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I used their recommendation and hired one of the solar companies. The cost estimate was very close.
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 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.
Andrew Sendy
Qualified solar designer and solar calculations expert
Ben Zientara
Solar Energy Researcher and Policy Analyst
Ryan Miller
Ph.D. Geographical Info Systems and founder of Sun Number
Vassie Fitzgerald
Co-Founder
Lachlan Fleet
Licensed installer with in-depth understanding of the solar industry
Evan Nicoles
Chief Operating Officer
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.