Solar in Santa Rosa, CA
With PG&E's electricity at about 40.5¢ per kWh and 1,524 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Santa Rosa home today: about a 10.4-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 10.4 yrsCalifornia: 10.9 yrs
- 25-year net
- $23,785after paying $10,700
- Sun
- 1,524kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 40.5¢125% above U.S. average
A typical Santa Rosa home, by the numbers
| Utility | PG&E |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 405 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3 kW, about 7 panels, 4,573 kWh a year (94% of use) |
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $944 |
| 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 Rosa
- Owner-occupied homes
- 57%
- Single-family detached
- 58%
- Median home value
- $714k
- Median year built
- 1980
- Population
- 177,090
- Solar installs, last 3 years*
- 4,328
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 92%
Census ACS 2020–2024. *Installations in public records for this area's ZIP codes. †Share of 47,933 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Santa Rosa
Companies with the most installations in Santa Rosa's ZIP codes over the last 3 years, from public records. We don't take payment for placement.
- Sunrun 919 installs
- Northern Pacific Power Systems 356 installs
- SunPower 207 installs
- Tesla Energy 200 installs
- Bright OPS 166 installs
- Freedom Forever 140 installs
- C S S Construction 122 installs
- Solara Home Energy 112 installs
- Better Earth Electric 105 installs
- Suntegrity Solar 104 installs
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Santa Rosa
Is solar worth it in Santa Rosa, CA?
For a typical home in Santa Rosa, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 3 kW system costs about $10,700 after state incentives, saves about $944 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 Rosa?
About 1,524 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 8% less than the California average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Santa Rosa?
Most homes in Santa Rosa are served by PG&E, at about 40.5¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Santa Rosa?
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
- Rohnert Park 10.4 yrs
- Windsor 10.3 yrs
- Petaluma 10.3 yrs
- Napa 10.3 yrs
- Novato 10.2 yrs
- Vallejo 10.3 yrs
- San Rafael 10.3 yrs
- Hercules 10.3 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.