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UNS Electric · UniSource

The UNS Electric rate increase, and what it means for solar

UNS Electric base rates held steady from 2014 until a roughly 12 percent residential increase took effect in February 2025. For homes around Kingman, Lake Havasu City, and Nogales, the logic is the same as it is statewide: rising rates make owning your power the move that pays off.

UNS Electric rate increase: 12%

in effect since February 2025. Source: UNS Electric rate case, Arizona Corporation Commission (approved January 2024).View the filing.

What it looks like over 25 years

A rate increase does not happen once. It compounds. The line below shows the difference between staying on the UNS Electric rate and locking your cost in with solar.

25-year cost: staying with the utility versus going solar A rising line shows utility costs climbing year over year as rates increase. A flatter line shows solar: a larger upfront cost that stays nearly level, so the two lines cross at roughly year 8 and the gap keeps widening after that. $0 $29k $57k $86k $115k Yr 0 Yr 5 Yr 10 Yr 15 Yr 20 Yr 25 Pays off around Yr 8
Stay with the utility (rates rising 5%/yr) Go solar (cost levels off)

Illustration of the two cost paths over 25 years, not a quote. Your real numbers come from the free savings review.

Cumulative cost over 25 years: staying with the utility vs going solar (illustrative)
Year Cumulative utility cost Cumulative solar cost
0 $0 $18,000
5 $13,262 $19,250
10 $30,187 $20,500
15 $51,789 $21,750
20 $79,358 $23,000
25 $114,545 $24,250

How solar caps your rate

The Arizona Corporation Commission approved this increase to cover about $330 million in grid investment after more than a decade of flat base rates. Owning solar changes your exposure to it. The power your panels produce costs the same every year, so the UNS Electric increase only applies to what you still buy from the grid, a much smaller number once your roof is covering most of your usage.

We serve homeowners across Arizona, Mohave and Santa Cruz counties included. If you are a UNS Electric customer, start with the savings calculator to see the shape of the numbers, then we will size a system around your actual roof and rate plan.

Estimate my savings How residential solar works

UNS Electric rates went up. Run your numbers.

See what owning your power would do for your bill. Free, honest, and no pressure.