Solar Panel Cost in Pennsylvania (2024 Local Savings Guide)

How Does the Current Cost of Solar in Pennsylvania Compare to the National Average?

With Pennsylvania’s per-watt prices averaging around $3.26, solar equipment in the Keystone State is well below the national average in terms of pricing. For comparison, the average cost nationwide is $3.33 per watt.

Additionally, Pennsylvania residents use slightly below-average amounts of electricity per month — an average of 846 kilowatt-hours (kWh) as compared to 881 kWh across the country.¹ That means smaller systems — an average of 8.5 kW — are required in Pennsylvania than in the U.S. as a whole — an average of 9 kW. Residents of PA can expect to purchase a unit anywhere from 6kW system to a 12 kW system and be comfortable .

With lower equipment prices, your money goes further when converting to solar in the Keystone State. Plus, smaller system sizes mean lower overall conversion costs.
Watch Below: How Well Will Your Solar Panels Still Work When Covered In Snow?

How Are Solar Costs Trending in Pennsylvania?

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the cost of solar equipment in Pennsylvania has dropped over the last decade by approximately 53%.² A system that costs $19,397 today — around the average — would have cost nearly $40,000 in 2010.

This is good news for Pennsylvanians, as is the expected drop in the price of PV equipment in the coming years. Advancements in solar equipment efficiency and manufacturing have led to price drops over the years — and companies are still making advancements, so its likely costs will continue to drop.

While PV equipment is gradually becoming more affordable, the cost of not going solar — which is to say, sticking with fossil fuels for energy — is increasing in Pennsylvania.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), electricity prices in Pennsylvania have increased by nearly 24% in recent years.³ In that same time, the electricity rates in the U.S. have gone up by 21%. Not only have energy rates soared in Pennsylvania, but the increase over the past three years has outpaced most other states.

There are other things to consider regarding the cost of solar in Pennsylvania, though. In 2024, California pushed out net metering 3.0, which reduced the credit rate for excess energy exported to the grid. In turn, that significantly reduced long-term savings associated with going solar and made solar batteries all but necessary for solar to make financial sense.

Many states are expected to do the same in the near future, which means batteries could become a crucial part of solar costs in Pennsylvania in the coming years. Batteries add between $10,000 and $20,000 to your total installation cost, so the current average cost of solar in Pennsylvania of $27,710 before incentives could become $47,710 with batteries included. Batteries do qualify for the ITC as well, which means the effective total could come down to $33,397, but that’s still well above the current post-ITC cost now, which is $19,397.

With solar prices expected to go up in the future (if batteries do become necessary) and traditional electricity costs rising, there has historically never been a better time to convert to solar energy in Pennsylvania.

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How Much Can You Save by Going Solar in Pennsylvania Today?

The average Pennsylvania resident who pays for their solar system in cash will see utility bill savings that can pay off their panels and save an additional $39,508. These savings are a conservative estimate, as they’re based on current energy prices and don’t account for the rising cost of electricity.

Not only can solar panels save you money on monthly energy costs, but they can also help you avoid the burden of rising power rates.

It’s important to note that your total savings will depend on how you pay for your PV equipment, as well as on your net metering rate. Currently, all Pennsylvanians have access to the full retail rate for net metering, but if that goes down — as it is in many states — the long-term savings could be severely decreased.

In the chart below and the following sections, we’ll compare how your payment method affects your average energy savings when converting to renewable energy.

*These are conservative estimates intended to represent base-level averages. In most cases, customers can see an even higher return on investment (ROI) and shorter payback periods.

Cash Purchase of Solar System

Purchasing your solar system, no matter where you buy it, in cash is financially speaking, the best way to approach solar conversion. A cash purchase is expensive initially, but you’ll avoid the interest charges that drive up your total purchase price with loans, maximizing your long-term savings.

