Calculate the cost of solar panels for your home above or see avg. current solar panel cost from solar providers near you below
Showing results in Virginia
$3.16 per watt
Av. Cost per watt of residential solar panels installation
$2.21 per watt
Av. cost of solar panels for home
After 30% solar tax credit
$96
Av. Monthly payment on solar panels
$2.53 per watt
Financed solar system
After 30% solar tax credit
$28,900 savings
Av. Lifetime Savings
Average cost of solar panels for homes in Virginia as at February, 2019 is $3.16 per watt. This means that for a 5 kW residential solar system the cost is $15,800 before solar incentives and $11,060 after claiming back the solar tax credit. The average monthly payment is $96 making even zero down solar systems cash flow positive from day 1.
Our solar electricity cost calculator will calculate how many solar panels you need for your home to cover your energy bill and get live current solar offers on the correct size solar system from the best local solar providers near you. In some cases solar payback can be as short as 5-8 years, leaving you with 20 years or more of free power.
Get local installers to give a fixed quote for your home
Solar panel cost by state for each size of residential solar power system in February, 2019 based on current offers from solar companies near you
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 5kW system
State | Cash Purchase (after 30% solar tax credit) |
Monthly Payment (Financed System) |
|
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | $14,500 | $10,150 | $88 |
Alaska | $15,500 | $10,850 | $94 |
Arizona | $15,750 | $11,025 | $95 |
Arkansas | $14,200 | $9,940 | $86 |
California | $15,900 | $11,130 | $96 |
Colorado | $15,600 | $10,920 | $94 |
Connecticut | $16,900 | $11,830 | $102 |
District of Columbia | $16,450 | $11,515 | $100 |
Delaware | $15,000 | $10,500 | $91 |
Current solar panels cost per watt in each state in February, 2019
State | Cash Purchase (installed) $/watt before 30% solar tax credit |
Financed Systems (installed) $/watt before 30% solar tax credit |
|
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | $2.90 | $3.30 | Calculate |
Alaska | $3.10 | $3.50 | Calculate |
Arizona | $3.15 | $3.50 | Calculate |
Arkansas | $2.84 | $3.35 | Calculate |
California | $3.18 | $3.56 | Calculate |
Colorado | $3.12 | $3.45 | Calculate |
Connecticut | $3.38 | $3.75 | Calculate |
District of Columbia | $3.29 | $3.65 | Calculate |
Delaware | $3.00 | $3.50 | Calculate |
Solar panel cost
How much is the monthly payment on solar panels with current solar prices?
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What should be included in the total cost of a solar panel system for your home in solar quotes you receive from solar providers near you?
- Solar Panels and solar inverter warranties from the manufacturer, usually for 25 years.
- Racking and mountings to secure the solar panels to your roof.
- Sundry electrical equipment such a cabling, conduit, junction boxes and fixings used in the installation.
- Building approval from your authority of jurisdiction including the lodging of a permit application and an inspection after the solar system installation.
- Obtaining an approval from your utility and preparing a net metering agreement with your utility company. Possibly also a utility inspection depending on where you are located.
- A warranty, usually 10 years, from the solar installers on the installation labor from the solar company itself.
- Installing the solar panels, inverter and the rest of the solar panel installation work by qualified electrical contractors.
- Solar loan options for a zero down system to avoid the upfront cost including an option to cover the federal tax credit portion of the solar system cost until you do next years taxes; and
- Analysis showing what your utility bills are likely to be after the system is installed.
Get a quote from a solar company near you

Finance options available to avoid the upfront cost of solar panels for your home
What factors affect the cost of a fully installed solar system for my home?
Solar is a relatively new industry and there are still vastly different prices being offered by different solar companies for solar systems.
How much should I pay for solar panels? There is no simple answer to this question but understanding these factors will allow you to do a better job of ranking the solar quotes that you get back from solar providers near you.
Compare the 3 best offers from local solar companies in your city

How much will buying the best solar panels increase solar panel cost for my home?
For a discussion on choosing the best brands of solar equipment visit our top solar tips page.
In terms of pricing tier 1 solar panels will usually cost around $0.40 - $0.50 cents per watt more than a second or third tier solar panel. Here is another good discussion on the pros and cons of choosing a tier 1 solar panel over a tier 2 or 3 solar brand.
So for a common size of residential solar system, say 6 kW (6kW is 6,000 watts) using one of the best brands of solar panels will add around $2,400-$3,000 to the cost of the solar system for your home.
See how solar panel and inverter choice effects solar prices