The Sun Didn't Change. The Math Did. How to Get the Most From Solar in Arizona in 2026

Solar still pays in Arizona. The smart way to do it has changed.

Arizona gets some of the most sunshine in the country, and that hasn't changed. What has changed is how APS credits you for the extra solar power you send back to the grid.

In 2017, APS credited new solar customers 12.9¢ per kWh for that extra power. Since September 1, 2026, it's 5.55¢. That changes how a smart solar system is designed, not whether solar is worth it.

Here's what changed, why solar still pays, and why more Arizona homeowners are pairing their panels with a battery.

What APS pays for your extra solar power

When your panels make more power than your home is using, the extra flows to the grid. APS gives you a bill credit for it, called the export rate. Arizona replaced traditional net metering with this system in 2017.

Each year, regulators can cut that rate by up to 10% for new customers. They approved another cut this summer, and it's the latest in a long line.

The rate held steady in 2020. Every other year since 2017, the credit for new customers has gone down.

Why solar is still worth it

The export credit only applies to the extra power your home isn't using in the moment. Every kilowatt-hour your panels send straight into your home replaces power you would have bought from APS at full price. That's where the biggest solar savings come from, and it hasn't changed.

• Lower bills on every sunny day. Your panels cover your home's daytime power, including a lot of what your AC uses.
• Protection from rising rates. Power you make yourself isn't affected by future APS rate increases.
• Backup power, with a battery. Keep essentials running when the grid goes down.

What's different since 2017 is simple: the more of your own solar you use, the more it's worth. That's exactly what a battery helps you do.

Already have solar? Know your date.

If you already have solar with APS, your export rate was locked in when your system was connected. That lock lasts 10 years, so it's a date worth knowing.

APS's own rules say each customer's starting export rate "will be applicable for 10 years from the time of their interconnection." After that, your credit switches to whatever the rate is at that time, "and will change from year to year."

That matters most for the earliest customers under this system:

• Went solar in late 2017? You locked in 12.9¢. Your lock ends in late 2027.
• Went solar in 2018? You locked in 11.61¢. Your lock ends in 2028.
• After that, you move to the current rate, which is 5.55¢ today.

The good news: adding a battery before then means more of your solar powers your own home instead of going to the grid. The less you export, the less the rate change matters.

Went solar before late 2017? You're likely on APS's older net metering rules, which have their own timeline. Check your bill or call us and we'll help you find out.

Store it. Don't sell it.

Solar panels make the most power around midday. Most Arizona homes use the most power in the late afternoon and evening, when the AC is working hardest and everyone is home.

Without a battery, your extra midday power goes to the grid for 5.55¢. Then, after the sun goes down, you buy power back from APS, often during the most expensive hours of the day on a time-of-use plan.

A battery closes that gap:

• It stores your extra solar during the day instead of exporting it for a few cents.
• It powers your home in the evening, so you buy less from APS when power costs the most.
• It keeps essentials running in an outage, like when a monsoon storm knocks out power.

Every kilowatt-hour you store and use yourself is worth what you would have paid APS for it, not 5.55¢. That's why solar + battery is the smart way to go solar in Arizona today.

Adding a battery to the solar you already have

You don't need a new solar system to get these benefits. Empower adds batteries to most existing solar systems, no matter who installed your panels.

Before we recommend a battery, we look at:

• Your current system: its size, its inverter, and how much power you export.
• How you use power: when your home uses the most, and what you'd want backed up in an outage.
• Your APS agreement: how adding a battery fits with your current export rate and interconnection.

On SRP or TEP instead? The same idea applies. SRP's export credit is lower than APS's, and some SRP solar plans include demand charges that a battery can help reduce. TEP has its own export rate with a similar yearly step-down. Either way, storing your solar instead of selling it back is usually where the savings are.

Why homeowners go solar with Empower

Utility rules like these change every year, and you shouldn't have to track them yourself. We do.

• We design for today's rules. Every system is sized around how your utility pays now, with a battery where it makes sense.
• We're upfront about the numbers. You'll see your savings with and without a battery, so you can decide.
• We work with the solar you already have. We add batteries to most existing systems, no matter who installed them.
• One company for the whole home. Solar, batteries, roofing, HVAC and electrical, all from one team.

What to do next

1. Thinking about solar? Run your numbers in our free Homeowner Savings Calculator, then ask us about a system designed with a battery.
2. Already have solar? Find your interconnection date in your APS paperwork. That date starts your 10-year clock.
3. Look at your evening usage. If your bills are highest after sunset, a battery likely has the most to offer.
4. Talk to us. We'll show you the real numbers, with and without a battery, and tell you honestly what makes sense.

See what solar and a battery can do for your home. Call our Phoenix team at (602) 581-7022 today or click the button below