In short: Eastern Idaho has three different power companies with three sets of rules. City-owned Idaho Falls Power averaged about 9.3¢ per kWh in 2024 and only 72 outage minutes per customer. Rocky Mountain Power (about 12.1¢) pays a battery incentive, and Idaho Power serves Twin Falls. Panels make roughly 1,330 kWh a year per kW by our estimate.
This page covers Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls in eastern and south-central Idaho. Which utility serves you decides most of the answers. For statewide rules (the Idaho tax deduction, licensing), see our Idaho energy guide.
Eastern Idaho at a glance
- Utilities (EIA, by county): Bonneville County (Idaho Falls): Idaho Falls Power, Rocky Mountain Power and Lower Valley Energy. Bannock County (Pocatello): Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power. Twin Falls County: Idaho Power. Your bill shows which serves you.
- Price, 2024 average: Idaho Falls Power about 9.3¢ per kWh; Rocky Mountain Power in Idaho about 12.1¢; Idaho Power about 11.8¢ (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales).
- Outages, 2024: Idaho Falls Power 72 minutes per customer; Rocky Mountain Power in Idaho 265 with major events and 129 without; Idaho Power 206 and 164 (EIA-861).
- Sun: about 4.55 kWh per square meter per day in Idaho Falls and Pocatello and 4.63 in Twin Falls (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Our rough estimate: 1,330 to 1,350 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025): Bonneville County is “relatively high” for lightning, cold waves and avalanches; Bannock and Twin Falls counties are “relatively high” for winter weather. Wildfire is “relatively moderate” in all three.
- Public charging: 52 public ports in Idaho Falls, 30 in Twin Falls and 24 in Pocatello (AFDC, October 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Idaho Falls Power is the city’s own utility. Its net metering program compares what you take and what you send back at the end of each billing cycle; any net surplus is paid under its current rates and service policy, which the page doesn’t spell out, so ask for the figure. Systems can be sized to no more than your last 12 months of use. You need a city building permit before work starts, then city electrical review and inspection, and Idaho Falls Power installs the net meter. See Idaho Falls Power net metering. The utility is also building four public charging sites that will add 24 ports, including DC fast chargers.
Rocky Mountain Power uses net billing in Idaho (see the state page). Its Wattsmart Battery program pays Idaho customers who add a qualifying battery to solar: up to $1,000 for a battery under 10 kW of output and up to $2,000 for 10 kW or more, under terms that changed July 1, 2026, plus ongoing bill credits. In return, Rocky Mountain Power manages the battery as part of its grid. See Wattsmart Battery; amounts can change.
Idaho Power (Twin Falls and part of Pocatello) uses net billing with a low export credit outside summer evenings, and offers an optional Time of Use plan. Our Boise–Treasure Valley page covers its rates in detail.
Backup power in Eastern Idaho
Idaho Falls Power’s own record is very good, 72 minutes in 2024, but it explains a dependence worth knowing. It generates less than a third of its own electricity in summer, and less in winter. The rest arrives over PacifiCorp’s transmission lines. If PacifiCorp shuts those lines in a wildfire shutoff, Idaho Falls Power says it would have no other supply and would also have to cut power to customers. It can also call its own shutoff anywhere in its area. Rocky Mountain Power and Idaho Power run shutoff programs too.
Winter is the other risk: cold waves rate “relatively high” around Idaho Falls and winter weather around Pocatello and Twin Falls. Homes on farms and acreages often have well pumps.
- Generator: long winter outages, furnaces and well pumps. See generators and generator installation.
- Battery with solar: quiet backup, and for Rocky Mountain Power customers a Wattsmart incentive. See home batteries.
- Portable power station: phones, CPAP and lights. See portable power stations.
Size it with the generator sizing tool or battery backup calculator and read our backup power guide. Run generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with the exhaust pointed away, and keep carbon monoxide alarms inside (CPSC).
Solar in Eastern Idaho
The Snake River Plain has as much sun as Boise. By our rough estimate a 6 kW system makes about 8,000 kWh a year. If it all offset your own use, it would be worth about $740 at Idaho Falls Power’s low 2024 price, $965 at Rocky Mountain Power’s and about $955 in Twin Falls at Idaho Power’s. Exported power earns less with Rocky Mountain Power and Idaho Power, and Idaho Falls Power’s surplus rate is set in its policy. Cheap city power makes solar slowest to pay back in Idaho Falls. These are estimates, not quotes.
Model your roof with the solar potential tool and solar savings calculator, and read solar installation, solar costs and net metering and net billing.
Home batteries
Rocky Mountain Power’s Idaho customers are the battery story here: EIA counted 465 of its 3,350 Idaho home solar systems with a battery in 2024, and the Wattsmart payment cuts the cost. Ask how much charge the program keeps for your own outages. Idaho Falls Power and Idaho Power customers have no battery incentive that we found, so a battery there is a backup purchase. See battery costs and battery installation.
EV charging
At 30 kWh per 100 miles and 2024 average prices, home charging costs about $2.80 per 100 miles on Idaho Falls Power, $3.65 on Rocky Mountain Power and $3.55 on Idaho Power (our estimates). Long highway drives between these cities make DC fast charging useful, and Idaho Falls Power’s new sites will add to it. A home Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit and an electrical permit. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Idaho Falls: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Idaho Falls: the city Building Division issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and has its own electrical inspectors. Starting work without a permit means a double fee.
- Pocatello and Twin Falls: each city’s building department; outside city limits, the county.
- Utility approval: Idaho Falls Power, Rocky Mountain Power or Idaho Power must approve a grid-tied system first.
Use an Idaho-licensed electrician (lookup on the state page), and check HOA rules before adding panels or a standby generator.
Cities we cover
- Idaho Falls
- Pocatello
- Twin Falls
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Eastern Idaho energy questions
Can Idaho Falls lose power in someone else’s wildfire shutoff?
Yes. Idaho Falls Power makes less than a third of its summer power locally and brings the rest in over PacifiCorp transmission lines. It says that if PacifiCorp shuts those lines down in a shutoff, it would have no other supply and would have to cut power to its customers too.
Does Rocky Mountain Power pay for home batteries in Idaho?
Yes, through Wattsmart Battery, for batteries paired with solar: up to $1,000 for systems under 10 kW of output and up to $2,000 for 10 kW or more (terms from July 1, 2026), plus ongoing bill credits. Rocky Mountain Power manages the battery in return. Check the program page for current models and amounts.
How big a solar system can I install on Idaho Falls Power?
Its policy limits a home system to no more than your previous 12 months of use, with exceptions where history supports it. You need a city building permit and Idaho Falls Power’s design approval before installing.
Is solar worth it with Idaho Falls Power’s low prices?
It’s a slow payback. At about 9.3¢ per kWh, each kW of panels saves roughly $120 a year at most by our estimate. Solar there makes more sense paired with backup or for large summer loads than as a pure bill saver.
Sources
EIA-861, 2024 (price = residential revenue ÷ sales; outages; service territory; net-metered systems); Idaho Falls Power net metering, EV programs and Public Safety Power Shutoff pages; Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart Battery page; City of Idaho Falls Building Division; NASA POWER, 2001–2020; FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025; AFDC station data; CPSC. Read October 2026. Estimates are ours and labelled.