Solar in Santa Maria, CA
With PG&E's electricity at about 40.5¢ per kWh and 1,704 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Santa Maria home today: about a 10.1-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 10.1 yrsCalifornia: 10.9 yrs
- 25-year net
- $24,938after paying $10,700
- Sun
- 1,704kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 40.5¢125% above U.S. average
A typical Santa Maria home, by the numbers
| Utility | PG&E |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 405 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3 kW, about 7 panels, 5,111 kWh a year (105% of use) |
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $981 |
| Payback | 10.1 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 Maria
- Owner-occupied homes
- 50%
- Single-family detached
- 60%
- Median home value
- $532k
- Median year built
- 1982
- Population
- 110,462
- Solar installs, last 3 years*
- 2,125
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 98%
Census ACS 2020–2024. *Installations in public records for this area's ZIP codes. †Share of 22,669 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Santa Maria
Companies with the most installations in Santa Maria's ZIP codes over the last 3 years, from public records. We don't take payment for placement.
- Sunrun 1,242 installs
- Bright OPS 141 installs
- Tesla Energy 86 installs
- SunPower 48 installs
- Kuubix Global 47 installs
- A.m. Sun Solar 30 installs
- Complete Solar 28 installs
- ESP Contracting 27 installs
- Axiom 360 25 installs
- Ilum Energy Solutions 25 installs
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Santa Maria
Is solar worth it in Santa Maria, CA?
For a typical home in Santa Maria, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 3 kW system costs about $10,700 after state incentives, saves about $981 in year one and pays back in about 10.1 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Santa Maria?
About 1,704 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 3% more than the California average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Santa Maria?
Most homes in Santa Maria are served by PG&E, at about 40.5¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Santa Maria?
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
- Orcutt 10 yrs
- Lompoc 10.1 yrs
- San Luis Obispo 10.1 yrs
- Atascadero 10.1 yrs
- Goleta 10.6 yrs
- El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) 10 yrs
- Eastern Goleta Valley 10.6 yrs
- Santa Barbara 10.7 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.