Solar in Cookeville, TN
With City of Cookeville's electricity at about 12.2¢ per kWh and 1,315 kWh of sun per kW, solar is not worth it for a typical Cookeville home today: it does not pay back within 25 years.
- Payback, typical home
- NeverTennessee: 24 yrs
- 25-year net
- −$2,528after paying $17,450
- Sun
- 1,315kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 12.2¢32% below U.S. average
A typical Cookeville home, by the numbers
| Utility | City of Cookeville |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 983 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 4.5 kW, about 10 panels, 5,918 kWh a year (50% of use) |
| Cost | $17,450 |
| First-year savings | $576 |
| Payback | never within 25 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 Cookeville
- Owner-occupied homes
- 41%
- Single-family detached
- 49%
- Median home value
- $305k
- Median year built
- 1991
- Population
- 36,088
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 83%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 7,186 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Cookeville
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 Cookeville
Is solar worth it in Cookeville, TN?
For a typical home in Cookeville, solar is not worth it at 2026 prices: a 4.5 kW system costs about $17,450 after state incentives, saves about $576 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 Cookeville?
About 1,315 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 4% less than the Tennessee average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Cookeville?
Most homes in Cookeville are served by City of Cookeville, at about 12.2¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by Upper Cumberland E M C, Caney Fork Electric Cooperative, Volunteer Electric Cooperative.
How much do solar panels cost in Cookeville?
A fair cash price is around $3.60 per watt before incentives, so about $17,450 for a 4.5 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Lebanon no payback
- Murfreesboro no payback
- Gallatin 22.9 yrs
- Mount Juliet no payback
- Smyrna no payback
- La Vergne 23.4 yrs
- Hendersonville 23.4 yrs
- Oak Ridge 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.