Solar in Seattle, WA
With City of Seattle's electricity at about 15.8¢ per kWh and 1,088 kWh of sun per kW, solar is a close call for a typical Seattle home today: about a 15.9-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 15.9 yrsWashington: 16.2 yrs
- 25-year net
- $13,568after paying $15,720
- Sun
- 1,088kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 15.8¢12% below U.S. average
A typical Seattle home, by the numbers
| Utility | City of Seattle |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 594 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 5.2 kW, about 12 panels, 5,657 kWh a year (79% of use) |
| Cost | $15,720 |
| First-year savings | $894 |
| Payback | 15.9 years |
| Exported power | Full retail net metering (City of Seattle) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 3.8% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Seattle
- Owner-occupied homes
- 44%
- Single-family detached
- 37%
- Median home value
- $939k
- Median year built
- 1976
- Population
- 754,195
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 85%
Census ACS 2020–2024. †Share of 148,316 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Seattle
Public installation records for Washington don't name installers, so we can't rank local companies here. Browse installers in Washington.
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Seattle
Is solar worth it in Seattle, WA?
For a typical home in Seattle, solar is a close call at 2026 prices: a 5.2 kW system costs about $15,720 after state incentives, saves about $894 in year one and pays back in about 15.9 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Seattle?
About 1,088 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 Washington average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Seattle?
Most homes in Seattle are served by City of Seattle, at about 15.8¢ per kWh on average. Some areas are served by Puget Sound Energy, PUD No 1 of Snohomish County.
How much do solar panels cost in Seattle?
A fair cash price is around $2.85 per watt before incentives, so about $15,720 for a 5.2 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Mercer Island 13.9 yrs
- Kirkland 13.3 yrs
- Bellevue 13.6 yrs
- Shoreline 16 yrs
- Burien 13.2 yrs
- Redmond 14 yrs
- Renton 13.9 yrs
- SeaTac 13.5 yrs
- All of Washington
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.