Clark Public Utilities charges residential customers 8.79 cents per kilowatt-hour, plus a $19 monthly basic charge that you pay whether you use any electricity or not. Those two numbers decide almost everything about whether solar makes sense in Vancouver, and almost nobody selling solar here will lead with them.
We will, because the honest version is more useful than the sales version.
Is Clark PUD power expensive?
No — and that is the crux of it. Compared with most of the country, Clark County power is cheap, thanks largely to the hydroelectric system this region is built on. A national solar calculator assuming a much higher rate will overstate your savings badly.
So when a door-knocker shows you a payback figure that seems remarkable, ask which electricity rate it used. If the answer is a national average, the whole model is wrong for your address.
What does a cheap rate do to solar payback?
It lengthens it. Solar earns by replacing power you would otherwise buy, so the cheaper that power, the less each generated kilowatt-hour is worth. In Clark PUD territory, payback runs longer than in California or the Northeast, and any installer telling you otherwise is either using someone else’s numbers or hoping you will not check.
What tilts it back is the direction of travel. Rates here have been rising — Clark PUD raised them significantly in recent years — and every increase shortens the payback on a system already on the roof. You are not just buying power at today’s price; you are buying insulation from tomorrow’s.
What about that $19 basic charge?
It does not go away. This catches people out more than anything else on the bill: even a system that generates every kilowatt-hour your house uses will not produce a $0 bill, because the basic charge is for the connection rather than the energy.
Anyone promising to eliminate your electric bill in Clark PUD territory is either careless or misleading. What solar can do is take the energy charge down substantially. The $19 stays.
How do you work out your own number?
- Find your annual kilowatt-hours, not your dollar total — twelve months, because our seasons swing hard
- Multiply by 8.79 cents to see what your energy actually costs today
- Subtract the basic charge from your bill before comparing; it is not addressable by solar
- Ask what rate any quote assumed, and reject anything using a national figure
That is the arithmetic we run before proposing a system size. It is also why we sometimes tell people in Clark County that the numbers are tighter than they hoped.
So is solar worth it in Vancouver?
For plenty of homes, yes — particularly households with high consumption, an unshaded roof, an EV, or electric heat. For a small, well-shaded house with modest usage on cheap hydro power, sometimes the honest answer is not yet.
We would rather give you that answer than sell you a system you regret. Sunbridge Solar has worked in Clark County for over 15 years, and our quotes are built from your twelve months of usage at your actual utility rate — not a national average and not a projection we cannot support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Clark PUD residential electric rate?
Clark Public Utilities charges residential customers 8.79 cents per kilowatt-hour plus a $19 monthly basic charge. Always check the utility’s current published rates, as they change.
Does solar eliminate my Clark PUD bill?
No. The $19 monthly basic charge covers the connection regardless of usage, so it remains even if your system offsets all of your energy use. Solar addresses the energy charge, not the whole bill.
Why is solar payback longer in Clark County?
Because power here is relatively cheap, largely thanks to hydroelectricity. Solar earns by replacing power you would otherwise buy, so a lower rate means each generated kilowatt-hour is worth less. Rising rates shorten that payback over time.
How do I check whether a solar quote is realistic?
Ask which electricity rate it assumed. If it used a national average rather than your actual Clark PUD rate, the savings and payback figures do not apply to your address.
Who is solar best suited to in Vancouver?
Households with higher consumption, an unshaded roof, electric heat or an EV see the strongest case. Small, shaded homes with modest usage on cheap hydro power sometimes do not — and we will say so.
Want your actual numbers?
Call 360-313-7190 and we will run them against your real rate and your real usage. Sunbridge Solar serves Camas, Washougal, Vancouver, Portland and the Columbia River Gorge.
