Yes, for most West Penn Power homeowners a well-sized solar system pays back in about 10 to 11 years on full-retail net metering, but the low 12.075-cent cash-out means sizing to your own use matters more here than anywhere else in Pennsylvania. If West Penn Power is your utility around Greensburg, Washington, Uniontown, or elsewhere in central and southwestern Pennsylvania, your payback hinges on the gap between two rates. Net metering credits the power you export at the full retail rate, about 20.92 cents per kWh, but any surplus left at your yearly true-up is cashed out at West Penn’s Price to Compare, 12.075 cents per kWh as of June 1, 2026, the lowest of the four FirstEnergy Pennsylvania companies. MySolarFY’s analysis, as of July 2026, estimates a typical 7 kW rooftop system in West Penn’s Greensburg-area territory produces about 8,300 kWh a year and offsets roughly $1,735 on a West Penn bill at the 20.92 cents rate. Because West Penn’s cash-out rate is the lowest in the state, a banked surplus is worth less here than on any other Pennsylvania FirstEnergy account.
West Penn Power is the FirstEnergy utility that delivers electricity across much of central and southwestern Pennsylvania, and it runs the interconnection that lets a home solar system switch on. Pennsylvania gives you strong, full-retail net metering on your West Penn bill, and your system separately earns tradable Alternative Energy Credits, the state’s version of SRECs, that you can sell for a modest bonus. What Pennsylvania does not give you is a state tax credit or rebate, and the 30 percent federal homeowner credit ended after December 31, 2025, so on a West Penn account the payback rests almost entirely on net metering and your electric rate. This page covers West Penn’s own 2026 Price to Compare, how the net-metering credits and the annual cash true-up work, what a typical West Penn home can earn, how you connect, and how to tell whether your roof is a good fit. For the wider state picture, start at our Pennsylvania solar hub.
Updated for 2026 with West Penn Power’s June 1 Price to Compare, Pennsylvania’s current net-metering and AEPS rules, and an original earnings estimate for a West Penn home.
West Penn Power in Pennsylvania at a glance
West Penn Power is one of FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania operating companies and the regulated electric utility for the central and southwestern parts of the state, serving roughly 725,000 customers across about 24 counties, from Greensburg and the Pittsburgh outer suburbs south to Uniontown and west to Washington (FirstEnergy, as of 2026). One point of confusion worth clearing up: in and around Pittsburgh, the city core is served by Duquesne Light, while West Penn Power serves the surrounding suburbs and the wider region, so which utility runs your net metering depends on your exact address. West Penn is also the interconnection authority for rooftop solar in its territory, which means it reviews your application, sets the bidirectional meter, and grants the Permission to Operate that lets your system run.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Service territory | Central and southwestern Pennsylvania, roughly 725,000 customers across about 24 counties, including Greensburg, Washington, Uniontown, and the Pittsburgh outer suburbs (FirstEnergy, as of 2026) |
| Distinct from | Its sibling FirstEnergy companies Met-Ed and Penelec in central and eastern Pennsylvania, plus Duquesne Light (the Pittsburgh city core), PECO (Philadelphia), and PPL, each with its own rate and portal |
| 2026 supply rate (Price to Compare) | 12.075 cents per kWh residential, effective June 1, 2026, up 10.3 percent from 10.947 cents, and the lowest of the four FirstEnergy Pennsylvania companies (PA PUC) |
| Net metering | Full retail 1-for-1 credit, monthly rollover, residential up to 50 kW (FirstEnergy PA) |
| Annual true-up | Net-metering year ends May 31 (the state AEPS year); any leftover surplus is cashed at the Price to Compare, not full retail (PA PUC) |
| SRECs (statewide AEPS) | One Alternative Energy Credit per MWh, sold on the PA market for a modest bonus, recently about $25 to $40 (Flett Exchange PA) |
| Before you switch on | File through the FirstEnergy Interconnection Portal; West Penn grants Permission to Operate first (FirstEnergy PA interconnection) |
What is West Penn Power’s electricity rate and Price to Compare in 2026?
The Price to Compare is the single most important West Penn number for a solar buyer, and West Penn’s is the lowest in the FirstEnergy Pennsylvania family. West Penn Power’s residential Price to Compare, the generation or supply portion of your bill, rose to 12.075 cents per kWh effective June 1, 2026, a 10.3 percent jump from 10.947 cents (PA PUC, as of May 2026). For context, in the same June 1 reset sibling company Met-Ed landed at 13.951 cents, Penelec at 13.142, and Penn Power at 13.477, so West Penn customers pay the lowest supply rate of the four. That supply rate matters twice over: it is the price a shopping supplier has to beat, and, as the next section explains, it is the rate West Penn uses to cash out your leftover solar credits once a year.
