Solar in Owensboro, KY
With City of Owensboro's electricity at about 14.2¢ per kWh and 1,365 kWh of sun per kW, solar is not worth it for a typical Owensboro home today: about a 19.5-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 19.5 yrsKentucky: 18.7 yrs
- 25-year net
- $4,152after paying $11,725
- Sun
- 1,365kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 14.2¢21% below U.S. average
A typical Owensboro home, by the numbers
| Utility | City of Owensboro |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 800 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3.5 kW, about 8 panels, 4,777 kWh a year (50% of use) |
| Cost | $11,725 |
| First-year savings | $598 |
| Payback | 19.5 years |
| Exported power | Net billing (reduced export credit) (Kentucky rule) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 2.5% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Owensboro
- Owner-occupied homes
- 57%
- Single-family detached
- 70%
- Median home value
- $179k
- Median year built
- 1972
- Population
- 60,302
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 81%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 18,631 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 Owensboro
Public installation records for Kentucky don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Kentucky.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Owensboro
Is solar worth it in Owensboro, KY?
For a typical home in Owensboro, solar is not worth it at 2026 prices: a 3.5 kW system costs about $11,725 after state incentives, saves about $598 in year one and pays back in about 19.5 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Owensboro?
About 1,365 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 Kentucky average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Owensboro?
Most homes in Owensboro are served by City of Owensboro, at about 14.2¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by Kenergy, Kentucky Utilities (KU).
How much do solar panels cost in Owensboro?
A fair cash price is around $2.85 per watt before incentives, so about $11,725 for a 3.5 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Henderson 22.1 yrs
- Bowling Green 20.8 yrs
- Hopkinsville 18.5 yrs
- Elizabethtown 18.9 yrs
- Louisville 20.5 yrs
- Jeffersontown 20.6 yrs
- Paducah 16.4 yrs
- Frankfort 22.2 yrs
- All of Kentucky
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.