Solar in Kingsport, TN
With City of Bristol's electricity at about 11.8¢ per kWh and 1,348 kWh of sun per kW, solar is not worth it for a typical Kingsport home today: it does not pay back within 25 years.
- Payback, typical home
- NeverTennessee: 24 yrs
- 25-year net
- −$2,324after paying $21,480
- Sun
- 1,348kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 11.8¢34% below U.S. average
A typical Kingsport home, by the numbers
| Utility | City of Bristol |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 1,296 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5.8 kW, about 13 panels, 7,820 kWh a year (50% of use) |
| Cost | $21,480 |
| First-year savings | $741 |
| 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 Kingsport
- Owner-occupied homes
- 60%
- Single-family detached
- 63%
- Median home value
- $234k
- Median year built
- 1975
- Population
- 56,262
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 88%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 12,600 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Kingsport
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 Kingsport
Is solar worth it in Kingsport, TN?
For a typical home in Kingsport, solar is not worth it at 2026 prices: a 5.8 kW system costs about $21,480 after state incentives, saves about $741 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 Kingsport?
About 1,348 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 1% less than the Tennessee average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Kingsport?
Most homes in Kingsport are served by City of Bristol, at about 11.8¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by City of Elizabethton, Kingsport Power, Holston Electric Cooperative.
How much do solar panels cost in Kingsport?
A fair cash price is around $3.60 per watt before incentives, so about $21,480 for a 5.8 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Johnson City 24.4 yrs
- Bristol no payback
- Morristown 24.4 yrs
- Knoxville 23.6 yrs
- Maryville 25 yrs
- Oak Ridge no payback
- Cleveland 24.5 yrs
- Cookeville 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.