Solar advice for Northern Kentucky, where the rules change at the river

Solar advice for Northern Kentucky starts at the meter, not the bridge

Northern Kentucky homeowners and businesses get solar pitches from both sides of the Ohio River, and that’s where trouble starts. A proposal built for a Cincinnati rooftop can carry assumptions that don’t hold in Kenton County. Good solar advice for Northern Kentucky begins with the utility named on your bill, then the tariff that utility actually has on file with the PSC in Frankfort.

We’re independent and fee-only. We don’t sell panels, install them, or accept referral fees, so the only interest we represent is yours.

Duke Energy Kentucky and Rider NM II

Duke Energy Kentucky serves Boone, Campbell, Grant, Kenton, and Pendleton counties. Customers already net metering before January 1, 2025 kept their earlier terms. Newer customers take service under Rider NM II, which credits exported energy at an avoided-cost value rather than netting it one-for-one against retail kilowatt-hours. Before a June 2026 PSC order, that value was about 6.3 cents per kWh. The order directed Duke to recalculate it with approved methods and refresh it every two years starting in 2028.

The practical takeaway: in Duke territory, a system sized to erase your annual usage will push a lot of energy onto the grid at the lower value. A smaller array matched to daytime use, or one paired with a timed water heater or EV charging, often returns more per dollar spent.

Owen Electric and the co-op side

Owen Electric Cooperative, an EKPC member headquartered in Owenton, serves parts of Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Grant, and Pendleton, plus counties farther south and west. Homes near Independence or Union can sit on different providers with different export terms and interconnection forms. Blue Grass Energy covers parts of Bracken, Grant, Harrison, and Pendleton counties, too.

Why Ohio comparisons mislead

Ohio lets many customers buy generation from competitive suppliers, and its net metering rules come from a different commission. Kentucky customers buy from the utility that holds their certified territory, under PSC-approved tariffs. Savings math, utility programs, and even permit offices change at the bridge. Our Proposal Second Opinion re-runs an out-of-state quote against your Kentucky tariff in five business days.

River cities and big flat roofs

Covington requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before exterior alterations inside its Historic Preservation Overlays, and rowhouse roofs in the older river-city neighborhoods are often small, steep, or shaded. We assemble those approval packets and track them to a decision.

At the other extreme, distribution buildings around CVG in Boone County have acres of flat roof. The catch is ownership: tenants rarely own the roof, and landlords, lenders, and insurers all get a vote. When several parties must compare the same offers, Installer RFP & Bid Leveling gives everyone one table to argue over.