Your all-in retail rate is higher, and that is the number your solar offsets first. On top of the supply portion you pay delivery, transmission, and taxes, so the full retail rate a net-metering credit is worth runs higher than the Price to Compare alone. Pennsylvania’s residential all-in average is about 20.92 cents per kWh (EIA, as of March 2026). The simplest way to see your own all-in number is to divide the total on your West Penn bill by the kilowatt-hours you used that month.
Here is the twist for West Penn owners: a low Price to Compare is good news on your supply bill but bad news on your solar surplus. Because West Penn’s 12.075 cents is the lowest of the FirstEnergy Pennsylvania companies, the gap between what your exported power is worth when you use it and what it is worth when it is cashed out at the true-up is the widest in that group. The next two sections show exactly how that plays out.
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How does West Penn Power net metering work in Pennsylvania?
West Penn net metering credits every kilowatt-hour you export at the full retail rate, one for one, up to what you use. When your panels make more power than your home is using in a billing period, West Penn offsets your usage kilowatt-hour for kilowatt-hour, and any excess beyond that month’s use is credited to your account and rolls forward (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania net metering FAQ, as of 2026). The rules come from the state, not the utility: Pennsylvania net metering is set by the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act and the Public Utility Commission’s regulations at 52 Pa. Code Chapter 75, so the core credit is the same across West Penn Power, Met-Ed, Penelec, PECO, PPL, and Duquesne Light (DSIRE Pennsylvania Net Metering, as of 2026). Residential systems up to 50 kW qualify, which is far above any normal home system. For the plain-English basics of how the meter math works, see our explainer on how Pennsylvania net metering and SRECs pay in 2026.
What does West Penn Power pay for your surplus solar at the annual true-up?
This is the West Penn detail that decides your payback, and it bites harder here than anywhere else in Pennsylvania’s FirstEnergy territory. Your credits roll month to month at the full retail rate, but once a year, at the end of the net-metering period, any credit you have left over is cashed out at the generation component of your rate, the Price to Compare, 12.075 cents per kWh as of June 1, 2026, well below the roughly 20.92 cents of full retail value you earned those credits at (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania net metering FAQ, as of 2026; PA PUC, as of May 2026). Pennsylvania is unusual in that it pays you cash for that leftover surplus rather than letting it expire, but it pays at the lower supply rate. Because West Penn’s Price to Compare is the lowest of the FirstEnergy Pennsylvania companies, a banked surplus on a West Penn account is worth even less per kilowatt-hour than on a Met-Ed or Penelec account, about 8.85 cents below full retail, more than 40 percent less, so a large annual surplus is the last thing you want.
| What the kilowatt-hour does | Value per kWh | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Offsets power you use the same month | Full retail, about 20.92 cents | EIA, March 2026 |
| Surplus cashed at the May 31 true-up | Price to Compare, 12.075 cents | PA PUC, eff. June 1, 2026 |
| The gap (why sizing matters most here) | About 8.85 cents less, more than 40 percent | MySolarFY calculation |
Note: the West Penn net-metering year ends May 31. Pennsylvania ties the annual true-up to the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard year, which runs June 1 through May 31, so West Penn reconciles your credits and cashes any leftover surplus at the Price to Compare at the end of May (PA PUC, as of May 2026). The practical move is to size a system close to your yearly usage so you spend your summer credits on winter bills rather than banking a big surplus into the low May cash-out, which matters more on a West Penn account because the cash-out rate is the lowest in the state. Confirm your own true-up date and current tariff with West Penn before you size a system.
What that gap costs in real dollars, and whether a battery helps. Put a number on it: if you oversize and bank about 1,500 kWh of surplus into the May true-up, West Penn cashes it at 12.075 cents for about $181, versus the roughly $314 of full-retail value those same kilowatt-hours would carry if you used them on-site, a roughly $133 haircut you avoid simply by right-sizing (MySolarFY calculation, as of July 2026). Because West Penn’s cash-out is the lowest in Pennsylvania, a home battery is worth a closer look here than in most of the state: storing your evening and winter surplus lets you use that power at full retail later instead of banking it into the low May cash-out. A battery does add several thousand dollars to a project, and the 30 percent federal Section 25D credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so it no longer offsets that cost, meaning storage is a way to protect the value of your production rather than a guaranteed win. A written quote that models your usage against West Penn’s rate is the way to see whether it pencils out for your home.
What can a typical West Penn Power solar home earn per year?
