Is Solar Worth It in North Carolina? (2024 Homeowner's Guide)

Watch Below: Learn Why North Carolina Is the Perfect State To Go Solar

How to Figure Out if Solar Panels are Worth It in North Carolina

Solar panels will end up saving most homeowners in NC money over time, but they aren’t a worthwhile investment for every home. We’ll go over some of the things you should consider to help determine if solar is right for you.

What’s Your NC Home Electricity Consumption?

First, you’ll want to figure out how much electricity your home consumes in an average month. Since the primary benefit of solar panels is the savings they afford on electric bills, power consumption is an important metric to determine solar viability. Generally speaking, homes that consume fewer than 500 kilowatt-hours in an average month are not good candidates for solar panels. You can check your utility bills for your average usage over the past year. If you consume under that benchmark of 500 kWh, you might want to reconsider solar panels. With that being said, the average energy consumption per month in North Carolina is 1,041 kWh, so the large majority of NC residents will qualify for solar panels in terms of energy usage.

How Much Is It To Go Solar in North Carolina?

Of course, the total you pay for your solar array will play a role in your return on investment. The price of solar panels in North Carolina averages around $3.21 per watt, or about $23,594 — after the federal tax credit is considered — for the full 10.5-kW system that is typically required in the area. Both the per-watt price and the total for an average solar panel system are well below the national average, meaning your money goes further in NC for photovoltaic equipment than in many other states. Solar provides more value to homeowners who pay above-average prices for electricity, whether that stems from high electricity rates or high energy consumption. The electricity prices are below average in North Carolina, but the typical energy consumption of 1,041 kWh is above the national average of 881 kWh. As such, solar panels are worth a bit more in North Carolina than in the rest of the country, on average.

What’s the Payback Period for Solar in North Carolina?

One enormous upside to installing solar panels is that they almost always pay for themselves over time. You can determine how long that process will take for your home by calculating the solar panel payback period. The average payback period in North Carolina is 13 years, compared to the national average of 12 years. A normal range in NC is 10 to 16 years. Your solar panels are expected to last for 25+ years, which means any life after your payback period will afford you additional savings. On average, North Carolina homeowners will experience about 12 years of energy savings after their panels pay for themselves, which is outstanding. If your payback period is longer than 16 years, your total return on investment will be lower than average, although you’ll still likely save money in the long run.

What Are Average Buy-Back Rates in North Carolina?

Net metering is a policy that is highly favorable for solar customers, and it’s mandated in many states. Through interconnection via your inverters, the program lets you overproduce electricity and sell the excess back to your utility company. In most cases, you’ll receive a credit on your energy bill for every kWh of excess generation. North Carolina does mandate net metering, so all solar customers will have access to this incentive. Best of all, North Carolina’s Public Service Commission requires that all electricity providers buy back energy at the full retail rate, which means you’ll get credited the same amount you’d pay per kWh coming into your home for each kWh you produce. This is about the best-case scenario for net metering, and it makes eliminating your energy bills a distinct possibility.

How Much Sun Does Your Roof Receive?

Solar panels turn sunlight into electricity, which saves you money on your electric bill. As such, homes that receive more sunlight will naturally experience more savings. North Carolina experiences around 213 sunny days per year, on average, which is more than most other states, which average around 205. As such, solar panels will be slightly more valuable in NC in terms of available sunlight. To determine your home’s viability, though, you’ll also have to take some individual factors into consideration. For example, the direction your roof faces can affect how efficient your panels are. In the US, south-facing roofs are best suited for solar, while west-facing roofs are less ideal but can still make solar conversion worthwhile. Additionally, shading on your roof can make a big difference in solar viability. If you have tree coverage or buildings casting shadows and obstructing the sun on your roof, your panels will produce less energy and save you less overall.

What’s the Outlook on Solar in North Carolina?

