The best way to find out how much it would cost to add solar to your home is by requesting a free estimate on our website (see the “Free Estimate” button in the upper-right corner of our website). But seeing an estimate for a typical home may give you an idea of the cost of going solar at your own house.
The first page of a 2023 estimate. Each estimate is typically 10-12 pages long.
This estimate shows a 7.665 kW solar array that produces about 8,594 kWh annually. Depending on your monthly electricity needs, your home may need a larger or smaller array. Other factors can effect how much energy your solar array produces and how many panels your home may need:
Roof Direction: If your roof faces further east or west rather than due-south, you would need additional panels to produce the same amount of electricity.
Roof Shade: If you have more shade from surrounding trees or buildings, you would need additional panels to offset your annual electricity needs.
Roof Pitch: If you have a lower-pitch roof, snow will cover your array for longer in the wintertime, bringing down your winter energy production a bit.
Beyond the number of solar panels your home requires to offset your annual electricity use, there are a few other factors that can effect the cost of going solar:
Roof Shape: Installations require more materials and labor if panels need to be placed on multiple small roof planes rather than on large rectangular roof planes, as pictured in this example estimate.
Roof Height and Pitch: Roofs that are very high or steep may require extra equipment or labor to install a rooftop array.
Electrical Upgrades: Some older homes or homes with large solar arrays may require electrical upgrades to handle the incoming energy of a solar array.
Structural Upgrades: Some outbuildings and older homes may require structural reinforcements to the internal roof structure to handle the added load of a rooftop solar array.
The typical solar array pays for itself in 10-14 years. Three factors effect how long it will take for your array to pay for itself: the number of panels you need, the cost of installation (both outlined above), and your electric utility. There are some differences between electric utilities that can effect how quickly your solar array will pay for itself:
Cost of Electricity: If your utility has high electricity rates, your solar array will pay for itself quicker than if your utility has low rates for each kWh of electricity.
Utility Metering: Many solar arrays overproduce for at least a few months in the summer. Some utilities let that overproduction “rollover” for use in future months, some utilities buy back the overproduction at the end of the month, and a small number buy back the over production at the end of the day.
Overproduction Buyback Rates: For utilities that do not “rollover” excess kWh to future months and instead buy it back at the end of the month, the buyback rate can effect how quickly your array will pay for itself. Utilities vary: some buy electricity back at the rate you pay for it, others buy it back at a lower wholesale rate, which is closer to 1/3 of the consumer price. The higher the buyback rate, the quicker a system pays for itself.
Finally, incentives play a significant role in the cost of going solar. Federal Residential Solar Tax Credits were recently increased and extended, bringing the 2023 federal tax credit up to 30%. The state of Wisconsin offers a solar rebate of $500 for most homeowners and $1000 for homeowners in some rural zip codes, but only if the solar array is shaded 15% or less. These two incentives significantly bring down the cost of going solar.
At Drews Solar we work to be objective and fair in our pricing, accurate in our system sizing and predictions for energy production, and upfront about all the costs of going solar. If you’re interested in an estimate for your own home, please fill out the free-estimate form on the home page of our website.