What is the Average Cost to Install Solar in US?

Electricity rates vary from state to state in the USA. While it at its lower, it is $0.07/kWh in West Virginia, on the higher end it can be $0.24/kWh in Hawaii, it’s relatively cheap here in Florida at around $0.10/kWh Please note that the guidelines mentioned here apply to an average home in the USA with average consumption and average electricity costs.

To be on the conservative end, let us take the generating capacity of a solar panel as 10 watts/sq. ft. This represents a typical panel conversion efficiency of around 12. This signifies that for every kW generated, you need about 100 sq. ft. of solar panels. Thus, if the Sun shines 24 hours a day, then you could put up 100 sq. ft. of panels. But alas! The Sun is available only during the daytime and the amount of sunlight you get is inversely proportional to the extent of cloud cover. Additionally, the length of each day is also dependent on the season. Luckily, there are resources on the web from where you can count the average days of sunshine in your area. If you are living in South Florida, the average days of sunshine in a year is 233 days.

The averages period of sunshine varies across the USA. While it is around 3 hours per day in places like Seattle, Chicago, and Pittsburgh, states like Colorado and California experience 5 or 6 hours per day of sunlight with 7 hours per day to that in Arizona. Here in Florida, because of our close proximity to the equator, we average around 11 hours of daylight! This clearly indicates that depending on the amount of sunshine received in your area, you may require different panel array size, ranging from 400 sq. ft. to 800 sq. ft. (i.e., 4 kW to 8 kW). If you happen to live in an area that receives less sunshine daily, you will need more panels and vice versa.

Have you heard about net metering? Net Metering special meter that spins backwards when you generate more electricity than what you use, averaging out your annual bill to zero. Check if you utility company allows for this, or just tell us your location and we’ll let you know Due to shorter days during winters, you’re likely to be a net purchaser of electricity in that season and a net producer during summers. This is a grid-tied system and differs from that of an off-grid system, which is used in remote locations with no electrical service. The off-grid system requires batteries and can greatly increase the overall system costs.