North Carolina ranks 4th in the country for solar conversions, which means solar power is more prevalent and popular here than in most other states. Solar is looked on very favorably and is the Old North State’s primary renewable energy source. Utility-scale solar is wildly popular throughout North Carolina, and residential solar conversions have also been increasing in popularity over the last decade. The strength of the solar market in NC is primarily due to the state’s aggressive Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goals and the many solar incentives afforded to residents that make solar more appealing and more affordable. The solar industry in North Carolina doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, so the likelihood is that the market will continue to grow in the near future.

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Benefits of Solar Energy in North Carolina

Going solar in North Carolina provides many benefits, including financial perks and positive environmental change. We’ll include some information on the most appealing benefits of solar panels below.

Electricity Bill Savings

By far, the most significant financial benefit of going solar is the savings your panels will provide on your energy bills. Although the electricity rate is below average in NC, homeowners still stand to save around $132.31 per month if they can eliminate their electric bills, which is a good possibility thanks to the state’s excellent net metering policy. That comes out to a potential annual saving of $1,587. After your panels pay for themselves, you’re expected to save a total of $24,794 in energy savings over the remaining life of your rooftop solar system. In actuality, you could save even more. These numbers assume that the current electricity rate won’t change, and the likelihood is that energy rates will continue to climb. Converting to solar essentially lets you lock in a lower electricity rate for the 25+ years your system is expected to perform.

Lower Taxes & Access to Other Incentives

Solar is so prevalent in North Carolina in large part because the state provides so many appealing solar incentives to make going solar a better and more affordable option. One of the most crucial incentives comes from the federal government in the form of the federal solar tax credit (ITC). The ITC is for 30% of your total installation expense or an average of $10,112 in North Carolina. That amount gets credited to your federal income tax liability for the year you install and commission your system. Some additional state solar incentives in North Carolina are listed below:

• Property Tax Abatement for Solar Electric Systems: This is a property tax exemption that prevents your property taxes from increasing as a result of the value your solar energy system will add to your home value.
• Net Metering: North Carolina mandates net metering at the full retail rate, which helps homeowners eliminate electric bills and enjoy massive monthly savings that make solar panels more valuable.
• Duke Energy Solar Rebate: For Duke Energy customers, there is a $400 rebate for every kW of solar PV equipment installed, up to $4,000.
• Solar Financing Options: North Carolina has a state law that allows individual municipalities to offer affordable financing. The interest rate and loan term are often capped to ensure the loans remain widely accessible.

Home Resale Value Increase

Another substantial benefit of going solar that many solar customers forget to consider is the bump in home value solar panels provide. In a recent EcoWatch solar outlook survey, 70% of homeowners agreed that solar panels increase a home’s resale value, and 63% responded that they would pay more for a home that had solar panels.

According to estimates from Zillow, your property value will increase by an average of 4.1% when you install a solar power system.³ Given the average home value of $320,716, the typical NC solar customers will enjoy approximately $13,149 in added property value.⁴

Your value increase could be even more substantial in high-value areas, like Raleigh and Charlotte. It should be noted that this increase in value only applies to solar customers who purchase their systems in cash or use a solar loan to finance panels. Solar leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs) are less desirable in most cases, in part because they don’t bump up home value.

Clean, Renewable Energy

While many homeowners will find the financial benefits mentioned above most appealing, there are also environmental upsides to converting to clean energy that will be even more enticing to some North Carolina residents. Most importantly, you’ll reduce your dependency on your utility company and fossil fuels in general, which means you’ll be limiting your carbon footprint and reducing how much you contribute to air and water pollution via emissions. Energy dependency also means you can avoid electricity rate spikes, which are expected in the future.

What to Look Out For When Considering Solar in North Carolina

If you’ve determined that solar is a worthwhile investment for your home, there are some things you should keep in mind as you move forward with finding a solar company to install your panels. We’ll discuss some additional considerations to make below.

Upfront Fees

The upfront fees of solar panels will be important to any solar customer, including those in North Carolina who pay less for solar equipment than homeowners in most other states. There are several things you can do to keep your upfront fees down. First, you can choose a solar installer that carries cheaper solar panels, although you will be sacrificing efficiency for affordability. Second, you can avoid add-on options like solar batteries and electric vehicle chargers, as these add significantly to your expenses. Finally, and most importantly, you can choose a loan option that doesn’t require a down payment or requires a small one.