Since you won’t have an added interest cost when you pay with cash, you’ll begin saving money on your electricity bills immediately. You can expect your savings to pay off your system in the shortest time possible — 10 years — and then provide another decade of return on your solar investment, on average.

After paying for your system in cash, you can expect your monthly energy expenses to be significantly reduced, often dropping down or close to $0 if your system is sized appropriately for your home.

Cash purchases also allow you to take full advantage of all local incentives in Pennsylvania, which is not the case for other payment methods, like leases.

The most significant downside to paying in cash is that you need the entire cost of your system upfront. This total is $27,710 on average, as you won’t be able to take the federal tax credit until you file your taxes for the year you commission your equipment. This cost may be unrealistic for many Pennsylvania residents, making cash purchases less attainable overall.

Below are some pros and cons of using cash to buy your solar system in Pennsylvania.

Pros of a Cash Purchase in Pennsylvania

• Yields the largest return on investment
• Avoids interest charges, which reduces your total system cost
• Shortest possible panel payback timeline
• Leads to panel ownership
• You can take advantage of most solar incentives

Cons of a Cash Purchase in Pennsylvania

• Requires the highest amount of money upfront

Solar Loan

Paying for your system with a solar loan makes converting to renewable energy far more affordable and accessible to Pennsylvania residents. A loan lets you pay a small portion of your system cost initially — often $0 with today’s loan products — and finance the rest.

In most cases, your financier can structure your repayment schedule so your monthly loan payment is equal to or less than what you currently pay for energy every month. In Pennsylvania, that means a monthly expenditure at or below $152.⁴

Solar loans still lead to panel ownership, but they add interest to your total payment, making your all-in system price more expensive in the long run. Over the life of the loan, you can expect to pay approximately $5,000 in interest, although the total added cost can vary.

The added interest cost will prolong your payback period, usually by around three years, which means a lower overall return on investment than if you had paid with cash.

Solar financing still lets you take advantage of all solar incentives available in Pennsylvania, including the federal credit. State level solar incentives for PA also exist and can add to your savings.

Below, we’ll include a list of the upsides and downsides of choosing a loan to finance your PV equipment in Pennsylvania.

Pros of a Solar Loan in Pennsylvania

• Leads to panel ownership
• Provides a better ROI than leases
• Makes solar far more accessible and affordable
• Often requires no money down

Cons of a Solar Loan in Pennsylvania

• Lower savings compared to a cash purchase
• Higher overall system cost due to added interest
• Decent credit is required to qualify

Solar Lease

A solar lease used to be a popular option in the solar industry, as it’s a convenient way to get panels installed on your home without putting any money down. However, with loan terms becoming more appealing and offering no-down-payment requirements, leases have fallen out of favor.

Leases can be a good option for homeowners who just care about supporting the renewable energy movement and want to start saving money right away. Many leasing companies will set your monthly payment below what you currently pay for electricity, so you’ll see instant energy savings.

However, leases don’t lead to panel ownership. Instead, you lease the equipment and get to use the energy it generates to reduce your monthly utility bills. That means you’ll never pay off your panels, and your long-term savings will be significantly lower overall — in Pennsylvania, you can expect to save about a third of what you would with a loan.

Leases also don’t let you take advantage of the federal solar investment tax credit, which is an average savings of $8,313 that you’ll miss out on.

Below are some benefits and drawbacks of choosing a lease to finance solar in Pennsylvania.

Pros of a Solar Lease in Pennsylvania

• Usually no down payment required
• Maintenance and repairs are typically included at no cost
• Offers instant savings on energy bills
• Lets you support renewable energy without large initial expenditure

Cons of a Solar Lease in Pennsylvania

• Doesn’t lead to panel ownership
• Offers the lowest long-term savings
• Makes you ineligible for the federal solar tax credit
• Yields the lowest energy savings over time
• Requires a credit check

If you’re not sure which option is right for you, or want to explore the average costs of each payment method for your home, you can use this solar calculator to get started.

How Do You Get the Best Solar Prices in Pennsylvania?

