South Carolina homeowners who go solar in 2026 are looking at an average payback period of roughly 9 to 11 years — respectable, but highly dependent on which utility serves your address. Duke Energy Carolinas and Dominion Energy South Carolina both offer net metering programs, yet the credit rates, billing rules, and interconnection timelines differ enough that your utility choice can shift your lifetime solar savings by thousands of dollars. Understanding those differences before you sign a contract is the single most useful thing you can do.
The state’s average residential electricity rate sits at approximately 13.2 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) according to EIA data, slightly below the national average of around 16 cents. That lower rate softens solar economics a little compared to high-rate states like California, but the combination of 215 to 220 annual peak sun hours and a strong federal tax credit keeps the math attractive. A typical 8 kW system in the Columbia or Greenville metro area produces around 10,400 kWh per year — enough to cover most households’ annual consumption before any net metering credit kicks in.
North Carolina neighbors share Duke Energy Carolinas’ service territory, so many of the utility-level rules apply in both directions. Within South Carolina specifically, Dominion Energy (formerly SCE&G) serves the central and coastal regions including Columbia, while Duke Energy Carolinas covers the Upstate around Greenville and Spartanburg. A smaller number of residents fall under electric cooperatives, which have their own — often weaker — net metering policies.