A typical 7 kW West Penn home near Greensburg pays back in roughly 10 to 11 years on a cash purchase, before financing, based on our estimate at about $3.00 per watt and no federal homeowner credit, since Section 25D ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. That is roughly in line with the rest of Pennsylvania and a touch faster than the north-central Penelec territory, because southwestern Pennsylvania gets slightly more sun than the Johnstown and Erie belt. Our modeling puts West Penn-area production around 1,155 to 1,205 kilowatt-hours per installed kilowatt, between Penelec’s roughly 1,155 north-central figure and the roughly 1,268 an eastern Pennsylvania roof near Reading models at (our data and methodology). Because net metering does most of the work in Pennsylvania, your electric rate and your production drive that payback. Here is an original SolarFY estimate for a West Penn home near Greensburg, using real local production figures and the current West Penn and Pennsylvania rates. Treat it as an illustration, not a quote.
| System size | Est. annual production | Net-metering bill offset per year | SREC income per year ($25 to $40) | Total est. annual value | Est. installed cash cost (~$3.00/W) | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | ~5,930 kWh | ~$1,240 | ~$150 to $240 | ~$1,435 | ~$15,000 | ~11 years |
| 7 kW | ~8,300 kWh | ~$1,735 | ~$200 to $320 | ~$1,995 | ~$21,000 | ~11 years |
| 9 kW | ~10,670 kWh | ~$2,230 | ~$275 to $430 | ~$2,585 | ~$27,000 | ~11 years |
Notice the payback barely moves with system size: because cost and yearly value both scale with the number of panels, what sets your payback in West Penn territory is your price per watt, your production, and your electric rate, not how big you build. The 5 kW system earns about 6 SRECs a year, the 7 kW about 8, and the 9 kW about 11, at one credit per 1,000 kWh.
How we calculated this (inputs and assumptions): production uses NREL PVWatts v8 modeled for Greensburg ZIP 15601, where a 6 kW system models at about 7,111 kWh per year (1,185 kWh per kW), scaled linearly by system size (our data and methodology). Washington models a little higher near 1,206 kWh per kW and Uniontown a little lower near 1,157, all between north-central and eastern Pennsylvania. The bill offset multiplies production by Pennsylvania’s average residential retail rate of 20.92 cents per kWh (EIA, as of March 2026); it holds full value only on the kilowatt-hours you actually use, since any annual surplus is cashed at West Penn’s 12.075 cents Price to Compare, not full retail. SREC income assumes the recent $25 to $40 Pennsylvania trading band (Flett Exchange, as of 2026) at one credit per 1,000 kWh. At a typical cash price near $3.00 per watt, and with no federal homeowner credit available because Section 25D ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, that combined value points to a simple payback in the range of about 10 to 11 years, before any financing. Your actual numbers depend on roof, shading, usage, and the live SREC market, so run your address through the eligibility check.
Pennsylvania SRECs on a West Penn account: a modest bonus
Yes, West Penn customers earn Pennsylvania SRECs, and they are a real but modest bonus on top of net metering. Every megawatt-hour, or 1,000 kWh, your West Penn system produces earns one Alternative Energy Credit, Pennsylvania’s version of an SREC, which you sell on the statewide market created by the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (Flett Exchange Pennsylvania market, as of 2026). It is separate from net metering: net metering lowers your bill, while the credit is cash you sell on top. The certificates come from the statewide AEPS program, not from West Penn, so any qualifying Pennsylvania system earns them regardless of utility.
The honest catch is that Pennsylvania SRECs are cheap. Recent Pennsylvania credits have traded in a low band of roughly $25 to $40 each, a fraction of what neighboring New Jersey pays, because Pennsylvania’s solar carve-out under the AEPS is small, so demand for the certificates is thin (Flett Exchange Pennsylvania market, as of 2026). Because the price is set by a volatile market, any single number goes stale fast, so treat it as a range and check a live broker before you count on it. For the full picture of how the market works and why prices are low, see our guide to the Pennsylvania SREC price in 2026. Your installer or an SREC broker usually handles the AEPS and PJM GATS registration and the sales for you, and the credits go to whoever owns the system, which matters on a lease or PPA.
What does Pennsylvania not offer a West Penn solar owner?
Pennsylvania is a strong net-metering state wrapped in a weak incentive stack, so it pays to be clear about what is not there. On a West Penn account in 2026, the state itself hands you almost nothing beyond the net-metering credit and the low SREC price:
- No state solar income-tax credit. Pennsylvania has no personal income-tax credit for residential solar (DSIRE Pennsylvania, as of 2026).
