Is solar worth it in Philadelphia in 2026?
A roof in Philadelphia produces about 1,321 kWh a year per kW of panels. For a home with a $150 monthly bill, a 6.5 kW system costs about $23,315 at Pennsylvania's median price and pays for itself in roughly 13.0 years, with no federal tax credit.
1,321kWh per kW a year
Source: PVGIS, NSRDB data
21.0¢per kWh
Source: EIA, 2026 year to date
$3.60per watt
Source: Berkeley Lab
Calculator · 2026 data, no federal tax credit
How long would solar take to pay for itself?
Simple payback
13.0 years
- System size
- 6.5 kW
- Installed cost
- $23,315
- Savings, year one
- $1,800
- Net over 25 years
- $19,086
Sized to cover your yearly use at today's price. Panels lose 0.5% a year; prices held flat. Method
How Philadelphia homes get paid for solar
Export rules are set at the state and utility level, not by the city. Philadelphia is under Pennsylvania's full net metering: Pennsylvania utilities credit exported solar at the full retail rate under the AEPS Act rules, with surplus left at year end paid at the utility's price to compare. The full rules, incentives and sources are on thePennsylvania page.
Why the city matters
Two things change from one city to another in the same state: the sun, which sets how many panels you need, and the utility, which sets what exported power is worth. Philadelphia gets 1,321 kWh per kW a year on a south-facing roof at a 20° tilt, so covering a year of use for a $150 bill at 21.0¢ takes about 6.5 kW, roughly 17 panels of 400 W. Electricity prices in the calculator are the Pennsylvania residential average; your utility's rate can be higher or lower, so put your own bill in.
Method: how we calculate payback. Compare all states in theranking or size a system with the panel calculator.