Solar panels in Surprise: what they cost and what they make
A typical Surprise home needs 18 solar panels. They would make about 13,497 kWh a year and cost $19k to $29k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 17.3 yrs.
See panels on your own Surprise roof
Type your address. You get your roof from above, the panels that fit, a month-by-month forecast and a battery test. No phone number.
What solar costs in Surprise
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 7.6 kW system costs about $22,800. Quotes in Surprise will usually fall between $19,000 and $28,500. Complex roofs, main-panel upgrades and financing push prices up.
The 30% federal tax credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy. Arizona residential solar credit: 25% up to $1,000. On this system that is worth about $1,000, and it is included below.
The number that decides whether solar pays in Surprise is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Arizona utilities credit exports at a Resource Comparison Proxy rate (APS ≈ 5.6¢/kWh for Sep 2026–Aug 2027). Under full payback is about 10.3 yrs. Under net billing it is about 17.3 yrs, because only the ~41% of solar a typical home uses as it is made saves the full retail price.
Cash purchase, prices rising 2.5% a year, panels losing 0.5% a year, $25/kW a year for upkeep. No federal credit for homeowner-owned systems.
Every way to pay for a 7.6 kW system in Surprise
Change any number →| Way to pay | Day one | Monthly payment | Monthly net, year 1 | Ahead after 25 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay cash Full price on install day | $21,800 | $0 | +$86 | $13k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $191 | −$105 | −$10k |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $121 | −$35 | −$800 |
| Lease $85/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $85 | +$17 | $2,400 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 7.7¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $87 | +$15 | $4,100 |
Under net billing, the usual rule for new customers here, at 15.4¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $5,700 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine Surprise gets
kWh per kW, 25° southMay is the best month for solar in Surprise, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 66% of a May day. A 6 kW system would make about 698 kWh in Dec and 1,056 kWh in May.
On June 21 the sun rises at 5:19 am and sets at 7:43 pm, 14 hours 23 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:30 am to 5:25 pm, just 9 hours 55 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Surprise, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 33° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.4 | 5.6 | 125 |
| Feb | 4.4 | 6.3 | 129 |
| Mar | 5.9 | 7.2 | 164 |
| Apr | 7.3 | 7.6 | 171 |
| May | 8.2 | 7.5 | 176 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 7.3 | 166 |
| Jul | 7.4 | 6.6 | 153 |
| Aug | 6.9 | 6.8 | 153 |
| Sep | 6.1 | 7.1 | 151 |
| Oct | 5.0 | 6.9 | 151 |
| Nov | 3.8 | 6.1 | 129 |
| Dec | 3.1 | 5.2 | 116 |
| Year | 5.8 | 6.7 | 1,785 |
A peak sun hour is one hour of sunlight at 1,000 W per m². Why sites disagree.
The best angle and direction for panels in Surprise
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,785 |
| Southeast | 96% | 1,714 |
| Southwest | 95% | 1,696 |
| East | 84% | 1,499 |
| West | 83% | 1,482 |
| North | 60% | 1,071 |
Face panels south and tilt them 33° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 84% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 60%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Surprise
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (59°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (4°).
Surprise's homes
Surprise has 56,506 households. 79.1% own their home, and 42,482 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 2005. Most roofs this young have years of life left, which makes them good candidates for solar.
50.4% of homes heat with electricity and 44.8% with gas. Electric heat raises winter use, so size solar to your own bills rather than the state average.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
If the power goes out in Surprise
Solar panels alone shut off in a blackout. Add a battery and they keep going. One Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh) running a fridge, freezer, furnace fan, lights, Wi-Fi, TV and microwave (6.9 kWh a day):
Change the appliances, the battery and the weather in the battery calculator.
Questions people ask about solar in Surprise
How much do solar panels cost in Surprise?
A 7.6 kW system — enough for the average Arizona home — costs about $19,000 to $28,500 before incentives, based on $2.50–$3.75 per watt. Arizona's state tax credit takes off about $1,000. The 30% federal credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy.
How many solar panels does a house in Surprise need?
About 18 panels of 420 watts for a home using 1,075 kWh a month, the Arizona average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,785 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Surprise?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 8.3¢ per kWh, against 15.4¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 10.3 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 17.3 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail. Most new customers in Arizona are on the lower rate.
How many peak sun hours does Surprise get?
6.7 a day on panels tilted to 33°, and 5.8 on flat ground. The best month is Apr; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Surprise?
33° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 59° is best in winter and 4° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 33° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a Surprise power outage?
A Tesla Powerwall 3 running a fridge, freezer, furnace fan, lights, Wi-Fi, TV and microwave (6.9 kWh a day) lasts about 43 hours with no sun. With 7 kW of solar to recharge it, it gets through a three-day outage even in overcast January.
Solar near Surprise
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peoria, AZ | 12 | 1,796 | 6.6 |
| Glendale, AZ | 18 | 1,795 | 6.7 |
| Buckeye, AZ | 20 | 1,805 | 6.7 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 22 | 1,794 | 6.6 |
| Avondale, AZ | 26 | 1,804 | 6.7 |
Surprise shares a weather-data neighbourhood with Phoenix; their sunshine numbers differ by less than our data can resolve. Housing, prices and outage figures are specific to Surprise.
Cities with the same sunshine as Surprise
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Midland, TX 1,736 kWh per kW
- Lubbock, TX 1,731 kWh per kW
- Amarillo, TX 1,725 kWh per kW
Sources: NASA POWER 2001–2020 monthly climatology (grid cell 19 km from Surprise's Census point), our PV model (within 1.6% of NLR PVWatts® on average), U.S. EIA prices and use, U.S. Census 2025 population estimates and ACS 2020–2024. Estimates for an average home, not a site survey. How we calculate.