SRP solar isn't a one-plan deal. Salt River Project (SRP) offers solar plans with demand charges and plans with a fixed export credit. It also has a program that pays market prices for exported solar. It even has an option that pays you for battery capacity. That makes SRP one of the more complex utilities in Arizona for solar, and one of the more flexible.
For many solar customers, the key number is 3.45¢ per kWh. That's the fixed export credit (what SRP pays for extra solar you send to the grid) on its two export plans. On SRP's newer Conserve and Manage Demand plans, it's even lower: 1.87¢.
Does SRP Offer Net Metering?
Partly. Some SRP solar plans net your solar against your usage over the month. Others credit exported solar the instant it leaves your home. So there's no single answer. SRP's solar plans fall into two groups:
- Demand plans: Customer Generation (E-27) and Average Demand (E-15)
- Export plans: Time-of-Use Export (E-13) and EV Export (E-14)
Solar customers can also choose SRP's newer Conserve 6–9 p.m. and Save (E-28) or Manage Demand 5–10 p.m. and Save (E-16) plans.
How SRP Export Plans Work
On Time-of-Use Export and EV Export, SRP measures the power you buy and the power you send back instantly. Solar your home uses right away offsets what you'd buy. Any extra flows to the grid and earns a fixed 3.45¢/kWh. This is really a net billing setup, not classic net metering.
Why the 3.45¢ Export Credit Matters
A kWh (kilowatt-hour, the unit on your bill) of solar you use at home is worth whatever you would have paid SRP for it. A kWh you export is worth 3.45¢. That's a strong reason to use more of your solar inside the home.
Here's a simple example. Suppose the power you avoid buying costs 15¢/kWh. A solar kWh used at home is then worth more than four times what it earns when exported. That doesn't mean wasting power. It means timing matters.
A solar kWh you use at home can be worth several times what it earns when you send it to the grid.
What Is SRP's Time-of-Use Export Plan?
Time-of-Use Export has no demand charge. Instead, the price of power you buy from SRP depends on the time of day. Extra solar earns the fixed 3.45¢/kWh. The plan is still open, but it's set to close with the November 2029 billing cycle.
What Is SRP's EV Export Plan?
EV Export is built for solar homes with an electric vehicle. It has peak, off-peak and super off-peak prices, no demand charge and the same 3.45¢/kWh export credit. Its cheapest window is 11 p.m.–5 a.m. every day.
That creates a natural rhythm. Solar covers daytime use, extra solar earns the export credit and the EV charges cheaply overnight.
The Temporary 2026 Price Cut
Natural gas and market power costs came in lower than expected. So SRP cut all energy prices by 0.38¢ per kWh for the May through October 2026 billing cycles. Standard prices return with the November 2026 billing cycle. The cut lowers what you pay for power you buy from SRP. It doesn't change how exports are credited.
What Is SRP's Customer Generation Plan?
Customer Generation (E-27) has a demand charge, a fee based on your highest power use, measured in 30-minute intervals. In return, it has SRP's lowest residential energy prices. Solar is netted against your usage within the month. Any extra left over is credited at the plan's retail price.
The tradeoff is that your bill can depend a lot on your highest use during peak hours. Your habits matter.
What Is SRP's Average Demand Plan?
Average Demand (E-15) is SRP's other solar demand plan. It also uses 30-minute demand intervals and monthly netting, with leftover solar credited at the plan's retail price. The details differ from Customer Generation, so compare both plans using your own usage before you choose.
What Is a Demand Charge?
Demand is how much power your home pulls at one time, measured in kW (kilowatts). Picture a summer evening with two AC units, a dryer, an oven and a pool pump all running. Your total energy for the month might be reasonable. But that short burst can set a high demand number, and on a demand plan it can raise your bill a lot.
Can Solar Lower Your Demand?
Sometimes, but Arizona has a timing problem. Solar output falls in the late afternoon and evening. That's right when AC use is still high. So rooftop solar alone may not cut your highest grid demand as much as you'd expect. Pre-cooling, managing big loads and batteries can help close that gap.
Which SRP Solar Plans Are Closing?
Four solar plans are still open but will close with the November 2029 billing cycle:
- E-13 Time-of-Use Export
- E-14 EV Export
- E-15 Average Demand
- E-27 Customer Generation
At that point, customers move to Conserve (E-28) or Manage Demand (E-16). If you're adding solar now, know that today's menu won't last forever. Plan for how your system will perform after 2029, too.
