How much do solar panels save in 2020?

Updated September 10, 2020

Statistics on how much solar energy will save an average house is almost meaningless (although for those looking for solar savings stats, see the table below)
Calculating how much money solar panels will save you requires knowledge of your power usage, local electricity rates, estimated solar production and any federal, state and local solar incentives (such as the 26% federal solar tax credit) that affects the upfront cost of a solar system where you live.

Below we have included a link to a solar savings calculator which computes how many solar panels you need to power your home, tells you how much they will cost, and shows your solar payback period including both monthly and lifetime solar savings.

Your return on investment is shown alongside local rebates and the federal tax credit. It was originally developed with funding from the Department of Energy.

We have included it below because it’s the only solar savings calculator that uses the specific electric rates of your utility to properly compute savings. Most others just assume a national electricity cost and produce very inaccurate results.

Estimate your solar savings

How much do solar panels save the average home?

For folks who like statistics:

The average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. residential utility customer is 10,972 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, or an average of 914 kWh per month.

Multiply that by the national average electricity rate as of June 2020 ($0.13 per kWh) and you'll find that the typical American family has electricity bills totaling $1,450 a year.

This means that if enough solar panels were to be installed to cover the average electricity usage across the country, average solar panel system savings for any home in America in 2020 would be about $1,450 per year.

However, what we all really want to know is:

How much are the solar savings per month?
How much do these energy cost savings add up to over a 25-year period?

In the table below, we list these figures for a typical home in each state.

Are solar power savings real? And what is avoided cost?

When we talk about solar savings, we are talking about avoided energy costs. That’s the amount you would have spent on utility electricity had you not installed a solar power system on your home to provide the same power.

And yes, these energy bill savings are very real. Because it’s highly likely you will continue to need to consume electricity at your home, solar savings are considered a very bankable investment return.

The first step to working out solar savings is to understand how much electricity you use now, how much that costs you, and how much electricity you are likely to use in the future.

Here is a list of the average savings that are likely to be achieved by an average US homeowner in each of the top 50 solar cities in America, given they installed a 6kW solar power system on their home (the typical size of a residential solar energy system in 2020).

Average monthly and lifetime solar savings by state and city

City	State	SPR cost	Annual production of a 6 kW system	Average monthly savings Year 1	25-year bill savings	Top-rated solar companies in your city
New York	New York	0.19	6882	$108.97	$47,548	View companies
Los Angeles	California	0.19	9066	$143.55	$62,638	View companies
Chicago	Illinois	0.13	6474	$70.14	$30,604	View companies
Houston	Texas	0.11	7770	$71.23	$31,080	View companies
Phoenix	Arizona	0.13	9366	$101.47	$44,276	View companies
Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	0.14	7140	$83.30	$36,349	View companies
San Antonio	Texas	0.11	8094	$79.24	$32,376	View companies
San Diego	California	0.19	9024	$142.88	$62,348	View companies
Dallas	Texas	0.11	8220	$75.35	$32,880	View companies
San Jose	California	0.19	8435	$133.55	$58,278	View companies
Austin	Texas	0.11	8154	$74.75	$32,616	View companies
Jacksonville	Florida	0.12	7416	$74.16	$32,361	View companies
San Francisco	California	0.19	8922	$141.27	$61,643	View companies
Columbus	Ohio	0.13	6750	$73.13	$31,909	View companies
Indianapolis	Indiana	0.12	7068	$70.68	$30,842	View companies
Fort Worth	Texas	0.11	8544	$78.32	$34,176	View companies
Charlotte	North Carolina	0.11	7962	$72.99	$31,848	View companies
Seattle	Washington	0.10	5664	$47.20	$20,596	View companies
Denver	Colorado	0.12	8682	$86.82	$37,885	View companies
El Paso	Texas	0.11	9660	$88.55	$38,640	View companies
Washington	District of Columbia	0.13	7620	$82.55	$36,022	View companies
Boston	Massachusetts	0.22	6768	$124.08	$54,144	View companies
Detroit	Michigan	0.15	7020	$87.75	$38,291	View companies
Nashville	Tennessee	0.11	7686	$70.46	$30,774	View companies
Memphis	Tennessee	0.11	7716	$70.73	$30,864	View companies
Portland	Oregon	0.11	6078	$55.72	$24,312	View companies
Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	0.10	8430	$70.25	$30,655	View companies
Las Vegas	Nevada	0.12	9672	$96.72	$42,205	View companies
Louisville	Kentucky	0.11	7386	$67.71	$29,544	View companies
Baltimore	Maryland	0.13	7632	$82.68	$36,079	View companies
Milwaukee	Wisconsin	0.14	6576	$76.72	$33,478	View companies
Albuquerque	New Mexico	0.13	9528	$103.22	$45,041	View companies
Tucson	Arizona	0.13	9498	$102.90	$44,900	View companies
Fresno	California	0.19	8694	$137.66	$60,068	View companies
Sacramento	California	0.19	8538	$135.19	$58,990	View companies
Mesa	Arizona	0.13	9540	$103.35	$45,098	View companies
Kansas City	Missouri	0.11	8004	$73.37	$32,016	View companies
Atlanta	Georgia	0.12	7770	$77.70	$33,095	View companies
Long Beach	California	0.19	9012	$142.69	$62,265	View companies
Colorado Springs	Colorado	0.12	9270	$92.70	$40,451	View companies
Raleigh	North Carolina	0.11	8130	$74.53	$32,520	View companies
Miami	Florida	0.12	8040	$80.40	$35,084	View companies
Virginia Beach	Virginia	0.12	8052	$80.52	$35,136	View companies
Omaha	Nebraska	0.11	8172	$74.91	$32,688	View companies
Oakland	California	0.19	8646	$136.90	$59,736	View companies
Minneapolis	Minnesota	0.13	7788	$84.37	$36,816	View companies
Tulsa	Oklahoma	0.10	8172	$68.10	$29,716	View companies
Arlington	Texas	0.11	8136	$74.58	$32,544	View companies
New Orleans	Louisiana	0.10	7278	$60.65	$26,465	View companies
Wichita	Kansas	0.13	8388	$90.87	$39,652	View companies

