A Breakdown of All the Costs Associated With Home Solar Installation

Solar power has gotten less and less expensive over the years, with the average cost of solar panels and the rest of what makes up a solar power system now costing roughly a third of what it did at the turn of the millennium. That said, figuring out how much a solar power system will cost you can be challenging. There are many variables involved, so the short answer to the question in this post is “it depends.”

In this post, we’ll get into some of the variables involved in estimating how much of a system you need and how much it’ll cost to purchase that system and have it professionally installed.

We’ll look at the effect your location can have on pricing, as well as the variability of equipment option pricing, and even what you may be able to count on for price offsets in different places across the country. But to truly get your head wrapped around what you need and what it will cost, you’re going to want to consult a local solar installation professional.

The Effect of Location on the Cost of Residential Solar Power

First of all, there is more to a solar power system than just the panels themselves. The panels require some type of mounting system or rack. Your system also requires a power inverter, a battery pack of some sort, one of several types of power meters, a breaker panel, a charge controller or charge regulator, and (potentially) a backup generator.

If your system will be hooked up to a utility grid, you can do without the generator. If your system will be a standalone affair, then you can most likely do without a power meter.

Also, where you live has a lot to do with what you can expect to pay for your solar panels and the rest of your system. The national average cost of an average (6Kw) system is just over three dollars per watt after incentives and tax credits, putting the total average cost of a solar panel system at just under $13,000 installed.

But the more panels you buy, the cheaper they get, and not all states are equal when it comes to incentives.

How Much of a Solar Power System Do You Need and What Will it Cost?

Again, the answer is, “it depends.” For a 6Kw system, you could pay as little as $10,000 in Washington State once all is said and done. But the same system could cost you as much as $16,000 in New York, and that’s after the 30% federal solar power tax credit.

All this math isn’t taking into account the effect that net metering can do to offset the cost of your system in areas where net metering programs are in effect, versus areas without the net metering programs.

How to Jump Right to a Number: The Right Way to Find Out What Solar Panels Cost

As we mentioned at the beginning, to quickly and easily get to a number that represents what it will truly cost you to put solar panels on your home, consult a solar power installation professional.

Chances are good that there are more than one solar installer in your area and chances are even better that they will be more than happy to come out to your home and put together a solid estimate for you. This estimate should account for how much system your home can handle, how much power you need, and what incentives are in place in your area to defray the costs of going solar.