Knoxville Energy Guide: Solar, Batteries, Backup Power and EV

In short: Knoxville Utilities Board customers paid about 12.5¢ per kWh in 2024 and averaged 352 minutes without power, while Maryville Utilities customers paid about 11.3¢ and lost only 79 minutes. FEMA rates lightning “very high” in Knox County. With cheap power and low solar buyback, automatic backup comes before solar for most homes here.

This page covers Knoxville and Maryville, in Knox and Blount counties. Statewide rules, licensing and averages are on our Tennessee energy guide. Here we compare the area’s public power companies, which differ more than you might expect, and what that means for backup, solar, batteries and EV charging.

Knoxville at a glance

• Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB): serves Knoxville and parts of Knox and Blount counties. About 12.5¢ per kWh for homes (2024 average). Outages in 2024: 352 minutes per customer counting major storms, 193 on normal days, 1.86 interruptions (EIA-861).
• Maryville Utilities: about 11.3¢ per kWh; just 79 minutes of outages per customer in 2024, storms included, and fewer than one interruption.
• Others listed by EIA: Fort Loudoun Electric Cooperative and Alcoa Utilities in Blount County (Fort Loudoun: about 12.1¢ and 472 minutes in 2024), and Lenoir City Utilities Board in parts of Knox County (about 12¢).
• Sun: 4.31 kWh per square meter per day (NASA POWER), about 1,260 kWh a year per kW of panels by our rough estimate.
• Top hazards: lightning “very high” in Knox County; cold waves, ice storms, strong wind, tornadoes and winter weather “relatively high”. Blount County rates lightning “relatively high” (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
• Public charging: 252 public ports in Knoxville and 12 in Maryville (AFDC, October 3, 2026).

Your utility and what it means

All of these utilities resell TVA power, so none offers net metering. Two things vary: their outage record and their paperwork.

KUB. KUB’s “Generate Your Own Power” page describes an interconnection application and agreement for any home generation, with a $500 application fee. Power you do not use can be sold to TVA through its Dispersed Power Production program, at TVA’s avoided cost rather than the retail price. KUB also points homeowners to TVA’s Green Connect network, which lists solar installers trained and approved by TVA, and runs KUB Community Solar, where you subscribe to shares of a KUB-owned array for a monthly fee and receive bill credits for its output. That is the simplest route if your roof is shaded or you rent.

Maryville Utilities, Alcoa, Fort Loudoun and Lenoir City. Each handles its own interconnection steps and fees. We could not confirm their terms, so ask your utility before signing a solar contract.

Backup power in Knoxville

The gap between neighbors is striking. A KUB customer averaged nearly six hours without power in 2024, a Fort Loudoun member almost eight, and a Maryville Utilities customer under an hour and a half. Even on normal days, KUB customers lost 193 minutes. FEMA’s high ratings for lightning, ice storms, strong wind and tornadoes in Knox County point the same way: plan for outages several times a year.

Frequent outages of a few hours favor equipment that switches over by itself:

• Home battery: takes over instantly; good for home offices, medical devices and sump pumps. Size it with the battery backup calculator.
• Standby generator: automatic, and runs for days on natural gas or propane through an ice storm.
• Portable power station or portable generator: the budget options; see portable power and generators.

Given Knox County’s lightning rating, ask your electrician about whole-home surge protection when adding a battery, generator or charger. The CPSC says to run portable generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from openings, never in a garage, with CO alarms inside. A licensed electrician installs the transfer switch. See our backup power guide and generator installation.

Solar in Knoxville

Each kW of panels in Knoxville makes about 1,260 kWh a year by our estimate. Used at home, that is worth about $158 a year at KUB’s 12.5¢, or about $142 at Maryville’s 11.3¢. Power sold to TVA earns its avoided cost, a few cents per kWh, so the value of each exported kWh is a fraction of one you use yourself. Size the array to your daytime use, and budget the $500 KUB application fee into the quote.

The federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after 2025. Check your roof with the solar potential calculator, compare solar costs, see how buyback rules change the math, and read solar installation.

Home batteries in Knoxville

For KUB customers, a battery earns its place twice: it rides through the area’s frequent outages, and with solar it stores midday output you would otherwise sell for a few cents. Grid-tied solar alone shuts off in an outage. In Maryville, where outages are rare, a battery is mostly about using more of your own solar. See battery installation, home battery cost and batteries without solar.

EV charging in Knoxville

Knoxville has 252 public charging ports. At home, at about 30 kWh per 100 miles, KUB’s 12.5¢ average works out to about $3.76 per 100 miles or $451 for 12,000 miles a year; Maryville’s 11.3¢ gives about $3.38 and $406 (our estimates). A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit, a permit and a licensed electrician. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.

Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Knoxville: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Permits and inspections

• City of Knoxville: Plans Review and Inspections issues building and electrical permits, including residential electrical permits for home wiring, through the city’s online permit portal.
• Maryville and unincorporated Knox or Blount County: permits come from your city or county building office.

Use a licensed electrical contractor (state lookup on the Tennessee page), who pulls permits and files your utility’s interconnection application. Check HOA covenants in newer subdivisions before choosing panel or generator locations.

Cities we cover

• Knoxville
• Maryville

Get help in Knoxville

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

Knoxville energy FAQ

Does KUB offer net metering?

No. Like other TVA power companies, KUB does not net meter. You can use your solar power at home and sell the surplus to TVA through Dispersed Power Production at TVA’s avoided cost, after KUB approves your interconnection application, which carries a $500 fee.

Why do KUB customers lose power more than Maryville customers?

EIA data show the gap (352 versus 79 minutes in 2024) but not the cause. KUB serves almost 194,000 homes across Knox and part of Blount County; Maryville Utilities serves about 20,000 in and around one city. Either way, a KUB customer should plan for a few outages of several hours a year.

Can I get solar in Knoxville without panels on my roof?

Yes. KUB Community Solar lets customers subscribe to shares of a KUB-owned solar array for a monthly fee and receive bill credits for the energy it produces. Check KUB’s program page for current availability and terms.

What is TVA Green Connect?

A TVA program, offered with participating local power companies such as KUB, that connects homeowners installing solar with installers TVA has trained and approved. It is a starting list, not a guarantee, so still check licenses, insurance and references.

Sources

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 for 2024 (sales, reliability, service territories), read October 3, 2026. Knoxville Utilities Board: Generate Your Own Power and KUB Community Solar pages. City of Knoxville Plans Review and Inspections and permit portal. FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025). NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. AFDC Station Locator, October 3, 2026. CPSC generator safety guidance.