Solar in Urbandale, IA
With MidAmerican Energy's electricity at about 11.5¢ per kWh and 1,403 kWh of sun per kW, solar is not worth it for a typical Urbandale home today: it does not pay back within 25 years.
- Payback, typical home
- NeverIowa: 22.7 yrs
- 25-year net
- −$1,776after paying $14,875
- Sun
- 1,403kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 11.5¢36% below U.S. average
A typical Urbandale home, by the numbers
| Utility | MidAmerican Energy |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 828 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3.5 kW, about 8 panels, 4,912 kWh a year (49% of use) |
| Cost | $14,875 |
| First-year savings | $564 |
| Payback | never within 25 years |
| Exported power | Full retail net metering (MidAmerican Energy) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 1.6% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Urbandale
- Owner-occupied homes
- 78%
- Single-family detached
- 69%
- Median home value
- $336k
- Median year built
- 1992
- Population
- 46,595
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 94%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 10,839 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Urbandale
Public installation records for Iowa don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Iowa.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Urbandale
Is solar worth it in Urbandale, IA?
For a typical home in Urbandale, solar is not worth it at 2026 prices: a 3.5 kW system costs about $14,875 after state incentives, saves about $564 in year one and does not pay back within 25 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Urbandale?
About 1,403 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 2% more than the Iowa average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Urbandale?
Most homes in Urbandale are served by MidAmerican Energy, at about 11.5¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Urbandale?
A fair cash price is around $3.75 per watt before incentives, so about $14,875 for a 3.5 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- West Des Moines no payback
- Waukee no payback
- Des Moines no payback
- Ankeny no payback
- Ames no payback
- Marshalltown 15.9 yrs
- Ottumwa 15.8 yrs
- Cedar Falls no payback
- All of Iowa
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.