Since the average cost of a complete solar PV system in Pennsylvania tops $27,000, most residents may look for ways to save money on equipment and keep costs as low as possible. There are a few things you can do — and incentives you can take advantage of — to bring your total cost below the average in Pennsylvania.

In the sections below, we’ll provide tips to help you minimize your all-in costs and maximize savings from your home solar system.

File for the Federal Solar Tax Credit

In our opinion, the best way to effectively save money on your solar panels in Pennsylvania is to make sure you file for the federal tax credit. It is a credit offered by the federal government for all solar equipment purchased in Pennsylvania, including panels, solar batteries, inverters and electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

The credit rate, previously 26% of your total system cost, was recently bumped to 30% with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in September 2022. At 30%, the federal credit averages around $8,313 in Pennsylvania. You can calculate your IRA savings with Ecowatch’s new tool.

It’s important to note that this is not a rebate. The credit offers a reduction to the income taxes you owe for the year after your system is installed in the amount of 30% of your system cost. This means two things.

• First, if you don’t owe income taxes at all, you won’t be able to take any of the credit.
• Second, if you don’t expect to owe at least $1,300 per year in income taxes, you won’t be able to take the full credit amount in Pennsylvania.
• You can, however, claim a partial credit and roll over the remaining amount each year for five years after you convert to solar.

You should also note that the credit will only be available until 2034. The rate will reduce according to the following schedule:

• The credit rate will be 30% for systems installed between 2022 and 2031
• The credit rate will drop to 26% in 2033
• The credit rate will drop to 22% in 2034
• The credit will no longer be available in 2035

Take Advantage of Net Metering

Net energy metering is a policy that ensures you get credit for all of the solar energy your system generates, even if you don’t use that energy as you produce it.

On sunny days, your panels will typically generate more energy than your home will use. Net metering allows you to send that excess energy back to the grid to pull from later, like on cloudy days or at night when your panels don’t produce as much energy.

Net metering credits you for all of the power your panels produce. You earn credits for each excess kWh generated, and those credits go toward future bills when your consumption outweighs your solar production. This can help you reduce more of your energy bills, maximizing your savings in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has an outstanding net energy metering program. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) requires all investor-owned utilities (IOUs) to credit solar customers for excess energy at the full retail rate. As such, every excess kWh you send to the grid will equate to one kWh you can pull from the grid for free at a later date.

Net metering helps to maximize your energy savings, which pays off your system more rapidly. Just remember that net metering policies are always subject to change, and, in recent history, they have changed for the worse. If the net metering rate goes down, long-term savings will be negatively affected and might require that you also purchase batteries to see a net profit in the long run.

Take Advantage of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs)

The Keystone State also has a local SREC market, which you can automatically opt into to boost long-term savings.

SRECs are credits you earn for every kWh you generate with your solar system. Those credits can then be sold on the local energy credit market for a profit, usually to utility companies that need to offset their carbon footprint.

SRECs in Pennsylvania had an average value of around $45 in 2024. With the typical 8.5 kW system in Pennsylvania producing close to 10 credits per year, that’s around $450 per year you can earn to put toward paying down your system. Over the first 15 years of your system’s lifespan, that’s around $6,750 in savings to help reduce the cost of solar panels for your home.

Get Multiple Solar Quotes

Finally, we recommend getting multiple quotes for your solar energy system to find the best price available.

According to the SEIA, Pennsylvania is home to over 240 solar installation companies, so you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. Each company charges different prices for equipment and labor, so the total can vary by hundreds or even thousands of dollars between providers.

We suggest getting a few free quotes from local installers and then comparing them based on the following factors.

• Overall cost
• Types of solar panels offered — monocrystalline or polycrystalline
• Quality of the equipment provided
• Warranty coverage included

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What Factors Affect the Cost of Solar Panel Systems in Pennsylvania?