Assumptions:

The “Cost of utility company power” in the table above reflects an average of existing rate plans from the largest utility in each state.
Forecast solar production of a 6kW system assumes installation at an optimal tilt and azimuth, with typical insolation conditions based on the data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and no external shading.
25-year savings forecast includes an expected inflation in the cost of utility power of 3% per year.
The solar system is purchased in cash and owned, so the full value of avoided utility payments is held by the homeowner (as opposed to a solar lease).

How to find out how much solar panels cost and if they’re worth it where you live

Another benefit to using our calculator is our accurate and live solar installation costs, which are reported directly from partner installers. You’ll be able to see how an ideal PV system looks on your roof, find out your avoided cost of electricity, and see which system size pairs well with your energy consumption.

Find out how much a solar installation costs near you

To gauge whether the cost of solar panels is worth the expense, be sure to look at lifetime savings estimates and get multiple installation quotes to make sure they’re in line with reported averages.

As of August 2020, the average installed cost per watt of installed solar is $3.08. For a 6kW system, that would amount to just over $18,000.

Even if you’re not planning on staying in your home for the 25-year lifespan of your photovoltaic system, you can count on your home selling faster, for more money, and recouping your installation cost.

How reliable are solar savings estimates?

Your solar installation is a long-term clean energy investment. Calculating the savings you can expect from installing solar panels for your home over the long haul is crucial when determining whether or not to go solar.

Forecasting residential solar savings can be more difficult than it first appears, and forecasts are inherently uncertain. We here at SolarReviews are passionate about solar and renewable energies and hope that you all decide to make the investment for your home and for our planet.

However, we are also committed to consumer education and giving people valid information on which to make choices. We believe it is important that you are aware of the limitations of estimates of future solar savings when deciding to purchase solar.

What makes forecasting solar savings more difficult than other estimates?

Solar is a very long-lasting product with a minimum system life of at least 25 years. It is difficult to predict anything with certainty going out 25 years.

Solar savings forecasts are challenging to make for two main reasons:

The need for long-term accuracy of solar production estimates in kilowatt-hours (kWh) tailored to your location.
Accurate economic value of that production after 10, 20, and 25 years (at least).

The solar energy production side of solar savings forecasts is relatively predictable and solar panels production in each climatic area is well-known and understood.

A lot of great work has been done by the National Renewable Energy Laboratories, and their PVWatts solar production calculator is considered highly accurate.

What is more difficult is forecasting the economic value of solar out as far as 25 years. The need to get this figure right to provide potential consumers with accurate figures about their savings, investment return, and payback period for solar is paramount.

Slight variances in this inflation rate can have large effects on these numbers. The assumed rate of utility inflation is a crucial ingredient in generating accurate solar savings forecasts.

What is a reasonable assumption for utility electricity price escalation and its effect on solar profitability over the next 25 years?

solar panel savings

Image source: Institute for Energy Research

The Institute for Energy Research published a report showing the average price of residential electricity in America actually rose by 34% from 2005 until 2015. So in annualized terms, this equates to a simple rise of 3.4% per year, or a compound rise of 2.7% per year.

But, is this a realistic assumption we can use to justify the assertion that utility prices will continue to rise at these rates?

I think it is, and here’s why.

During the same period as covered by the image above, the Institute for Energy Research also reported that gas prices, the fuel used to create a lot of our electricity, actually fell 60%. If gas prices had stayed flat over this period then utility power price inflation would have risen at more like 5%.

For this reason, I am quite comfortable about solar companies using an assumed electricity price inflation rate of 3.5% for the coming 25 years, although I acknowledge it’s an educated guess at best.

There is certainly also a case to be made that utility rate inflation may actually be higher. Governments are increasingly becoming aware of the urgency of tackling climate change and are beginning to put in place more and more policies to subsidize renewable energy more than fossil fuel. Transition costs will probably be shouldered by ratepayers, adding to higher electricity prices for us all.

However, the more electricity costs, the better the savings look for those of us looking to install solar panels.

How much can you save with solar?

Key Takeaways

For an average-sized 6kW solar system installed anywhere in the country, solar panels will save about $1,500 annually.
These savings are very real, and their relative strength depends on the availability of local city and state incentives.
You can find reliable solar panel costs near you by using our calculator, which is built using real estimates.
Uncertainty around utility cost inflation is the largest unknown when it comes to making solar estimates. However, the production value of solar is certain and can be well-relied on.
Utility price escalations have occurred consistently each year, and we expect they will continue for the next 25 years. That’s the same timeframe of the expected useful life of your solar system.

Author: Andrew Sendy | Home Solar Journalist

Andy is deeply concerned about climate change but is also concerned about cost of living pressures on American families. He advocates for solar energy and solar battery storage only to the extent that they make financial sense for homeowners. He is not affiliated with any particular solar company in the United States.

How much do solar panels save in 2020?

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