See what a home solar system should cost before an installer quotes you. Enter the system size, and add a battery if you want one. You get a low-to-high installed price, before any incentive. No sign-up needed.
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| Solar system, installed | — |
| Home battery, installed | — |
| Tree trimming or removal | — |
National prices, not your state's. Prices are before any incentive; no federal tax credit is taken off. Installed prices include permits and grid hookup (EnergySage). A new electrical panel or roof repairs cost extra. This is not a savings or payback estimate. Based on EnergySage, This Old House, IRS cost data, updated September 2026. See sources.
Optional. The estimate above is yours either way. Leave your details and a local installer will call you for an exact, free quote.
Installed price of a typical 12 kW system, before any incentive. The trees are left as they are.
| Option | Battery cost | 12 kW system total | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| No battery | $0 | $27,500–$43,900 | Grid-tied only. No backup power in an outage. |
| Yes — one home battery (about 10 to 16 kWh) | $5,500–$18,500 | $33,000–$62,400 | Keeps essential devices running in an outage. |
Installers price solar by the watt. We multiply your system size by $2.29 to $3.66 per watt, the span of state averages This Old House reports. Then we add a battery or tree work if you pick them. Every figure comes from the sources below. We round to the nearest $100.
The price is before any incentive. The federal 30% credit for systems you buy ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Read what changed with the solar tax credit. Before you sign, check whether your roof is ready and use our questions to ask before signing. Or find solar installers in your city.
EnergySage says a typical home needs about 12 kW of solar, and the average quote is $31,135 before incentives. That is about $2.60 per watt. This Old House reports state averages from $2.29 to $3.66 per watt for a 10 kW system.
Not for a system you buy and install now. The IRS says the Residential Clean Energy Credit "is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025" (IRS.gov, page reviewed July 4, 2026). Systems placed in service by that date could still qualify. Ask a tax professional about your own case.
EnergySage divides your yearly electricity use by a production ratio, which runs from 1.1 to 1.6 across the U.S. The average home uses 10,791 kWh a year, or about 900 kWh a month. That works out to 16 to 23 panels of 440 watts.
EnergySage reports an average of $15,647 installed for 13.5 kWh of storage, before incentives. Among the ten most-quoted brands, typical systems range from $5,472 to $18,480.
On a $31,135 system, EnergySage puts the panels at 12% of the price and installation labor at 7%. Sales and marketing take 18%, and permits and grid hookup take 8%. The rest covers the inverter, wiring, racking, overhead and profit.
Shade cuts how much power the panels make. EnergySage says removing or cutting back big trees that shade the roof costs $300 to $1,500.
National figures. We do not adjust for your region. Rates checked September 2026.