The cost of solar PV systems in Pennsylvania often totals anywhere between $13,692 and $27,384 after the federal credit is applied. There are several things to consider to get an idea of where in this range your system price will fall. We’ll discuss the most prominent cost factors in the sections below.

Solar Equipment

The solar equipment you install on your property will always play a role in your total system price.

In Pennsylvania, residents enjoy 179 sunny days per year on average, which is lower than the national average of 205. More specifically, the western side of the state is prone to more cloudy days than the eastern side.⁵

With limited days of sun in certain parts of the state, it may be worth considering higher-priced high-efficiency panels — especially if other property-specific factors limit sunlight like a non-south-facing roof or lots of shade.

Pennsylvania also experiences some severe weather, including tornadoes (though they rarely cause damage), thunderstorms and heavy snowfall — making power outages more likely. Consequently, many homeowners supplement their panels with solar batteries, which can provide electricity through blackouts, but also add to your total system price.

Solar Financing in Pennsylvania

The payment method you use for your solar panel system is another factor that can bring your total cost up or down. Paying with cash is the cheapest option as you won’t pay interest, but you’ll have the highest up-front cost.

Solar loans are a more realistic option for most homeowners, and loans sometimes don’t require any money down. Interest payments, though, can add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars over time, increasing your all-in price to go solar.

It’s worth mentioning that solar loans are likely to become more popular and necessary in the future if net metering policies change, batteries become more of a necessity and solar installation costs go up by $10,000 to $20,000. Thankfully, Pennsylvania residents have quite a few loan options.

Pennsylvania has two programs to help make PV equipment loans more affordable — the Residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (R-PACE) program and the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program. Both programs provide low financing costs and rates to all Pennsylvania residents.

Pennsylvania doesn’t have financing options for low-income households specifically.

The Solar Company You Hire

Just as with any home improvement company, the provider you hire to install your solar panels will play a part in your system total. Solar companies can upcharge or discount equipment and offer varying rates for solar panel installation labor, which means identical systems from two separate companies could have completely different prices.

It’s important to look not only at the cost of the solar installer you choose but also at the quality of panels it provides.

For example, SunPower is a national solar company that services Pennsylvania. This installer only offers Maxeon panels, which have some of the highest efficiencies and top warranties on the market.

Yellowlite, another national company that operates in Pennsylvania, installs a variety of panel brands including Canadian Solar, SunPower, SolarWorld and Sunviva. Many of these brands will be significantly cheaper than Maxeon from SunPower, but the quality will also be lower.

Are There Any Maintenance Costs of Going Solar in Pennsylvania?

While the cost of converting to renewable energy in Pennsylvania can be quite high, the ongoing costs of maintaining your system are often non-existent.

One of the more common maintenance costs for solar equipment is panel cleaning. Over time, dirt, pollen and other debris can settle on your panels and absorb some of the sunlight that would otherwise be converted to electricity. This can bring down your solar savings and make your system less valuable overall.

Panel cleaning usually costs between $75 and $150 and is done one to two times a year. Pennsylvania residents don’t need this service, however, since the state sees above-average amounts of rainfall throughout the year and the precipitation serves to keep your panels clear of any significant build-up.⁶

The only other common maintenance cost after installation is removing panels for roof repair or replacement. In most cases, your installer will warn you before installation if your roof isn’t expected to outlast your panels. As such, choosing a reliable solar installer in Pennsylvania should help you avoid this maintenance cost altogether.

If you do need to remove and replace your panels, you’ll usually be looking at a one-time cost of between $500 and $1,000.

Typical Costs of Solar Providers in Pennsylvania

As mentioned above, residents of the Keystone State have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to solar installation companies, and prices range based on which you choose. Below, we’ll include some of our top picks for installers and the average cost of installation for each.

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Read More About Going Solar in Pennsylvania

• Best Solar Installers for Your Home in Pennsylvania
• Guide to Pennsylvania Solar Incentives
• Is Going Solar Worth It in Pennsylvania?

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.