Pennsylvania solar calculator
Estimate system size, panels, roof space, gross cost, savings, and payback using Pennsylvania starter assumptions.
No email required
Enter monthly kWh or electric bill. The calculator uses state-level assumptions and shows the math behind the result.
Your estimate
Example resultEstimated system size: 10.0 kW. This is an estimate, not an installer quote.
Confidence
Medium
Planning estimate only — not an installer quote, engineering design, or tax advice.
Payback uses gross system cost before verified incentives, financing fees, batteries, and roof work.
Annual usage: 10,800 kWh
Annual production target: 10,800 kWh
State rate: 21.73 cents/kWh
Export assumption: Partial export credit
Direct solar use: 5,940 kWh
Modeled exports: 4,860 kWh
Panel count view
24-28 panels
Estimate shape
Privacy note: the printable report link stores estimate inputs in the URL, including ZIP and usage or bill values. Keep it private if those details are sensitive.
Local scenarios
Compare a few assumptions without creating an account.
Saved scenarios stay in this browser only and may include ZIP, bill, and usage inputs. SolarCalcNow does not sync them or send those values to analytics.
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Confidence drivers
Expected production: 10,800 kWh
System loss: 14%
Export value: Partial export credit
Direct solar use: 5,940 kWh
Modeled exports: 4,860 kWh
State production default: 1,250 kWh/kW/year
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A — June 2026 - 2026-09-04
SolarCalcNow author-created production assumption - 2026-09-04
EnergySage marketplace + SolarCalcNow cost scenario - 2026-09-04
Production evidence: California has a saved full PVWatts response; eight states have successful API yields recorded to two decimals. Colorado, Illinois and Pennsylvania retain explicit author assumptions. The download distinguishes these evidence levels.
$0.2173/kWh
21.73 ¢/kWh
EIA Table 5.6.A, June 2026 residential column; published August 26, 2026. Divide the published cents/kWh by 100. This preliminary statewide average is a fallback, not your utility tariff. Use your bill's energy-only rate; fixed charges remain payable.
1,250.0 kWh/kW/year
kWh/kW/year
Author-created pre-loss planning input, not a retrieved PVWatts result or a measured state average. This state could not be verified within the provider quota. The model applies 14% system loss once. Verify production before using cost or payback.
$2.06–$3.10/W
$2.58/W × 0.8…1.2
EnergySage's state marketplace average, table updated August 28, 2026. We calculate an author-selected range of average × 0.8 to average × 1.2, rounded to cents/W. This ±20% scenario is not an observed price distribution or confidence interval. Cash solar only, before incentives; compare like-for-like local quotes.
SolarCalcNow provides planning estimates only. Results are not installer quotes, engineering designs, tax advice, financing recommendations, or utility interconnection approval.
Optional next step
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Installer quote matching is not active yet. You can still calculate, save, and print your estimate before contacting installers directly.
State-specific review
These planning notes interpret the same source-linked inputs used by the calculator. They do not add an incentive, utility tariff, or site-specific claim to the estimate.
For a new Pennsylvania purchase, begin with the written gross price and treat every incentive as a separate verification item. SolarCalcNow's reviewed federal record excludes the homeowner Section 25D credit for expenditures after the 2025 cutoff, so it does not reduce the default cost or payback. That prevents an old federal assumption from making a current proposal appear cheaper. Any state, local, utility, or market-based value still needs a current source, active status, ownership terms, eligibility, amount, and payment timing before it belongs in household cash-flow math. A qualified tax or program review may reach a case-specific conclusion, but the planning baseline should not assume it in advance.
Sources: IRS Section 25D update (reviewed 2026-09-04); EnergySage marketplace + SolarCalcNow cost scenario (reviewed 2026-09-04)
The state production assumption converts annual household usage into a starter system size, but it does not describe every Pennsylvania roof or season. One year can include cloudy periods, snow, summer peaks, tree shade, and separate roof planes that alter the monthly profile even when annual kWh is similar. Use a full-year bill average, then ask the installer for a month-by-month production model and its assumptions for azimuth, tilt, shade, inverter clipping, soiling, and degradation. A system designed only from a recent bill can miss seasonal demand, while a proposal based only on an optimistic annual total can hide when the energy is expected to arrive.
Sources: SolarCalcNow author-created production assumption (reviewed 2026-09-04)
SolarCalcNow uses the source-linked Pennsylvania residential average to value early scenarios consistently. The account may differ because of utility territory, generation supplier, delivery charges, fixed fees, taxes, time period, or a changed plan. Compare the cents-per-kWh assumption with actual energy charges and annual kWh before accepting savings. If an installer forecasts retail-rate inflation, request the starting rate, escalation percentage, and sensitivity case with no escalation. This calculator keeps the current rate flat, making the displayed payback easier to audit. A lower payback in another model may reflect a financial forecast rather than better panels or greater physical production.
