See how much it will cost to install solar panels for your home
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
Independent solar savings analysis
Developed with funding from the DOE
Audited calculation engine
Over 3 million visitors a year
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
November 2026
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 |
What makes Solar-Estimate.org an accurate solar calculator for homeowners?
Simply put, our calculator engine uses multiple inputs that are unique to your home. 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.