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TWIN FALLS — Solar panels could soon make less financial sense for Idaho homeowners.

A settlement between Idaho Power and a handful of parties, including the Sierra Club and the Idaho Clean Energy Association, would pay solar panel owners less for generated electricity if approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.

Mitch Workman is a marketing manager for Big Dog Solar. The company installs panels throughout Idaho, including the Magic Valley. He said that the new agreement outlined in the settlement doesn’t worry him too much, but it could cause some hardships. Roughly 90-95% of Big Dog Solar’s Magic Valley clients are residential homeowners.

“It’s certainly going to make (solar panels) less feasible for some customers,” Workman said.

Solar panels are an expensive, long-term investment. People often painstakingly calculate the pros and cons before buying them, and for most, the payoff doesn’t come until years down the road.

Panels would take even longer to pay off if the Idaho Public Utilities Commission adopts the proposed new rules.