Solar on Conserve or Manage Demand: 1.87¢ Exports
SRP's 2025 redesign opened Conserve and Manage Demand to solar and non-solar customers alike. On these plans, exported solar earns 1.87¢/kWh starting with the May 2026 billing cycle. SRP recalculates that rate every May.
Conserve's peak is 6–9 p.m. on weekdays. Manage Demand's peak is 5–10 p.m. on weekdays and adds a demand charge. Both have a super off-peak window from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day. With a low export credit, using your solar at home matters even more on these plans.
SRP's Market-Based Option: The Renewable Export Program
The Renewable Export Program lets you sell exported solar at a market price that changes hour by hour. That price comes from the Western Energy Imbalance Market, a regional wholesale power market. To join, you need to be on a solar export plan, with a system of 100 kW AC or less.
Is Market-Based Export Better?
Sometimes, but not automatically. Hourly prices can be high, low or swing widely. They depend on weather, demand, available power plants and the time of day. Choosing market-based export means accepting more ups and downs than the fixed 3.45¢.
SRP Also Pays for Battery Capacity
The Renewable Export Program has an optional add-on called the Renewable Capacity Credit. For 2026 enrollments, it pays $6.30 per kW per month for each two-hour block you commit to. You must deliver at least one two-hour block each day between 5 and 10 p.m., under a five-year contract. Most homes would use a battery to do this.
That's a real new way for a battery to earn value. It's also a bigger commitment than typical home solar, so read the terms closely.
Why 5–10 p.m.?
That's when Arizona demand stays high as solar fades. People come home, AC keeps running and cooking and laundry pick up. This is often called the evening ramp. A battery can cover part of that gap.
Do Low Export Credits Make Batteries More Attractive?
They can. If midday solar would earn just 1.87¢ or 3.45¢, storing it to avoid pricier evening power creates value. A battery can also trim demand charges, earn capacity credits and back up key loads in an outage. That's several possible sources of value. But the battery still has to justify its upfront cost.
Does SRP Solar Work During an Outage?
Not automatically. Grid-tied solar normally shuts off during an outage unless it's designed for backup. A backup setup usually needs a battery, the right inverter and equipment that safely separates your home from the grid. You also need a plan for which circuits stay on.
Does SRP Require Interconnection Approval?
Yes. Solar and battery systems connected to SRP's grid must meet SRP's technical and interconnection rules. The review can look at system size, the inverter, metering, transformer capacity and local grid conditions. Your installer should get approval before the system is turned on.
What About Solar Tax Credits?
The federal residential clean energy credit (Section 25D) doesn't apply to systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. So don't let anyone sell you a new 2026 system using the old 30% federal credit.
Arizona's own residential solar tax credit still exists. It's 25% of the cost, up to $1,000. Unused credit can carry forward up to five years. With less federal help, your SRP plan and the system price matter even more.
Why HVAC Often Comes First
Arizona homes use a lot of power for cooling. Suppose a home uses 24,000 kWh a year, and an inefficient HVAC system wastes 5,000 kWh of that. Fixing the HVAC first could shrink the solar system you need. That may cost less than buying extra panels and battery capacity to power a wasteful AC.
A sensible order is: understand your current plan, review your hourly and demand usage, fix the HVAC and cut avoidable load. Then size solar and decide whether a battery adds enough value.
Which SRP Homes Are Better Solar Candidates?
Arizona has excellent sun, and SRP solar can still make sense. Strong candidates often have high daytime use, a good roof, flexible loads, efficient HVAC and the ability to manage peak demand. Plans to stay in the home for many years help, too. Solar gets especially interesting when you treat solar, pool, EV, HVAC and battery as one system.
The Ashborn Approach
Before recommending any equipment, Ashborn Partners looks at your current SRP price plan, hourly usage and demand. We also review your HVAC, future EV plans and how much solar you'd use versus export, then weigh solar and battery storage. When an upgrade makes sense, we connect you with participating providers in your area.
With SRP, solar isn't just about how much you produce. Your rate plan, demand, exports and battery strategy all matter.
SRP solar price plans, export credits and program terms can change. Several SRP solar plans close with the November 2029 billing cycle. Verify current SRP terms before signing a solar agreement.