Solar in Nashville, TN
With Nashville Electric Service's electricity at about 14.4¢ per kWh and 1,338 kWh of sun per kW, solar is not worth it for a typical Nashville home today: about a 23.7-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 23.7 yrsTennessee: 24 yrs
- 25-year net
- $1,310after paying $18,070
- Sun
- 1,338kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 14.4¢20% below U.S. average
A typical Nashville home, by the numbers
| Utility | Nashville Electric Service |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 1,040 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 4.7 kW, about 11 panels, 6,291 kWh a year (50% of use) |
| Cost | $18,070 |
| First-year savings | $715 |
| Payback | 23.7 years |
| Exported power | 2.7¢/kWh (Nashville Electric Service) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 2.5% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Nashville
- Owner-occupied homes
- 52%
- Single-family detached
- 49%
- Median home value
- $414k
- Median year built
- 1987
- Population
- 690,130
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 88%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 181,813 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Nashville
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 Nashville
Is solar worth it in Nashville, TN?
For a typical home in Nashville, solar is not worth it at 2026 prices: a 4.7 kW system costs about $18,070 after state incentives, saves about $715 in year one and pays back in about 23.7 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Nashville?
About 1,338 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 Nashville?
Most homes in Nashville are served by Nashville Electric Service, at about 14.4¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by Middle Tennessee E M C.
How much do solar panels cost in Nashville?
A fair cash price is around $3.60 per watt before incentives, so about $18,070 for a 4.7 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Brentwood 23.3 yrs
- Hendersonville 23.4 yrs
- Mount Juliet no payback
- La Vergne 23.4 yrs
- Franklin no payback
- Smyrna no payback
- Gallatin 22.9 yrs
- 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.