Sources: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A — June 2026 (reviewed 2026-09-04)
A Pennsylvania homeowner may hear several economic concepts in one proposal, but exported electricity and any certificate or program value should remain separate. Export compensation changes the modeled value of power sent to the grid. A certificate or incentive has its own market, ownership, qualification, and timing questions. SolarCalcNow uses editable export scenarios and does not add an unverified program amount to net cost. Test how payback changes when exports receive retail, partial, or low value, then ask which current tariff supports the proposal's choice. Separately confirm who owns any environmental attribute and whether the quoted amount is fixed, estimated, assigned, or excluded.
Sources: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A — June 2026 (reviewed 2026-09-04); SolarCalcNow author-created production assumption (reviewed 2026-09-04)
The state cost benchmark helps normalize the gross solar price, but it cannot judge roof difficulty or contractor scope. Divide the solar-only price by DC watts, then list batteries, roofing, structural work, trenching, service upgrades, financing charges, and optional warranties outside that ratio. Ask a bidder to explain a result above or below the benchmark using equipment and labor, not only a monthly payment. Confirm panel model and count, inverter capacity, monitoring, workmanship responsibility, production guarantee language, exclusions, and change-order rules. The goal is a comparable scope; the benchmark is a starting question, not a verdict on an individual Pennsylvania installer.
Sources: EnergySage marketplace + SolarCalcNow cost scenario (reviewed 2026-09-04)
A transparent review connects three records: twelve months of household kWh, the calculator's state assumptions, and the installer's site-specific design. The first establishes demand, the second shows how demand becomes kW, panels, cost, savings, and payback, and the third should add measured roof and electrical conditions. Keep the same usage and offset target while comparing proposals so differences can be traced. If a proposal changes annual production, export value, electricity rate, incentives, or gross cost, write down the source and date. That makes the decision resilient to marketing language and prevents a financial assumption from being mistaken for a physical improvement to the system.
Sources: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A — June 2026 (reviewed 2026-09-04); SolarCalcNow author-created production assumption (reviewed 2026-09-04); EnergySage marketplace + SolarCalcNow cost scenario (reviewed 2026-09-04)
Production evidence: California has a saved full PVWatts response; eight states have successful API yields recorded to two decimals. Colorado, Illinois and Pennsylvania retain explicit author assumptions. The download distinguishes these evidence levels.
$0.2173/kWh
21.73 ¢/kWh
EIA Table 5.6.A, June 2026 residential column; published August 26, 2026. Divide the published cents/kWh by 100. This preliminary statewide average is a fallback, not your utility tariff. Use your bill's energy-only rate; fixed charges remain payable.
1,250.0 kWh/kW/year
kWh/kW/year
Author-created pre-loss planning input, not a retrieved PVWatts result or a measured state average. This state could not be verified within the provider quota. The model applies 14% system loss once. Verify production before using cost or payback.
$2.06–$3.10/W
$2.58/W × 0.8…1.2
EnergySage's state marketplace average, table updated August 28, 2026. We calculate an author-selected range of average × 0.8 to average × 1.2, rounded to cents/W. This ±20% scenario is not an observed price distribution or confidence interval. Cash solar only, before incentives; compare like-for-like local quotes.
Source coverage: Pennsylvania · regulated utility eligibility
DEP identifies residential systems up to 50 kW as eligible. Obtain your utility's tariff for annual settlement and non-energy charges. DEP's federal-credit paragraph is outdated; tax timing must follow the IRS source.
Read the primary source — Pennsylvania DEP / PUC net meteringSource checked: · Next review due: 2026-10-04
Source coverage: Pennsylvania AEPS
Qualified production can create tradable credits after registration. Verify certification, metering, REC ownership and sale fees. Market prices and payment timing vary; this calculator includes no assumed REC sale revenue.
Read the primary source — Pennsylvania AEPS solar renewable energy creditsSource checked: · Next review due: 2026-10-04
Program documented; eligibility required · Not subtracted from calculator cost
Planning example
This example uses the same calculator engine as the interactive form: 400W panels, low shade, 100% target offset, and no ZIP-level PVWatts override.
System size
10.0 kW
Panel range
24-28 panels
Roof area
628 sq ft
Gross cost
$20,696-$31,144
Annual savings
$1,660
Simple payback
12.5 years-18.8 years
For a home using 900 kWh per month in Pennsylvania, the default planning estimate is a 10.0 kW system with 24-28 panels at 400 W each, producing about 10,800 kWh per year and needing roughly 628 sq ft of roof. Estimated gross cost is $20,696-$31,144 before incentives, with simple payback of 12.5 years-18.8 years. The estimate uses EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A — June 2026 (updated 2026-09-04) and SolarCalcNow author-created production assumption (updated 2026-09-04).
Usage sensitivity
These rows keep every input fixed except monthly usage. If your home is closer to 600 or 1,200 kWh/month, this gives a faster sanity check than reading one generic state paragraph.
| Usage | System | Panels | Gross cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600 kWh/mo | 6.7 kW | 15-19 | $13,797-$20,763 | 12.5 years-18.8 years |
| 900 kWh/mo | 10.0 kW | 24-28 | $20,696-$31,144 | 12.5 years-18.8 years |
| 1,200 kWh/mo | 13.4 kW | 32-36 | $27,594-$41,526 | 12.5 years-18.8 years |
Local context
Higher rates can help savings, but production and local policies vary across the state.
