Is solar worth it this far north?
It works, but more slowly than in Boise. NASA’s data give Coeur d’Alene about 16% less sun, and December output is tiny. Retail-rate kWh credits help. Run your own numbers, and treat any quote that promises a zero bill with caution.
What should I back up for a north Idaho ice storm?
Heat first: the furnace blower and controls, then the well pump if you have one, the fridge and medical devices. A generator on a transfer switch covers multi-day outages; a battery covers shorter ones quietly. Size either with our calculators.
Sources
EIA-861, 2024 (price = residential revenue ÷ sales; outages; service territory; net-metered systems); Avista Schedule 63, Net Metering Option Schedule – Idaho (archived February 2026); Kootenai Electric Cooperative member-owned generation page (archived January 2025); City of Coeur d’Alene Building Services; NASA POWER, 2001–2020; FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025; AFDC station data; CPSC. Read October 2026 unless noted. Estimates are ours and labelled.