Solar in Chattanooga, TN
With City of Chattanooga's electricity at about 13.3¢ per kWh and 1,335 kWh of sun per kW, solar is not worth it for a typical Chattanooga home today: it does not pay back within 25 years.
- Payback, typical home
- NeverTennessee: 24 yrs
- 25-year net
- −$255after paying $19,000
- Sun
- 1,335kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 13.3¢26% below U.S. average
A typical Chattanooga home, by the numbers
| Utility | City of Chattanooga |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 1,121 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5 kW, about 12 panels, 6,677 kWh a year (50% of use) |
| Cost | $19,000 |
| First-year savings | $706 |
| Payback | never within 25 years |
| Exported power | 2.7¢/kWh (City of Chattanooga) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 2.5% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Chattanooga
- Owner-occupied homes
- 52%
- Single-family detached
- 58%
- Median home value
- $283k
- Median year built
- 1976
- Population
- 185,783
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 79%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 51,637 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Chattanooga
Public installation records for Tennessee don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Tennessee.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Chattanooga
Is solar worth it in Chattanooga, TN?
For a typical home in Chattanooga, solar is not worth it at 2026 prices: a 5 kW system costs about $19,000 after state incentives, saves about $706 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 Chattanooga?
About 1,335 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 2% less than the Tennessee average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Chattanooga?
Most homes in Chattanooga are served by City of Chattanooga, at about 13.3¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative.
How much do solar panels cost in Chattanooga?
A fair cash price is around $3.60 per watt before incentives, so about $19,000 for a 5 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Cleveland 24.5 yrs
- Cookeville no payback
- Oak Ridge no payback
- Maryville 25 yrs
- Murfreesboro no payback
- Smyrna no payback
- Knoxville 23.6 yrs
- La Vergne 23.4 yrs
- All of Tennessee
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.