- No active state rebate. The old PA Sunshine Solar Rebate ended years ago and is closed to new applicants (DSIRE Pennsylvania, as of 2026).
- No sales-tax exemption. You pay Pennsylvania sales tax on the equipment, unlike in some neighboring states.
- No property-tax exemption. A system can add to your home’s assessed value, and whether that raises your tax depends on your county assessor.
- A low SREC price, as covered above, so the certificate is a bonus, not the main event.
So on a West Penn account the payback comes from the bill you offset plus a small SREC income, which makes sizing the system right and keeping your credits at full retail the two levers that matter most, and they matter a little more here because the annual cash-out rate is the lowest in the state.
What happened to the federal solar tax credit for West Penn customers?
The federal homeowner credit is gone, and Pennsylvania has no state credit to replace it. The 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit, Section 25D, ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so a West Penn customer who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS, as of January 1, 2026). This is the single biggest thing outdated solar pages still get wrong, and it matters more in Pennsylvania precisely because there is no state credit to fall back on. For the full timeline, see our explainer on what the end of the federal solar tax credit means in 2026.
One federal exception remains, and it is not yours to claim. A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, can apply to third-party-owned systems, meaning a solar lease or power purchase agreement, where the company that owns the equipment claims the credit, not you, though it may pass some of that value through as a lower monthly payment. On a leased system you do not file for a federal credit yourself. The 25D homeowner credit, by contrast, ended after December 31, 2025, so do not let a sales pitch tell a 2026 cash or loan buyer otherwise. MySolarFY does not provide tax advice; confirm your own situation with a tax professional.
How do you connect solar to West Penn Power?
Connecting a home system to West Penn follows Pennsylvania’s interconnection rules, administered by FirstEnergy, and the rule that matters most is that you cannot switch on until West Penn grants Permission to Operate. Applications are filed through the FirstEnergy Interconnection Portal (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania interconnection, as of 2026). The general path is:
- Interconnection and net-metering application. You or your installer file through the FirstEnergy portal before installation, with the system design and the inverter data. Systems up to 10 kW use the simplest Level 1 review, which carries a $100 fee.
- Utility review and approval to build. West Penn reviews the package and issues approval before construction starts. Standard residential systems move faster than large or grid-constrained projects.
- Install and inspect. A licensed contractor installs the system and it passes your local electrical inspection.
- Meter set and Permission to Operate. West Penn installs a bidirectional meter that measures both the power you draw and the power you export, then issues Permission to Operate. Your system only starts banking net-metering credits and earning SRECs once it is approved to run.
A licensed installer normally manages this whole process, including the interconnection paperwork and registering your system to earn SRECs.
How to choose a solar installer in West Penn Power territory
The Greensburg, Washington, Uniontown, and greater-Pittsburgh-suburb markets have a solid pool of licensed installers, but quotes still vary widely, so it pays to compare several. Rather than chasing a “best installer” list, screen any company against objective criteria:
- NABCEP certification, the industry’s professional standard for PV installers.
- A valid Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor registration for the company.
- A clear workmanship and equipment warranty in writing.
- Real experience with West Penn interconnection and Permission to Operate, plus AEPS and PJM GATS registration so your SRECs start earning promptly.
- A written production estimate and a transparent quote that sizes the system to your usage and models SREC income conservatively.
For how the credits compare across the state, see how solar pays under Duquesne Light net metering in the Pittsburgh area, Met-Ed net metering in eastern Pennsylvania, Penelec net metering in central and northern Pennsylvania, PECO net metering in the Philadelphia area, and PPL net metering in central and eastern Pennsylvania. MySolarFY reaches out to several licensed companies that actually serve central and southwestern Pennsylvania so you can compare real local quotes side by side, with no obligation. Learn more about how MySolarFY works.
Check which solar programs are available at your address →
Frequently asked questions
How does West Penn Power net metering work in Pennsylvania in 2026? West Penn Power credits the power your panels export at the full retail rate and offsets your usage one kilowatt-hour for one kilowatt-hour, with any monthly excess rolling forward (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania, as of 2026). Residential systems up to 50 kW qualify, and the rule is set statewide by 52 Pa. Code Chapter 75, so it is the same core credit across West Penn, Met-Ed, Penelec, PECO, PPL, and Duquesne Light. The one catch is the annual true-up: at the end of the net-metering year on May 31, any leftover surplus is cashed out at West Penn’s Price to Compare, 12.075 cents per kWh as of June 1, 2026, well below full retail, so sizing the system to your own use captures the most value.
