Solar panels in Washington

Q: Is solar worth it in Washington?

At 11.3 cents per kWh and 1,262 usable sun hours, a typical system pays back in about 16.9 years.

Q: How much do solar panels cost in Washington?

A 10.4 kW system costs about $29,640 before incentives.

Roofs across Washington get about 1,262 hours of usable sunlight a year, and electricity costs 11.3¢/kWh. That combination puts a typical system's payback at 16.9 years. Here's the detail, from real rooftop data across 4 Washington cities.

1,262Sun hours / yr

11.3¢Per kWh

26Panels typical

16.9 yrPayback

Solar is a slow payback in Washington. At 16.9 years, mostly because electricity here costs 11.3¢/kWh, this only makes sense as a long-horizon decision or with local incentives. Check the numbers hard.

Check your own roof in Washington → These are regional figures; your roof's size, pitch and shading move them a lot.

How Washington compares

Washington gets more sunlight than 3% of the cities we measure, and its electricity costs more than 10% of states and provinces. Both matter, but not equally: the electricity rate usually matters more, because solar saves money by replacing power you would otherwise buy. A sunny state with cheap power often pays back slower than a cloudy state with expensive power. Why that happens →

Solar by city in Washington

City	Sun hrs/yr	Panels	Net cost	Payback
Spokane	1,410	23	$18,354	15 yrs
Seattle	1,262	26	$20,748	16.9 yrs
Tacoma	1,184	27	$21,546	17.6 yrs
Bellevue	1,175	28	$22,344	18.1 yrs

What a system costs in Washington

System	Size	kWh/yr	Net cost	Saves/yr	Payback
8 panels	3.2 kW	3,433	$6,384	$388	16.5 yrs
12 panels	4.8 kW	5,149	$9,576	$582	16.5 yrs
16 panels	6.4 kW	6,865	$12,768	$776	16.5 yrs
20 panels	8 kW	8,582	$15,960	$970	16.5 yrs
26 panels	10.4 kW	11,156	$20,748	$1,230	16.9 yrs

Payback stops improving as systems grow, then gets worse. You can only save on electricity you were going to buy, so once a system covers your usage the extra panels mostly export at a lower rate.

Washington solar incentives

Every US household can claim the 30% federal residential clean energy credit, which is what the "after credit" figures above assume. On a $29,640 system that is $8,892 back. How the credit works →

State, utility and municipal incentives stack on top and change often — Washington may offer rebates, property or sales tax exemptions, or performance payments. We deliberately don't list specific state programmes here because they change several times a year and stale numbers are worse than none. The DSIRE database is the standard reference and is kept current.

Net metering is the one to actually check. It decides what your utility pays for exported power, and it affects your return far more than most rebates. Rules vary by utility, not just by state, and have been getting less generous. Ask any installer exactly which net metering tariff you would be on.

Washington solar questions

Is solar worth it in Washington?

At 11.3¢/kWh and 1,262 usable sun hours, a typical system pays back in about 16.9 years and returns roughly $10,013 over 25 years. That is slower than average, so compare quotes carefully.

How many solar panels do I need in Washington?

About 26 panels for a home using 10,800 kWh a year. Each 400W panel produces roughly 429 kWh annually at Washington sunlight levels.

How much do solar panels cost in Washington?

A 10.4 kW system runs about $29,640 before incentives and $20,748 after the 30% federal credit. Quotes vary widely by installer and roof complexity — get three.

Worth reading before you buy

What your utility pays for exportsChanges payback more than any equipment choice 12 questions to ask before signingIdentical systems vary 30–40% in price How long until it pays for itself?Guide Do panels work in winter?Guide

Regional estimates generated 2026-08-22 from Google Solar API rooftop samples across 4 Washington cities, and average Washington electricity rates. Not a quote and not financial or tax advice.