How Much Does Solar Cost?

A growing number of homeowners want to know how much solar costs, but it can sometimes be difficult to get a straight answer. To help shine a light, we took the results of over 45,000 solar estimates created by real U.S. homeowners in HOW MUCH DOES 2011 and put them into these maps. Homeowners used One Block Off the Grid's online estimate tool to generate these SOLAR COST? results. Energy analytics powered by Clean Power Research. HOW MUCH SOLAR COSTS IN YOUR STATE Think solar is out of reach? Think again. Real solar estimates show state, regional, and local incentives are helping bring the cost way down. In many states, you can go solar for less than $10,000. Here's a look at the average cost to go solar in each state. $22,834 $10,983 $20,593 $23,015 $13,564 $17,947 $15,723 $15,785 $16,947 $38,428 $20,945 $9,856 $7,061 $18,831 $15,010 $29,018 $17,674 $19,410 $15,977 $8,802 $10,259 $6,890 $18,391 $21,020 $15,916 $12,333 $17,964 $22,483 $16,763 $15,747 $10,192 $12,793 $16,127 $14,589 $19,447 Washington, DC $7,571 $13,896 Y $24,307 $14,588 $23,275 $18,595 $21,659 National Average $17,056 $16,383 $24,221 $15,489 $23,390 $17,088 $3,552 NET COST $19,031 s$9,999 $10.000- $15,000- $20,000- $25,000+ $14,999 $19,999 $24,999 O$12,818 $24,692 %24 WHAT YOU COULD SAVE EVERY MONTH By going solar, people around the country are saving money each month that would have gone to utility companies. Just how much are they saving? In some places, over $100 each month. $71 $90 $76 $91 $36 $78 $84 $100 $57 $76 $76 $130 $57 $91 $124 $56 $80 $67 $90 $64 $72 $145 $58 $73 $87 $49 $102 $40 $54 Washington, DC $62 $143 $35 $61 S61 $89 $76 National Average $84 $137 $44 $137 $59 $114 $61 $59 $89 $87 $64 MONTHLY SAVINGS $65 $139 $270 $49 $100- $149 $150+ $50- $99 WHAT YOU COULD SAVE OVER TIME What would you do with an extra $20K? That's how much the average solar system will save you over 20 years. Residents in some states with high electricity prices can expect to save much more than that - consider Hawaii, where residents save on average $64,000 after 20 years. $17,101 $18,223 $21,754 $8,699 $20,084 $21,626 $18,697 $23,992 $18,148 $13,620 $18,140 $13,521 $19,215 $31,166 $13.719 $21,870 $29,701 $16,051 $21,658 $15,426 $17,527 $17,377 $19,094 $11,334 $34,761 $14,023 $20,901 $9,653 $13,018 $24,575 $11,745 $34,260 $8,453 $14,672 Washington, DC $14,771 $14,551 $21,248 $18,168 $32,979 $32,898 $10,497 $27,353 National Average $20,080 $14,076 $18,076 $21,256 $14,575 $20,960 TOTAL SAVINGS (AFTER 20 YEARS) $15,315 $15,521 $64,769 $30,000- $40,000+ $39,999 S$9,999 $10,000- $20,000- $33,284 $19,999 $29,999 HOW LONG IT'LL TAKE TO PAY FOR ITSELF Seems like a no-brainer: High cost equals long payback time, right? Not exactly. A state with good incentives can mean a low net cost, but if electricity is cheap in that state (like Arizona or Louisiana), the payback period can still be pretty long. Conversely, a system may cost more in a given state, but if electricity prices there are high, the payback period may actually be pretty short. 19 16 15 N/A 14 14 19 17 N/A N/A 16 13 17 14 14 19 15 18 17 14 19 18 19 13 Washington, DC 18 11 10 N/A 12 N/A 14 19 18 14 14 PAYBACK PERIOD (YEARS) s9 10-14 15-19 N/A years years years SOURCE: U.S. homeowner solar estimate tool results, 2011. Energy analytics powered by Clean Power Research One Block JOFF the Grid Clean Power Research Results represent state averages and are not a guarantee of performance or savings for any particular system. Use the free solar cost estimate tool at http://1bog.org/solar-estimate or sign up at http://1bog.org to get a free cost estimate for your home. THE SMART, NEW WAY TO GO SOLAR HTTP://1BOG.ORG