See how much it will cost to install solar panels for your home

Calculate Cost

Our estimates used by

Step 1

Enter your address and the cost of your most recent electric bill

Step 2

Our estimator shows how many solar panels your home needs

Step 3

We generate an online cost and savings estimate

Step 4

You choose how many solar companies send you an exact price by email or text

America’s most accurate solar calculator

Independent solar savings analysis

Developed with funding from the DOE

Audited calculation engine

Over 3 million visitors a year

Google Reviews

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Steven W

Got great information and eventually went solar with a company that I was put in contact with thanks to the site. Would definitely recommend as a solid starting point for anyone considering going solar!

Alan I

I found this site to be particularly useful, not only in finding a contractor, but also for offering detailed info on solar power hardware.

Chris P

I used their recommendation and hired one of the solar companies. The cost estimate was very close.

What you will learn using the Solar-Estimate.org calculator

1

How many solar panels are needed to power your home

2

How many square feet of suitable roof space is required

3

How many solar panels will fit on your roof and where they will go

4

How much energy the solar panels on your roof will produce

5

How much solar panels will save you on your electric bills

6

Your likely payback period for your home solar system

7

How much solar panels will cost for your home based on the average solar system cost in your area
Optional - How much solar panels will cost for your home based on the average solar system cost in your area

Solar panel cost by state

October, 2024

Click on your state for solar panels cost localized to your city or use the solar calculator above to see the live prices from solar providers near you.

Showing results for a 5 kW installed system

State Cash purchase $/watt Cash purchase
Alabama $2.69 $13,450
Alaska $2.84 $14,200
Arizona $2.73 $13,650
Arkansas $2.78 $13,900
California $2.78 $13,900
Colorado $2.73 $13,650
Connecticut $2.84 $14,200
District of Columbia $2.78 $13,900
Delaware $2.78 $13,900
Florida $2.70 $13,500
Georgia $2.78 $13,900
Hawaii $2.78 $13,900
Idaho $2.78 $13,900
Illinois $2.78 $13,900
Indiana $2.73 $13,650
Iowa $2.62 $13,100
Kansas $2.73 $13,650
Kentucky $2.73 $13,650
Louisiana $2.78 $13,900
Maine $2.62 $13,100
Maryland $2.62 $13,100
Massachusetts $2.82 $14,100
Michigan $2.62 $13,100
Minnesota $2.68 $13,400
Mississippi $2.73 $13,650
Missouri $2.62 $13,100
Montana $2.62 $13,100
Nebraska $2.62 $13,100
Nevada $2.82 $14,100
New Hampshire $2.73 $13,650
New Jersey $2.82 $14,100
New Mexico $2.82 $14,100
New York $2.82 $14,100
North Carolina $2.62 $13,100
North Dakota $2.56 $12,800
Ohio $2.73 $13,650
Oklahoma $2.62 $13,100
Oregon $3.78 $18,900
Pennsylvania $2.62 $13,100
Puerto Rico $2.73 $13,650
Rhode Island $2.83 $14,150
South Carolina $2.82 $14,100
South Dakota $2.56 $12,800
Tennessee $2.68 $13,400
Texas $2.58 $12,900
Utah $2.73 $13,650
Vermont $2.62 $13,100
Virginia $2.62 $13,100
Washington $2.62 $13,100
West Virginia $2.56 $12,800
Wisconsin $2.70 $13,500
Wyoming $2.56 $12,800

Solar-Estimate.org’s calculations are trusted by top solar organizations in America

NABCEP logo

North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is a non-profit body trusted by the U.S. government to set the training and accreditation standards for solar installers nationwide. Using a NABCEP-certified installer is a mandatory requirement for many solar incentive programs throughout the country.

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SEI logo

Solar Energy International (SEI), a non-profit organization, is the oldest and largest solar training provider in the United States. SEI offers NABCEP-accredited courses in solar installation, solar sales, and marketing.

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Zillow logo

Zillow is America’s largest real estate website, with data for over 110 million homes nationwide. It is also considered to be the leader in applying data modeling and analysis for real estate purposes. With the inclusion of Sun Number scores in Zillow’s building fact sheets, they have been able to provide millions of American homeowners with information about the solar potential of their homes.

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ASES logo

Developed with funding from the Department of Energy, Sun Number is an advanced software company that uses LIDAR data to help determine the solar potential for individual homes. After conducting a detailed shading analysis of a roof’s surface, the results are then combined with SolarReviews/Solar-Estimate data to create an overall Sun Number™ score for each home in America. Sun Number scores are used by leading U.S.-based real estate websites Zillow and Trulia.

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CSSA logo

California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA), previously known as CALSEIA, is the premier solar and storage organization in California. CALSSA has over 500 members, making it the second-largest solar association in America. CALSSA advocates for the widespread adoption of solar in the state and promotes a code of ethics for Californian solar businesses.

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SEPA logo

Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), formerly the Solar Electric Power Association, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the electricity industry’s transition towards clean, renewable energy. It aims to see America achieve a carbon-free energy system by 2050.

Read more

Sunnumber logo

Developed with funding from the Department of Energy, Sun Number is an advanced software company that uses LIDAR data to help determine the solar potential for individual homes. After conducting a detailed shading analysis of a roof’s surface, the results are then combined with SolarReviews/Solar-Estimate data to create an overall Sun Number™ score for each home in America. Sun Number scores are used by leading U.S.-based real estate websites Zillow and Trulia.

Read more

Editorial Advisory Committee

Solar-Estimate.org has set up an editorial advisory committee as part of our commitment to the Quality Solar Initiative.

Our editorial advisory committee is comprised of full-time Solar-Estimate staff, as well as independent contributors, who are among the most experienced individuals in the solar industry. They come from a variety of backgrounds, including electrical engineering, solar design, and solar installation. A number of our content advisors lead lectures and are actively teaching the next generation of solar professionals. All care deeply about the reputation of the renewables industry and improving the quality and reliability of solar content made available to consumers.

What makes Solar-Estimate.org the most accurate solar calculator for homeowners?

Simply put, our calculation engine can deal with complexities that other online solar calculators can't. Specifically:

We examine the size of your roof to see how many solar panels actually fit on it. A solar savings estimate will be misleading if it assumes a solar system that will not even fit on your home.

Our calculator automatically places panels on your roof and adjusts the production estimate to the tilt angle, azimuth and shading of the best location for each array of panels on your roof. The only other place such accurate functionality is available is in professional solar design software used by solar companies.

We have an accurate database of all of the electric utility rate plans available for all utility companies around America. We are able to use the specific rate plan you are on when doing your solar savings calculations.

Our solar calculator also uses EIA and Genability electric use profiling for each region of the United States to estimate what your electricity use pattern looks like over the course of a day and over the seasons of the year. It then maps that hour by hour over the generation pattern from the proposed solar array. As such it is the only free online solar panel calculator that properly accounts for the effects of time of use billing on solar savings. Most online solar panel calculators just estimate annual usage and production, ignore this complexity and give inaccurate results. This last point is particularly important in California where all residential customers are now on time of use electric billing, making the times of the day you use power and the times of day you generate power critical to your solar savings analysis.