Solar in Santa Cruz, CA
With PG&E's electricity at about 40.5¢ per kWh and 1,504 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Santa Cruz home today: about a 10.4-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 10.4 yrsCalifornia: 10.9 yrs
- 25-year net
- $23,629after paying $10,700
- Sun
- 1,504kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 40.5¢125% above U.S. average
A typical Santa Cruz home, by the numbers
| Utility | PG&E |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 405 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3 kW, about 7 panels, 4,513 kWh a year (93% of use) |
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $940 |
| Payback | 10.4 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 Santa Cruz
- Owner-occupied homes
- 48%
- Single-family detached
- 56%
- Median home value
- $1.2M
- Median year built
- 1970
- Population
- 61,607
- Solar installs, last 3 years*
- 1,478
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 85%
Census ACS 2020–2024. *Installations in public records for this area's ZIP codes. †Share of 15,415 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 Santa Cruz
Companies with the most installations in Santa Cruz's ZIP codes over the last 3 years, from public records. We don't take payment for placement.
- Allterra Solar 422 installs
- Sandbar 179 installs
- Sunrun 165 installs
- Solar Technologies 72 installs
- DAY One Solar 58 installs
- Tesla Energy 46 installs
- EXO Energy 28 installs
- Nexus Energy Systems 27 installs
- Bright OPS 26 installs
- Solcon Solar Construction 26 installs
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Santa Cruz
Is solar worth it in Santa Cruz, CA?
For a typical home in Santa Cruz, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 3 kW system costs about $10,700 after state incentives, saves about $940 in year one and pays back in about 10.4 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Santa Cruz?
About 1,504 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 9% less than the California average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Santa Cruz?
Most homes in Santa Cruz are served by PG&E, at about 40.5¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Santa Cruz?
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
- Watsonville 10.4 yrs
- Los Gatos 10.2 yrs
- Saratoga 10.1 yrs
- Campbell 10.1 yrs
- Cupertino 10.1 yrs
- Morgan Hill 10.3 yrs
- Gilroy 10.3 yrs
- San Jose 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.