Solar in Lafayette, CA
With PG&E's electricity at about 40.5¢ per kWh and 1,649 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Lafayette home today: about a 10.2-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 10.2 yrsCalifornia: 10.9 yrs
- 25-year net
- $24,560after paying $10,700
- Sun
- 1,649kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 40.5¢125% above U.S. average
A typical Lafayette home, by the numbers
| Utility | PG&E |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 405 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3 kW, about 7 panels, 4,948 kWh a year (102% of use) |
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $968 |
| 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 Lafayette
- Owner-occupied homes
- 77%
- Single-family detached
- 74%
- Median home value
- $2.0M
- Median year built
- 1960
- Population
- 25,285
- Solar installs, last 3 years*
- 815
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 84%
Census ACS 2020–2024. *Installations in public records for this area's ZIP codes. †Share of 7,423 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Older housing stock. Many homes here were built before 1975. Have the roof and electrical panel checked before signing; a roof or panel upgrade can add thousands. Roof first?
Installers working in Lafayette
Companies with the most installations in Lafayette's ZIP codes over the last 3 years, from public records. We don't take payment for placement.
- Sunrun 82 installs
- SunPower 75 installs
- Tesla Energy 73 installs
- GOT Watts Electric, Solar & Hvac 48 installs
- Citadel Roofing And Solar 40 installs
- Ambrose Solar 34 installs
- Diablo Solar Services 21 installs
- Semper Solaris 21 installs
- Your Energy Solutions 20 installs
- Solar Savings Direct 17 installs
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Lafayette
Is solar worth it in Lafayette, CA?
For a typical home in Lafayette, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 3 kW system costs about $10,700 after state incentives, saves about $968 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 Lafayette?
About 1,649 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 Lafayette?
Most homes in Lafayette are served by PG&E, at about 40.5¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Lafayette?
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
- Walnut Creek 10.1 yrs
- Pleasant Hill 10.2 yrs
- Martinez 10.2 yrs
- Concord 10.1 yrs
- Danville 10.1 yrs
- Berkeley 10.3 yrs
- Oakland 10.3 yrs
- El Cerrito 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.