Before using this as a purchase decision, compare a no-battery and battery quote, verify your utility export rate, and check current incentives from state or utility sources.
For a home using 900 kWh per month, the Pennsylvania starter model estimates about 10.0 kW, 24-28 panels, roughly 628 sq ft of roof area, and a gross installed-cost range of $20,696-$31,144. Simple payback is shown as 12.5 years-18.8 years before verified incentives, financing, batteries, roof work, or utility-specific export rules.
Pennsylvania estimates use 21.73 cents/kWh as the residential rate assumption. Higher retail rates can improve the value of self-consumed solar, while lower rates usually make system size, export credit, and installed cost more important to the payback result.
Pennsylvania export value, SREC assumptions, and utility plan details should be checked before relying on a payback estimate. SolarCalcNow's default advanced setting models exported kWh below retail value until utility-specific rules are verified. This keeps the planning estimate conservative when a home exports more power than it uses immediately.
The current production assumption is 1,250 kWh per kW per year. This is a state-level starter value, not a roof-specific PVWatts result. Actual output can change with azimuth, tilt, shade, snow, weather, usable roof planes, setbacks, inverter choice, and module degradation.
The gross cost range uses a starter benchmark of $2.06-$3.10/W. SolarCalcNow does not subtract incentives from this estimate unless each incentive has an official or reviewable source, updated date, eligibility note, active status, and explicit permission to be included in net-cost math. Use the quote checker to compare installer price per watt against the same gross-cost baseline.
Data status
Electricity rate
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A — June 2026
Updated 2026-09-04 - Confidence: official
Solar production
SolarCalcNow author-created production assumption
Updated 2026-09-04 - Confidence: starter-assumption
Installed cost
EnergySage marketplace + SolarCalcNow cost scenario
Updated 2026-09-04 - Confidence: market-benchmark
FAQ
Start with a full-year average of monthly electricity use, then choose how much of that use the system should offset. The Pennsylvania calculator converts annual kWh into a system-size estimate using the visible state production assumption, shade setting, and system-loss factor. It then divides system watts by the selected panel wattage and shows a range rather than pretending the roof layout is known. Higher-wattage modules can reduce the count for the same system size, while setbacks, vents, separate roof planes, and shade can change the installable layout. Treat the result as a planning range and compare it with a site-specific design before signing a proposal.
The calculation uses 21.73 cents/kWh from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A — June 2026, reviewed 2026-09-04. The figure is a statewide residential average, not a promise about a particular utility account. It helps value solar energy used directly in the home, while exported energy is valued separately under the selected export assumption. A real bill can include fixed charges, seasonal pricing, time-of-use periods, minimum bills, taxes, and other terms that the statewide rate does not reproduce. Use the source-linked average for early comparison, then verify the exact tariff and recent usage history on the account before treating savings or payback as project-specific.
No incentive is subtracted from the default gross-cost estimate. SolarCalcNow requires an official or otherwise reviewable source, a review date, active status, eligibility rules, ownership conditions, and an explicit inclusion decision before a program can enter net-cost math. This prevents an expired, conditional, or third-party-only benefit from making a planning result look cheaper than the written project price. Review the state incentive page and the primary program source separately, confirm personal eligibility with qualified professionals, and keep each claimed credit or rebate on its own line when comparing proposals. Gross price, financing charges, battery cost, roof work, and incentives should not be collapsed into one unexplained number.
Pennsylvania export value, SREC assumptions, and utility plan details should be checked before relying on a payback estimate. Solar used immediately in the home is valued at the residential rate assumption, while exported energy is valued under the selected export scenario. If the export credit is below retail, a system designed for full annual usage offset can save less than a simple one-for-one net-metering model suggests, especially when much of its production leaves the home. The calculator therefore separates direct solar use from export and keeps the assumption editable. Confirm the serving utility, tariff, settlement period, fixed charges, rollover rules, and time-of-use treatment before relying on the modeled annual savings or simple payback.
The model combines user inputs with Pennsylvania statewide rate, production, and cost assumptions, but it cannot inspect the property. It does not measure roof orientation, tilt, shade patterns, structural condition, usable roof planes, setbacks, electrical-service capacity, or interconnection constraints. It also cannot know the final equipment package, installer scope, financing fees, insurance requirements, utility tariff, or verified incentive eligibility. Those details can change panel count, production, gross cost, and payback. Use the result to understand scale and compare assumptions, then ask installers to document their site survey, production model, equipment, exclusions, and written price so differences can be traced rather than accepted as unexplained precision.
The current calculator does not geocode ZIP codes. It uses an author-selected reference point in the selected state, including when the optional live PVWatts provider responds. Entering a ZIP does not establish property-level accuracy. The model does not know the exact roof plane, azimuth, tilt, shade, setbacks or module layout. Check which production basis appears in the result, then compare it with the installer model and the physical roof survey before relying on annual output.