Solar Panel Cost In 2025: It May Be Lower Than You Think
Solar panels cost about $30,000 on average—but often pay for themselves several times over through 25-30 years of electricity savings. Why trust EnergySage?
As of 2025, the average cost of residential solar panels in the U.S. is between $15,000 and $25,000 before incentives. This typically translates to about $2.50 to $3.50 per watt of installed capacity (more on price per watt below). The total price depends on your system size, location, roof type, and installer.
Solar installations aren't cheap, but the actual equipment is a relatively small part of the total cost. It's only 35% of your total installation cost, according to the US Department of Energy. Soft costs, also known as the hidden costs of installing solar, are nonhardware costs, and they make up 65% of your total solar costs, according to the DOE.
They store the energy accumulated from the solar panels. The price varies based on the installer, application and location. Batteries typically cost $12,000 to $22,000, according to the Department of Energy, although smaller capacity systems are available for less. In some cases, solar batteries may be more expensive than solar panels.
Ultimately, many factors figure into the price per watt of a solar system, but the average cost is typically as low as $2.75 per watt. This price will vary if a project requires special adders like ground mounting, a main panel upgrade, an EV charger, etc.
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