Is solar worth it in Washington?
Short answer for a typical Washington home: a long payback — roughly 26.7 years to break even, with no federal credit left to claim. Run your own bill through the calculator below.
Data sources and assumptions
- Electricity ratesU.S. EIA · 2026 state averages
- Solar resourceNREL · 2026 state averages
- Federal tax treatmentIRS · Credit ended for installations completed after 31 Dec 2025 (P.L. 119-21)
- Installed costInstalled cost per watt · 2026 estimate, user-editable
State assumptions last reviewed: . Rules can change; verify your utility and state program before signing a contract. Full methodology.
Washington gets limited sunshine — about 3.5 peak sun hours a day — and residential electricity runs around $0.11/kWh. For a typical $150-a-month power bill, that points to roughly a 16.0-kW system costing about $48,034 — with no federal tax credit, which ended for installations completed after December 31, 2025 — paying for itself in about 26.7 years and netting on the order of $13,331 over 25 years. Your own numbers will differ — the calculator above uses your real bill.
Washington has the least sun and very cheap hydro electricity, so pure-savings payback is the longest in the country — solar here is more about energy independence than fast returns. The federal credit has ended, though there's a sales-tax exemption.
What changes the math in Washington
- Your electricity rate — the more you pay per kWh, the more each solar kWh saves you. Washington sits at about $0.11.
- Sun hours — more sun means a smaller, cheaper system covers the same usage. Washington averages ~3.5 hours.
- Net metering / buyback — how your utility credits power you export swings the payback; check your specific utility's current terms.
- Install cost — quotes vary by installer and roof; the calculator defaults to a typical $/watt you can override.
Common questions
Is solar worth it in Washington?
For a typical $150-a-month Washington power bill, this calculator points to roughly a 26.7-year payback on a 16.0-kW system, using 3.5 peak sun hours a day and an electricity rate near $0.11/kWh. That is a directional estimate, not a quote — your roof, your utility's export rules and the spread between installer quotes all move it.
Does Washington still have the 30% federal solar tax credit?
No. The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (IRC §25D) ended for systems whose installation was completed after December 31, 2025, so a Washington system finished today gets no federal credit and this calculator subtracts none. State, utility and local incentives are unaffected and can be entered by hand.
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