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Going electric in Iowa

Electricity, EV charging and solar in Iowa

A typical Iowa household could keep about $3,290 a year by going electric. Charging a car at home here is like paying $1.13 a gallon instead of $4.15, and solar panels sized for an average home could cover up to $112 of the monthly bill.

See what you'd saveSolar in Iowa

Data updated · How we calculate this

$3,290

Saved a year, typical home

EV, solar and electric heat, hot water and cooking

$1.13/gal

What charging feels like

vs $4.15 for gas (Midwest regional average)

$1,894/yr

EV vs gas car

Fuel plus maintenance, 12,000 miles

$112/mo

Average electric bill

Iowa, 2024 (EIA)

The numbers behind it

Average home electricity price
14.2¢
per kWh, January–July 2026; up 5% on a year earlier
Average home use
832 kWh
per month in 2024; average bill $112
EV charging at home
$4.42
per 100 miles in a compact electric SUV
Solar output
1,364 kWh
per kW of panels per year near Des Moines (24th of 51)

What it costs to charge an EV in Iowa

Home charging cost is simply the electricity price times how much energy the car uses. The table uses EPA ratings, which already include the energy lost while charging. At 14.2¢/kWh, charging in Iowa costs 22% less than the national average.

Home charging cost in Iowa for three EVs compared with a gasoline car
Vehicle (EPA rating)Per 100 miles1,000 miles a month
2026 Tesla Model 3 Standard RWDEfficient sedan, 24.3 kWh/100 mi$3.45$35
2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWDCompact SUV, 31.1 kWh/100 mi$4.42$44
2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Ext Range WTFull-size pickup, 47.8 kWh/100 mi$6.79$68
Gasoline car, 25.5 mpgregular at $4.15/gal (Midwest regional average)$16.25$163

On these averages, a compact electric SUV charged at home saves about $118 a month in fuel over a 1,000-mile month compared with a 25.5 mpg gasoline car. Many utilities offer cheaper overnight EV rates that can cut these figures substantially. Try your own numbers in the EV charging cost calculator.

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Public charging in Iowa

The Department of Energy lists 1,310 public charging ports at 488 locations in Iowa, including 592 DC fast-charging ports and 718 Level 2 ports. That is roughly one public port for every 1,106 residential electricity customers. Find live locations on the AFDC station locator.

How much solar a typical Iowa home needs

The PVWatts solar model from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL), run on ten years of NASA hourly weather data for Des Moines, estimates each kilowatt of south-facing panels at a 20° tilt produces 1,364 kWh a year. To cover the average Iowa household's 9,986 kWh a year you would need about 7.3 kW, or roughly 19 panels at 400 watts each.

If every kilowatt-hour from the panels replaced one bought at 14.2¢, each kilowatt of panels would be worth about $194 a year. Under that best case, a system installed for $1.94 per watt would pay for itself in 10 years, and one at $3.87 per watt in 20 years.

That is an upper bound. Many utilities credit exported solar at less than the retail rate, so the value depends heavily on your utility's net metering or net billing rules and how much power you use while the sun is up. Compare any installer quote's price per watt against these break-even figures.

Size a system for your own usage or find installers serving Iowa.

Monthly output of 1 kW of panels near Des Moines (kWh)
Monthly output of 1 kW of panels near Des Moines (kWh)
Jan74 kWh
Feb100 kWh
Mar118 kWh
Apr129 kWh
May134 kWh
Jun147 kWh
Jul146 kWh
Aug137 kWh
Sep123 kWh
Oct106 kWh
Nov82 kWh
Dec68 kWh

Home battery backup in Iowa

The average Iowa home uses about 27.4 kWh a day. A single 13.5 kWh battery (the capacity of a Tesla Powerwall 3) would run that average load for about 12 hours; backing up only essentials such as the fridge, lights, internet and a furnace fan stretches that much further. Covering a full day of average use would take about 2.0 batteries of that size. Size a battery for your home, compare whole-home and portable backup or see the best portable power stations.

Incentives in Iowa

The federal $7,500 new-EV and $4,000 used-EV tax credits ended for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025, and the 30% homeowner credit for solar and batteries ended for expenditures after 31 December 2025. See what federal help remains. State and utility programs change often, so check the official lists for Iowa:

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home in Iowa?

At Iowa's average residential price of 14.2¢ per kWh (January–July 2026, EIA), a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV FWD rated at 31.1 kWh per 100 miles costs about $4.42 per 100 miles, or about $44 for 1,000 miles. Your own cost depends on your utility's rate plan and when you charge.

Is it cheaper to drive an EV than a gas car in Iowa?

On average prices, yes for most drivers. With regular gasoline at $4.15 a gallon (Midwest regional average, EIA) and a 25.5 mpg car, fuel costs about $16.25 per 100 miles, versus about $4.42 for the compact electric SUV above charged at home. Public fast charging usually costs more than home charging and narrows the gap.

How many solar panels does an average Iowa home need?

The average Iowa household used 832 kWh a month in 2024 (EIA). Our PVWatts model estimates 1 kW of south-facing panels near Des Moines produces about 1,364 kWh a year, so covering all of that use takes about 7.3 kW — roughly 19 panels of 400 watts. Shading, roof direction and your own usage change the answer.

How big a home battery would an average Iowa home need?

An average Iowa home uses about 27.4 kWh a day. One 13.5 kWh battery such as a Tesla Powerwall 3 would cover about 12 hours of average use, and longer if you only back up essential circuits.

Estimates only. Your actual costs depend on your utility's rate plan, how and when you charge or use power, and local prices. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. See our disclaimer.

Sources

  1. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Tables 5.6.A and 5.6.B — July 2026 YTD (year to date); latest month July 2026. Average revenue per kWh across all residential customers, including fixed charges spread over usage. Preliminary estimates.
  2. U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2024 Average Monthly Bill- Residential — 2024 (annual)
  3. U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices (regular, all formulations) — Midwest regional average, week of 2026-10-12
  4. U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center, Alternative Fueling Station Counts by State — snapshot 2026-10-15 (public stations, currently available)
  5. PVWatts v8 solar model (National Laboratory of the Rockies, formerly NREL, run via its PySAM package) on NASA POWER hourly weather — Des Moines; 1 kW DC fixed roof mount, 20 degree tilt, facing south (180 degrees), standard module, 14% system losses, 96% inverter efficiency, DC/AC ratio 1.2 (PVWatts defaults except tilt). Checked against the PVWatts web API for eight states: within 8%, 3% on average.
  6. U.S. EPA and DOE, fueleconomy.gov vehicle data (combined kWh/100 mi, includes charging losses) — model years 2026-2027
  7. U.S. EPA, 2025 Automotive Trends Report (model year 2024 data) — Average new-vehicle real-world fuel economy was 27.2 mpg, and 1.7 mpg lower without battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles; we use 25.5 mpg for a typical new gasoline vehicle.

Figures retrieved October 15, 2026. US comparison: 18.2¢/kWh; gasoline $4.33/gal; a 25.5 mpg car costs $16.98 per 100 miles nationally.

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