In short: CenterPoint Energy serves Evansville. Its customers lost about 7.6 hours of power in 2024, against 1.4 hours on normal days, so storms drive almost all of it (EIA). Homes paid about 17.5¢ per kWh. Evansville gets the most sun of the Indiana metros we cover, and its utility dropped net metering in 2021, a year before the statewide cutoff.
This page covers backup power, solar, batteries and EV charging in Evansville and Vanderburgh County. Indiana’s export rules, the solar property tax deduction and state prices are in our Indiana energy guide.
Evansville at a glance
- CenterPoint Energy Indiana South (listed by EIA as Southern Indiana Gas and Electric): the only electric utility EIA lists for Vanderburgh County. About 17.52¢ per kWh for homes on average in 2024; 458 minutes of outages per customer counting major storms, 81 without, and about 1.4 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024).
- Sun: about 4.2 kWh per square meter per day (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,220 kWh a year per kW of panels, the highest of the Indiana metros we cover.
- Top hazards: Vanderburgh County is “relatively high” for ice storms, cold waves, winter weather, tornadoes, strong wind and, unusually for Indiana, earthquakes (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Public charging: 34 ports at 12 locations in Evansville (AFDC, October 3, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Indiana homes don’t choose a supplier, and in Evansville the utility is CenterPoint for practically everyone. Its solar export rules started earlier than the statewide change:
- Excess distributed generation since 2021: the state utility commission approved CenterPoint’s export rate on April 7, 2021 (Cause No. 45378), and its Rider EDG took effect on May 14, 2021, a year before the statewide cutoff for other utilities. The meter measures power you take from the grid and power you send back separately, and exports are credited at the Rider EDG rate.
- How the rate is set: CenterPoint recalculates it every year as 1.25 times the previous year’s average wholesale price, effective March 1. The current figure is in the SIGECO electric tariff under Rider EDG; ask for it before you compare quotes.
- Older systems: CenterPoint says systems installed before January 1, 2018 keep full retail credit until July 1, 2047, and those installed after that but before Rider EDG keep it until July 1, 2032. Systems can be up to 1 MW.
- Other programs: we couldn’t confirm a current CenterPoint battery or EV charger rebate in Indiana; ask CenterPoint.
Backup power in Evansville
In Evansville the gap between normal days and storm days is the widest of our Indiana metros: 81 minutes versus 458 in 2024. Ice is the local worry. In January 2025, Winter Storm Blair caused enough outages that the state utility commission called CenterPoint in on February 28, 2025 to explain its response: how many customers were affected, what caused the outages and what it learned.
Ice storms bring down trees and lines across whole neighborhoods and arrive in the cold, so plan to keep heat running:
- Furnace, fridge and sump pump for a day or more: a portable generator on a transfer switch, sized with the generator sizing tool.
- Hands-off: a natural gas standby generator, or a whole-home battery for essentials (check runtime with the battery backup calculator).
- Phones, Wi-Fi and medical devices: a portable power station.
Compare them in backup power options. Safety: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to run a generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors, windows and vents, never in a garage, with battery-backed carbon monoxide alarms. A transfer switch or interlock needs a licensed electrical contractor and a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in Evansville
Evansville’s sun and price tie Northwest Indiana for the best home-use value among our Indiana metros. By our rough estimate, a 6 kW system makes about 7,300 kWh a year on a flat surface; a south-facing, unshaded roof usually does better. Used at home as it’s made, that power would be worth up to about $1,280 a year at CenterPoint’s 2024 average of 17.5¢. Exports earn the much lower Rider EDG credit, so size the system to your daytime use. These are estimates, not promises.
CenterPoint had 838 net-metered home solar systems in 2024 (EIA), and newer export-credit systems aren’t in that count, so experienced local installers exist; ask how many CenterPoint connections they’ve done. Model your roof with the solar potential tool, test quotes in the solar savings calculator, and read solar installation and how export credits work.
Batteries in Evansville
Two reasons point to a battery here: storm outages that are long when they come, and an export credit well below the 17.5¢ retail average. A battery stores midday solar for the evening and covers the furnace blower, fridge and internet in an ice storm. For outages of several days, pair it with solar or a generator. We found no confirmed CenterPoint or state battery rebate. See home battery installation and home battery cost.
EV charging in Evansville
Evansville has 34 public ports, so most drivers will rely on home charging. At CenterPoint’s 2024 average and about 30 kWh per 100 miles, that costs roughly $5.30 per 100 miles by our estimate. A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit and an electrical permit pulled by a licensed electrical contractor; see EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Evansville: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Evansville and Vanderburgh County: one office, the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Commission, handles permits and contractor licensing for the city and the county. It suggests checking with the Area Plan Commission before you request a building permit.
- Rooftop solar: the Commission’s residential rooftop solar checklist is short. A licensed electrical contractor requests the electrical permit online, installs the panels and schedules the Commission’s inspection.
- Utility approval and HOAs: CenterPoint must approve the interconnection before solar or a grid-tied battery is switched on. Get written HOA approval before you sign.
Cities we cover
- Evansville
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Evansville energy FAQ
When did CenterPoint stop net metering in Evansville?
CenterPoint’s Rider EDG took effect on May 14, 2021, after the state utility commission approved it that April. New systems since then get the yearly export rate. CenterPoint says older systems keep full retail credit until 2032, or until 2047 if installed before 2018.
What happened with Winter Storm Blair?
Blair brought ice to southwestern Indiana in January 2025, and the outages that followed led the state utility commission to hold a public meeting on February 28, 2025. CenterPoint was asked to brief regulators and the consumer counselor on the storm’s impact, customers affected, causes and lessons learned.
Who can pull a solar permit in Evansville?
Under the Building Commission’s rooftop solar checklist, a licensed electrical contractor requests the electrical permit online, and the permit is issued to that contractor. The contractor then schedules the inspection. Ask your installer for their Evansville-Vanderburgh contractor license.
Why does FEMA list earthquakes for Evansville?
FEMA’s National Risk Index rates Vanderburgh County “relatively high” for earthquake losses, unlike most of Indiana. For energy equipment, that’s a reason to have batteries, standby generators and gas connections installed and anchored to code by licensed pros, and to know where your gas shutoff is.
Sources
Utilities, prices, outages and solar counts: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 data for 2024; HIFLD service territory map. CenterPoint Energy electric customer generation page and Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission release of February 14, 2025 on Winter Storm Blair, read October 3, 2026. Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Commission pages. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC.