HyreSolar
Get Solar Quotes

HyreSolar tools

Solar cost estimator

For homeowners who want an installed price before talking to installers, with the federal credit set to zero because it ended.

Checked . Data as of October 22, 2026. HyreSolar sells and installs nothing.

This solar cost estimator gives an estimate from your own numbers in under a minute, with every assumption listed under the result.

A 7.7 kW system at the median of 21 published 2026 prices ($3.00 a watt) costs about $23,100 installed, with a middle band of $21,945 to $23,485.

That is before any battery, roof work or state incentive, and with no federal credit: the 30% residential credit under §25D does not apply to systems placed in service after 31 December 2025.

7.7 kW is the median size of host-owned residential systems installed in 2025, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s 2026 data update.

Your own size depends on how much electricity you use and how much sun your roof gets; the system size calculator works it out from a year of bills, then you can bring the figure back here.

The price band comes from installer, marketplace and trade-press pages that publish a national price per watt, each fetched and dated.

It is a national middle, not your local price: labor, permitting and competition move it by state, and loan-financed systems usually carry a higher price than cash because of dealer fees.

Use the result to sanity-check quotes, then run any quote you receive through the proposal analyzer.

Installed cost estimate

Size × published price per watt, plus anything you add.

Example values The filled-in numbers are an example, not your home. Type over them with your own.

2025 median residential size (LBNL).

More assumptions (3)
— Estimated installed cost
— Middle band
— Solar only, median
— Added items

How this result was worked out

Working it out from the numbers above.

Before incentives. Federal credit: $0.

HyreSolar does not install solar and holds no quote data of its own.

What the result means

The headline is the median price for your size. Half the published figures are above it and half below.

The range is the middle half of published prices (25th to 75th percentile). A quote outside it is not wrong, but it should explain why: premium panels, a complex roof, a battery, or a dealer fee built into a loan.

How to use it

Where each input comes from, so nothing is a guess.

1. Enter the system size in kW

Kilowatts of panels (DC). If you do not know it, the system size calculator gets it from your annual kWh.

Where to find it: A proposal lists it as system size or kW DC.

2. Keep or replace the price per watt

Defaults: $2.85, $3.00 and $3.05 per watt from 21 published prices.

Where to find it: If you have a quote, divide its cash price by its watts and type that into all three boxes.

3. Add a battery if you want one

Battery prices vary more than panel prices. Use a quoted figure.

Where to find it: See solar battery cost for published ranges.

4. Add other work

Panel upgrades, tree removal, roof repair.

Where to find it: Your installer’s site survey.

Assumptions

  1. 1
    Size × price per watt

    kW × 1,000 × $/W at the low, median and high points.

  2. 2
    Additions are flat

    Battery and other work are added once at each point.

  3. 3
    Before incentives

    No federal credit. State and utility rebates are not subtracted; check the incentive finder.

The formula, in full. Estimate = kW × 1,000 × median $/W + battery + other. Range = same at the 25th and 75th percentile $/W.

How the answer moves

Installed cost by size at the published median and middle band.

SizeLowMedianHigh
5 kW$14,250$15,000$15,250
6 kW$17,100$18,000$18,300
7.7 kW$21,945$23,100$23,485
8 kW$22,800$24,000$24,400
10 kW$28,500$30,000$30,500
12 kW$34,200$36,000$36,600

Arithmetic on the published band, solar only. Larger systems often price a little lower per watt than this flat band shows.

The 21 published prices behind the default

A point figure where the publisher gives one, otherwise the midpoint of its range.

PublisherPrice per wattBasisRetrieved
EnergySage$2.60EnergySage marketplace quotes, before incentives2026-10-21
Fixr$3.04national average2026-10-21
SunHub$2.75residential, before incentives2026-10-21
SolarSavingsHub$2.85 to $3.25national average installed, gross2026-10-21
GreenEnergyCalc$3.50LBNL Tracking the Sun 2024 median, cash purchases (cited by page; also cites EnergySage $2.60)2026-10-21
Nedes$2.2 to $3.66installed 2026, before incentives2026-10-21
ProHouseMaintenance$2.58citing EnergySage, before incentives2026-10-21
SolarReviews$3.037.2 kW cash, before incentives2026-10-21
EcoWatch$3.33EcoWatch analysis, appears pre-credit (page dating inconsistent)2026-10-21
Arka360$2.59 to $2.86residential average; basis not stated2026-10-21
Portlandia Electric Supply$2.5 to $3.5before incentives2026-10-21
The Green Watt$2.5 to $3.2installed, gross2026-10-21
NRG Clean Power$2.58 to $2.75marketplace quotes (page also cites LBNL cash ~$3.50)2026-10-21
Solar Powered Tech$4.00LBNL 2024 median all purchases, before incentives (cash median $3.50)2026-10-21
RenCalc$2.4 to $3.7before incentives2026-10-21
SolarWattCalc$2.5 to $3.5US2026-10-21
pv magazine USA (via Now.Solar), citing Wood Mackenzie/SEIA$3.36Wood Mackenzie/SEIA Q2 2026 turnkey residential2026-10-21
Jouleio$2.5 to $3.5citing SEIA 20252026-10-21
SurgePV$2.5 to $3.39before incentives2026-10-21
solar.com$3.36national benchmark per SEIA/Wood Mackenzie2026-10-21
This Old House$2.29 to $3.66state range, 10-kW system before tax credit (no national average given)2026-10-21

National figures, fetched and checked by HyreSolar. Not invoices, and not a price we have observed on a job.

Next step

See what moves the price on solar panel installation cost and solar cost per watt, then estimate the return with the payback calculator.

For real local prices, send your estimate to installers with the form under the calculator and compare their quotes against the band.

Embed this calculator

Free to use on any site, including news and installer pages. Paste this where you want the calculator to appear. Keep the credit line: it is the only condition.

<iframe src="https://hyresolar.com/tools/cost-estimator/#calc" title="Solar cost estimator by HyreSolar" width="100%" height="900" loading="lazy" style="border:0"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://hyresolar.com/tools/cost-estimator/">Solar cost estimator</a> by HyreSolar</p>

What this calculator leaves out

The result is a planning estimate. A real proposal accounts for these; this page does not.

  • National band, not your local price.

    State labor and permitting costs differ.

  • Does not subtract state or utility incentives.
  • Cash price.

    A loan with a dealer fee prices higher; see the dealer fee calculator.

  • Published prices, not invoices.

Questions this calculator answers

How much does solar cost for a house?
At the median published price of $3.00 per watt, a 7.7 kW system costs about $23,100 before incentives. Enter your own size above.
Does this include the 30% federal tax credit?
No. The §25D residential credit does not apply to systems placed in service after 31 December 2025, so the estimate subtracts nothing.
Why are loan prices higher than cash prices?
Many solar loans carry a dealer fee paid by the installer to the lender and built into the price. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s 2026 update reports a higher median price for loan-financed systems than for cash purchases.
What size system do I need?
It depends on your annual usage and sun. The system size calculator converts a year of kWh into kW.

Sources and methodology

Figures dated October 22, 2026. Last reviewed by the HyreSolar research desk, which writes and checks every tool on this site.

Related solar tools

All 28 solar tools

Your real numbers come from a proposal drawn for your roof, your usage and your utility. Tell us about your home: a person reads it, and nothing goes to a solar company until you agree.

Get Solar Quotes How we check companies