Solar in Cambridge, MA
With Eversource Massachusetts's electricity at about 32.4¢ per kWh and 1,320 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Cambridge home today: about a 7.1-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 7.1 yrsMassachusetts: 7.6 yrs
- 25-year net
- $63,180after paying $16,750
- Sun
- 1,320kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 32.4¢80% above U.S. average
A typical Cambridge home, by the numbers
| Utility | Eversource Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 548 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5 kW, about 12 panels, 6,600 kWh a year (100% of use) |
| Cost | $17,750, or $16,750 after state incentives |
| First-year savings | $2,033 |
| Payback | 7.1 years |
| Exported power | Full retail net metering (Massachusetts rule) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 4.0% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Cambridge
- Owner-occupied homes
- 33%
- Single-family detached
- 10%
- Median home value
- $1.1M
- Median year built
- 1950
- Population
- 118,796
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 80%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 10,320 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 Cambridge
Public installation records for Massachusetts don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Massachusetts.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Cambridge
Is solar worth it in Cambridge, MA?
For a typical home in Cambridge, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 5 kW system costs about $16,750 after state incentives, saves about $2,033 in year one and pays back in about 7.1 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Cambridge?
About 1,320 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 Massachusetts average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Cambridge?
Most homes in Cambridge are served by Eversource Massachusetts, at about 32.4¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Cambridge?
A fair cash price is around $3.35 per watt before incentives, so about $17,750 for a 5 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Somerville 6.9 yrs
- Watertown 7.6 yrs
- Medford 6.9 yrs
- Belmont 7.2 yrs
- Arlington 7.2 yrs
- Brookline 7.3 yrs
- Everett 6.9 yrs
- Chelsea 7 yrs
- All of Massachusetts
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.