Solar Cost Calculator
Price a proposed array from its wattage, regional cash-cost range, and only the incentives you choose to include.
Enter your numbers
Changes calculate instantly and are written to this page’s URL.
Off by default. The federal residential credit ended for new homeowner installations after December 31, 2025 under 2025 law. Use this only for a hypothetical or independently verified exception.
Residential energy statement
Instant planning estimate · not a utility invoice
- Before-incentive low
- $21,600.00
- Before-incentive high
- $29,600.00
- Scenario low
- $21,600.00
- Scenario high
- $29,600.00
How the solar cost calculator works
A solar quote combines modules, inverters, racking, electrical work, permitting, labor, and contractor overhead. This solar cost calculator expresses that total in dollars per installed DC watt so unlike proposals can be compared on one basis. Regional bands are planning ranges, not bids.
Multiply system kilowatts by 1,000 to obtain watts, then multiply by low and high installed prices. Compare cash prices before dealer fees: financed proposals sometimes embed fees that make their apparent interest rate misleading.
Roof complexity, service-panel work, trenching, batteries, premium modules, and local labor can push a quote outside the range. The result excludes ongoing finance interest so the loan page can show it separately.
The homeowner federal credit ended for new installations after December 31, 2025 under 2025 law. The 30% control is explicit and off by default; it exists only to model a hypothetical or independently verified exception.
Worked example
An 8 kW system contains 8,000 W. At $2.70–$3.70 per watt, the planning range is $21,600–$29,600 before incentives, batteries, or financing.
How to read the result
Use the range to normalize quotes, then inspect equipment, warranties, production guarantees, and scope. The lowest dollars per watt is not automatically the lowest lifetime cost.
Planning inputs are deliberately editable because two homes in the same state can have different tariffs, roof conditions, equipment, and operating schedules. Save a scenario with “Copy link,” then change one assumption at a time. This makes the result useful for comparing decisions without implying false precision.
Common questions
What is a normal solar cost per watt?
Does solar cost per watt include a battery?
Are solar loan dealer fees included?
Sources
Formulas and defaults are documented in our data method. The principal references for this page are:
- NREL — PVWatts Calculator documentation (2025) — Production modeling, array orientation, and system-loss context.
- EIA — Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (2024 annual) — Residential electricity price benchmarks by state.
- U.S. Department of Energy — Homeowner’s Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics (accessed methodology, 2025) — Background only; 2026 eligibility is never assumed.