Solar costs, panel types and payback
Priced per watt, sold on a payback, and quoted against a federal credit that no longer exists.
What residential solar costs
A residential system runs $12,000 – $30,000 before incentives, and the arithmetic changed on 1 January 2026: the federal residential clean energy credit that took 30 percent off ended for systems placed in service after 31 December 2025.
That single change moves the payback period on most quotes by years, and a large share of the pages ranking for solar queries still price against a credit that no longer applies. State programmes, utility rebates and net metering rules still exist and vary enormously, so the honest answer to "what is the payback" now starts with your utility, not with a federal number.
Everything here is priced per watt installed before incentives, which is the only figure that compares one quote with another. The guides break that into panel type, system size, and the lines that decide the real invoice: a battery, a service upgrade, or a roof that should have been replaced first.
What moves the price of a solar system
$12,000 $30,000
Residential system, before incentivesEvery solar quote moves on:
- Panel type and efficiency, which decides how many fit the roof
- System size in watts, set by your bills rather than your roof
- Battery storage, which can double a straightforward system
- Electrical service, roof condition and shading
Figures on this page are indicative national brackets, not quotes. Your number depends on the size, complexity and condition of the job itself, and on what local crews are charging when you buy. Use them to judge a bid, not to replace one.
What each solar system type costs installed
| System | Installed cost per watt, before incentives | Lifespan | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thin film | $1 – $1.50 | 10 – 20 years | Cheapest per watt and the least efficient per square foot. It earns its place on outbuildings and RVs, rarely on a house roof. |
| Monocrystalline, standard | $2.30 – $3.60 | 25 – 30 years | What almost every residential system is made of. Enough efficiency to fill a normal roof with a normal number of panels. |
| Monocrystalline, premium | $3 – $4.50 | 25 – 40 years | More watts from the same roof, and a longer warranty behind them. Worth it when the roof runs out before the demand does. |
| Ground-mounted array | $3 – $5 | 25 – 35 years | Racking, footings and a trench instead of a roof. Costs more per watt and lets you point the panels where the sun actually is. |
| Solar shingles | $5 – $8 | 25 – 30 years | A roof and an array in one product, at roughly double the price per watt. Buy it for the look, or when a review board forbids panels. |
Installed cost covers panels, inverters, racking, wiring and labor on a straightforward roof, before any incentive. Batteries, service upgrades, roof work and interconnection are priced on top; the cost guide sets out what each adds.
How Home Palais reads a solar quote
Compare quotes per watt before incentives. A quote written as a monthly payment is a financing product with panels attached
Solar questions, answered
Is there still a federal solar tax credit?
Not for homeowner-owned systems placed in service after 31 December 2025. The One Big Beautiful Bill ended the section 25D residential credit on that date. State, local and utility incentives are unaffected and still vary widely by market.
How do I size a system?
From twelve months of your own electricity bills, not from the size of your roof. A system that generates more than you consume exports the surplus, and what an exported kilowatt-hour is worth depends entirely on your utility’s net metering rules.
Should I add a battery?
Add one for backup, or where the utility pays little for exported power. It roughly doubles the cost of a straightforward system and generates nothing on its own, so it is a resilience purchase rather than a generation one.
Do I need a new roof first?
If the roof has fewer than ten years left, yes. Panels last twenty-five years or more, and removing and re-setting an array so a roof can be replaced underneath it costs thousands that a single decision earlier would have saved.
Is leasing or a power purchase agreement worth it?
It removes the upfront cost and most of the benefit. You do not own the system, the escalator clause raises the payment over time, and a lease complicates a house sale. Compare the lifetime figure against a cash or loan purchase before signing.
The calculator prices systems per watt on the same national data as every guide on this page; no phone number, no lead form.
Price it per watt Before the first quote