Northern Kentucky Energy Guide: Solar, Batteries, Backup and EV

In short: Duke Energy Kentucky, which serves Covington, Florence and Fort Thomas, logged about 131 outage minutes per customer in 2024, roughly a fifth of Kentucky’s 648-minute average. Its homes paid about 13.4¢ per kWh, and exported solar earns an avoided-cost credit the state set at about 6.3¢ in 2024. Here, solar sized to your own use matters more than exports.

This page covers Northern Kentucky: Kenton, Boone and Campbell counties across the river from Cincinnati. Statewide rules, licensing and averages are on our Kentucky energy guide. Here we cover Duke Energy Kentucky and Owen Electric, the area’s three permit systems, and what they mean for backup, solar, batteries and EV charging.

Northern Kentucky at a glance

• Duke Energy Kentucky: serves Covington, Florence and Fort Thomas. About 13.4¢ per kWh for homes (2024 average). Outages in 2024: 131 minutes per customer with major storms, 92 on normal days, 0.85 interruptions (EIA-861).
• Owen Electric Cooperative: serves parts of Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties (more than 63,500 members across eight counties). About 12.6¢; 200 minutes with storms, 126 on normal days.
• Solar export credit: Duke’s Rider NM II pays an avoided-cost credit, set at 6.2924¢ per kWh for homes in October 2024 and being recalculated under a June 2026 order.
• Sun: 3.99 kWh per square meter per day in Covington (NASA POWER), about 1,164 kWh a year per kW of panels by our rough estimate.
• Top hazards: lightning, strong wind and tornadoes rated “relatively high” in Kenton County; cold waves, strong wind and tornadoes in Boone County (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025). All three counties rate relatively low overall.
• Public charging: 19 public ports listed in Florence (AFDC, October 3, 2026); many stations in the area are listed under neighboring towns.

Your utility and what it means

Duke Energy Kentucky. New solar customers go on Rider NM II, which nets dollars rather than kWh. Your exports are valued at Duke’s avoided cost and credited against per-kWh charges. In October 2024 the Kentucky Public Service Commission set the residential credit at 6.2924¢ per kWh (Case 2023-00413). In a June 1, 2026 order (Case 2025-00258) the PSC turned down the 6.5427¢ Duke had proposed, approved a single credit for homes and businesses, and ordered the value recalculated, with updates every two years from 2028. Ask Duke for the current figure before you size a system. The older Rider NM I is closed to new customers.

We could not confirm a current Duke Energy Kentucky home-charging program or EV rate, so ask Duke before you plan around one.

Owen Electric Cooperative. Owen offers net metering for systems up to 45 kW, first come, first served, until the total reaches 1% of the co-op’s previous-year peak load. It asks members to contact it before installing and processes Level 2 applications within 30 business days. We could not confirm its export credit; ask Owen.

Backup power in Northern Kentucky

Duke Energy Kentucky’s 2024 record is one of the better ones in the state: about two hours of outages per customer, and less than one interruption a year on average. That makes a smaller backup system reasonable for many Duke homes. Owen Electric members saw about 3.3 hours. Still, lightning, strong wind and tornadoes are the area’s top hazards, and one bad storm can mean a long outage on any street, so match your backup to what you can’t do without.

• Short outages: a portable power station for phones, internet, the fridge and lights.
• Basement sump pumps or medical equipment: a home battery that switches over by itself, or a generator through a transfer switch.

CPSC safety rules: run portable generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with exhaust pointed away, never in a garage, and keep battery-backed CO alarms inside. Use the battery backup calculator or generator sizing tool, and read our backup power guide and generator installation.

Solar in Northern Kentucky

Each kW of panels around Covington makes about 1,164 kWh a year by our estimate, a little less than Louisville or Lexington. Used at home at Duke’s 2024 average of 13.4¢, that is worth about $156 a year; exported at the 2024 credit of 6.29¢, about $73. The gap is wider than at LG&E or KU, so in Northern Kentucky the payoff comes from using your solar yourself: size to daytime use, and consider a battery. For Owen Electric members, self-use is worth about $146 a year. All of these are estimates, not quotes.

The federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after 2025, and we didn’t confirm a local rebate. Check your roof with the solar potential calculator, compare solar costs and net metering rules, and read solar installation.

Home batteries in Northern Kentucky

Exported solar earns less than half of Duke’s average retail price, so a battery that stores your midday surplus for the evening adds real value here, more than in most of Kentucky. It also covers the occasional storm outage. See battery installation and home battery cost.

EV charging in Northern Kentucky

AFDC lists 19 public ports in Florence; Covington and Fort Thomas stations are often listed under nearby towns, so search the map rather than trust a city count. At home, at about 30 kWh per 100 miles, Duke’s 2024 average works out to about $4.03 per 100 miles or $484 for 12,000 miles a year; Owen Electric’s gives about $3.77 and $452 (our estimates). A 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 Covington: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Permits and inspections

• Covington and most of Kenton County: Planning and Development Services of Kenton County (PDS) runs building codes for Covington and most Kenton cities, with an online portal open around the clock. It processes electrical permits in about five business days and residential building permits in about 12; a permit expires if work doesn’t start within six months or stops for six months. Electrical field inspections are done by private inspection firms under contract with PDS.
• Florence and Boone County: the Boone County Building Department issues permits through its web portal; its permits page lists rooftop solar among projects that need a building permit, and electrical work must be done by a licensed Kentucky electrical contractor.
• Fort Thomas and Campbell County: the City of Fort Thomas handles building permits for the city, with electrical inspections by a state electrical inspector; Campbell County’s planning, zoning and building inspections office covers unincorporated areas.

Check the contractor’s state electrical license (lookup on the Kentucky page), and check HOA rules on panels and generators where they apply.

Cities we cover

• Covington
• Florence
• Fort Thomas

Get help in Northern Kentucky

Tell us about your project and we will connect you with a licensed, independent installer who serves the Northern Kentucky area. It is free, there is no obligation, and only the installer you choose gets your details. See how it works.

Northern Kentucky energy FAQ

Does Duke Energy Kentucky have net metering?

Yes, as net billing under Rider NM II. Exports earn a dollar credit at Duke’s avoided cost, set at 6.2924¢ per kWh for homes in 2024. A June 2026 PSC order denied Duke’s proposed 6.5427¢ and required the credit to be recalculated, so ask Duke for today’s value.

Do I need backup power if Duke’s outages are short?

Duke Energy Kentucky averaged about 131 outage minutes in 2024, far below the state’s 648. Many homes can rely on a power station or a modest battery. If a basement sump pump or medical equipment can’t stop, plan for longer, because tornadoes and wind can still cause multi-day outages.

Who issues permits in Covington?

Planning and Development Services of Kenton County, which handles building codes for Covington and most Kenton County cities. Electrical permits take about five business days, and private inspection firms working under contract with PDS do the electrical inspections.

Can Owen Electric members net meter?

Yes, for systems up to 45 kW, first come, first served, until total enrollment reaches 1% of the co-op’s previous-year peak. Contact Owen Electric before you buy, and ask for its current export credit.

Sources

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 for 2024 (sales, reliability, service territories), read October 3, 2026. Kentucky Public Service Commission orders in Cases 2023-00413 (October 11, 2024) and 2025-00258 (June 1, 2026). Owen Electric net metering page and tariff. Planning and Development Services of Kenton County; Boone County Building Department; City of Fort Thomas and Campbell County permit pages. FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025). NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. AFDC Station Locator, October 3, 2026. CPSC generator safety guidance.