What is West Penn Power’s Price to Compare in 2026? West Penn Power’s residential Price to Compare, the generation or supply portion of your bill, is 12.075 cents per kWh effective June 1, 2026, up 10.3 percent from 10.947 cents, and it is the lowest of the four FirstEnergy Pennsylvania companies (PA PUC, as of May 2026). Your all-in retail rate is higher once delivery, transmission, and taxes are added, and Pennsylvania’s residential average is about 20.92 cents per kWh (EIA, as of March 2026). The Price to Compare matters to solar owners because it is the rate West Penn uses to cash out any leftover net-metering surplus at the annual true-up.
When is the West Penn net-metering true-up, and what does it pay? Pennsylvania ties the annual net-metering period to the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard year, which runs June 1 through May 31, so West Penn reconciles your credits at the end of May (PA PUC, as of May 2026). Your credits are worth the full retail rate while you use them month to month, but any surplus still banked at the true-up is cashed at the lower Price to Compare, 12.075 cents per kWh as of June 1, 2026, more than 40 percent less per kilowatt-hour. Because West Penn’s cash-out rate is the lowest in the state, sizing a system to your usage matters even more here. Confirm your own true-up date with West Penn.
Do West Penn customers earn Pennsylvania SRECs, and what are they worth? Yes. Every 1,000 kWh your system produces earns one Alternative Energy Credit, Pennsylvania’s SREC, which you sell on the statewide AEPS market for a bonus separate from your bill credits (Flett Exchange Pennsylvania, as of 2026). The honest catch is that Pennsylvania credits are cheap, recently about $25 to $40 each, well below neighboring states, because the state’s solar carve-out is small. The price is set by a volatile market, so treat any figure as a range and check a live broker. The credits go to whoever owns the system, so on a lease or PPA the third-party owner keeps them.
Does West Penn territory get enough sun for solar to be worth it? Yes. Our PVWatts modeling puts West Penn-area production around 1,155 to 1,205 kilowatt-hours per installed kilowatt near Greensburg, Washington, and Uniontown, between the roughly 1,155 north-central Pennsylvania figure and the roughly 1,268 an eastern Pennsylvania roof near Reading models at (our data and methodology, as of 2026). That production supports a typical cash payback of roughly 10 to 11 years, and with full-retail net metering a well-sized system still offsets most of a West Penn bill. A written production estimate for your exact roof is the way to confirm it.
Is net metering going away for West Penn customers? Not for homeowners. Full-retail net metering remains the rule for residential systems up to 50 kW across Pennsylvania’s regulated utilities, including West Penn Power, under 52 Pa. Code Chapter 75 (DSIRE Pennsylvania Net Metering, as of 2026). The changes people hear about generally target very large customer-generators, not typical home systems, so a normal rooftop system is credited under the current full-retail rule. It is still smart to confirm your utility’s current net-metering tariff before you install, especially if you are served by a rural cooperative or municipal utility, which are not bound by the statewide rule.
Did the federal solar tax credit end for West Penn customers? Yes. The 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit, Section 25D, ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a West Penn customer who installs solar in 2026 with cash or a loan cannot claim it (IRS, as of January 1, 2026). A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, can apply to third-party-owned lease or PPA systems, but the company that owns the equipment claims it, not the homeowner. Pennsylvania has no state credit to replace it, so net metering and the SREC market are what pay West Penn homeowners now. MySolarFY does not provide tax advice; confirm your situation with a tax professional.
Written and reviewed by the SolarFY Editor, our in-house solar research desk, following our data and methodology, in July 2026. Figures were verified against the linked Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, FirstEnergy and West Penn Power, DSIRE, Flett Exchange, PennAEPS, IRS, EIA, and NREL PVWatts sources, and cross-checked with our fact-checker, as of July 2026. The West Penn Power Price to Compare, net-metering tariffs, the annual true-up rate, and SREC prices reset over time, so confirm current figures with West Penn Power and the linked primary sources before you decide. MySolarFY does not provide tax or financial advice; consult a licensed professional about your own situation. Learn more about how MySolarFY works.
MySolarFY is a free service that matches homeowners with licensed solar installers. We are not an installer, financing company, tax advisor, or government program. “No up-front cost” refers to qualifying lease or PPA financing, where eligible homeowners may have no out-of-pocket cost at installation. Lease and PPA terms typically run 20 to 25 years, may include an annual price escalator, and total payments may exceed the cost of a cash purchase; on a lease or PPA the SREC income and any incentives go to the company that owns the system, not the homeowner. Homeowners do not get the federal residential credit (Section 25D) that ended after December 31, 2025. Solar panels are not free and monthly payments apply. Eligibility, savings, incentives, and rates vary and are not guaranteed. See our full disclaimer.
