Solar in Foster City, CA
With PG&E's electricity at about 40.5¢ per kWh and 1,640 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Foster City home today: about a 10.2-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 10.2 yrsCalifornia: 10.9 yrs
- 25-year net
- $24,480after paying $10,700
- Sun
- 1,640kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 40.5¢125% above U.S. average
A typical Foster City home, by the numbers
| Utility | PG&E |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 405 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3 kW, about 7 panels, 4,919 kWh a year (101% of use) |
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $966 |
| Payback | 10.2 years |
| Exported power | 3.9¢/kWh (PG&E) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 4.0% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Foster City
- Owner-occupied homes
- 51%
- Single-family detached
- 35%
- Median home value
- $1.8M
- Median year built
- 1976
- Population
- 32,792
- Solar installs, last 3 years*
- 1,055
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 98%
Census ACS 2020–2024. *Installations in public records for this area's ZIP codes. †Share of 6,818 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Foster City
Companies with the most installations in Foster City's ZIP codes over the last 3 years, from public records. We don't take payment for placement.
- Sunrun 205 installs
- Tesla Energy 132 installs
- SunPower 67 installs
- Rockin Roofers 44 installs
- Leonard Roofing 41 installs
- Bright OPS 34 installs
- Semper Solaris 29 installs
- Better Earth Electric 26 installs
- Freedom Forever 24 installs
- Your Energy Solutions 24 installs
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Foster City
Is solar worth it in Foster City, CA?
For a typical home in Foster City, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 3 kW system costs about $10,700 after state incentives, saves about $966 in year one and pays back in about 10.2 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Foster City?
About 1,640 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 1% less than the California average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Foster City?
Most homes in Foster City are served by PG&E, at about 40.5¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Foster City?
A fair cash price is around $2.90 per watt before incentives, so about $10,700 for a 3 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- San Mateo 10.1 yrs
- Redwood City 10.1 yrs
- Belmont 10.2 yrs
- San Carlos 10.1 yrs
- Burlingame 10.2 yrs
- Menlo Park 10.2 yrs
- Hayward 10.2 yrs
- South San Francisco 10.2 yrs
- All of California
Data: PVWatts (National Laboratory of the Rockies), EIA-861 2025 adjusted to 2026, U.S. Census ACS, LBNL Tracking the Sun, state policy research as of October 2026.