Solar in Cleveland, TN
With City of Cleveland's electricity at about 13.7¢ per kWh and 1,336 kWh of sun per kW, solar is not worth it for a typical Cleveland home today: about a 24.5-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 24.5 yrsTennessee: 24 yrs
- 25-year net
- $461after paying $19,000
- Sun
- 1,336kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 13.7¢24% below U.S. average
A typical Cleveland home, by the numbers
| Utility | City of Cleveland |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 1,118 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5 kW, about 12 panels, 6,681 kWh a year (50% of use) |
| Cost | $19,000 |
| First-year savings | $727 |
| Payback | 24.5 years |
| Exported power | No statewide net metering (Tennessee rule) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 2.5% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Cleveland
- Owner-occupied homes
- 48%
- Single-family detached
- 56%
- Median home value
- $272k
- Median year built
- 1983
- Population
- 48,829
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 93%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 14,120 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Cleveland
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 Cleveland
Is solar worth it in Cleveland, TN?
For a typical home in Cleveland, solar is not worth it at 2026 prices: a 5 kW system costs about $19,000 after state incentives, saves about $727 in year one and pays back in about 24.5 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Cleveland?
About 1,336 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 Cleveland?
Most homes in Cleveland are served by City of Cleveland, at about 13.7¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by City of Chattanooga, Volunteer Electric Cooperative.
How much do solar panels cost in Cleveland?
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
- Chattanooga no payback
- Oak Ridge no payback
- Maryville 25 yrs
- Knoxville 23.6 yrs
- Cookeville no payback
- Murfreesboro no payback
- Smyrna no payback
- Lebanon no payback
- 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.