Payback Period

Your estimated solar panel payback period is an important metric not only because it helps you determine solar viability for your home but also because you can use it to estimate your ROI. Solar PV systems in North Carolina typically pay for themselves within 10 to 16 years or an average of 13 years. If you find that your estimated payback period is longer than 16 years — using a solar calculator or a solar installer’s estimate — your total return on investment will be lower than average.

Net Metering Policies in North Carolina

North Carolina has an outstanding net metering program that guarantees you will be credited at the full retail rate for the excess energy you produce. For most North Carolinians, this means it will be relatively easy to offset and even eliminate electric bills entirely without having to add on a battery for solar energy storage. This favorable policy maximizes solar savings in the Tar Heel State.

Pending Policies & Changes to Incentives

Nothing is as constant as change in the solar industry, so you should be prepared for alterations to existing policies and incentives. Some of the incentives and rebate programs above could expire or change in the future, and new ones could be added to make solar even more appealing in North Carolina. We don’t recommend waiting for better incentives to come along, but you should absolutely check for updates to policies and perks before committing to solar panels.

Weather & Climate in North Carolina

Since North Carolina is far from the sunniest state, some homeowners worry that cloudy days will reduce panel efficiency. While this is true, North Carolina receives more than the average number of sunny days per year, which means solar panels will be more profitable here than in most other states. Some residents also worry about the extreme weather that’s prevalent in NC, including hurricanes, tropical storms and the occasional tornado. The rain these weather events bring will actually keep your panels clear of dirt and debris, which will maximize their efficiency for sunny weather. Strong winds can be damaging to solar panels, but choosing a solar installer that provides a good warranty is often enough to put any concerns to rest.

Companies Pushing Solar Leases or PPAs

Finally, you should be prepared to choose a reputable solar installer to handle your solar project, as not all solar companies are equal. There are some in North Carolina that advertise “free solar panels” that aren’t really free. Instead, this is a marketing ploy to get you to sign a solar lease. Solar leases are less appealing than solar loans and cash purchases because they don’t let you take the ITC, they save homeowners far less over time and they don’t positively affect property values. In the worst-case scenario, unwitting customers could end up getting scammed by disingenuous companies that are prevalent in NC, given the popularity of solar. NC Electric Cooperatives warns consumers about solar scams that leave them thousands of dollars in debt and with panels that stop working shortly after installation.⁵ Other reports from Energy Consumers of the Carolinas confirm that solar scams are prevalent in the area and often involve less appealing solar lease options, aggressive sales tactics and inflated savings claims.⁶ Always be sure to work with a vetted and reputable solar installer to avoid any issues.

Wrap Up: Is Solar Worth it in North Carolina?

Going solar is a worthwhile and profitable investment for most North Carolina residents, saving homeowners in the area an average of $24,794 over the lifetime of their systems. However, solar panels are not ideal for every home, and completing an assessment of your property to determine solar viability is a crucial step to take before committing. Some of the most important things to consider include your monthly electric bills, your estimated solar panel payback period, the size of the system you need to offset your electric bills, and the direction your roof faces. We suggest contacting a reliable solar panel installation company in your area to help you decide if solar is the right move for your home.

See also: Calculate the costs and savings you can get from installing solar panels

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Read More About Going Solar

• What Incentives Are Available to North Carolina Solar Customers?
• What Are the Most Reliable Solar Companies in North Carolina?
• Find Cost Savings on Solar in North Carolina

The cost information presented in this article is derived from a comprehensive analysis, incorporating data from multiple industry sources. The average cost per watt per state was calculated based on figures from Consumer Affairs, Energy Sage, and Berkeley Lab’s Electricity Markets & Policy Department. Additionally, monthly energy consumption and the average monthly cost of electricity were sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, ensuring a well-rounded and accurate representation of the information presented.