Solar panels in Barnstable Town: what they cost and what they make
A typical Barnstable Town home needs 13 solar panels. They would make about 7,136 kWh a year and cost $14k to $21k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 7.2 yrs.
See panels on your own Barnstable Town 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 Barnstable Town
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 5.5 kW system costs about $16,500. Quotes in Barnstable Town will usually fall between $13,750 and $20,625. Complex roofs, main-panel upgrades and financing push prices up.
The 30% federal tax credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy. Massachusetts residential renewable energy credit: 15% 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 Barnstable Town is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 7.2 yrs. Under net billing it is about 12.1 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 5.5 kW system in Barnstable Town
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 | $15,500 | $0 | +$168 | $50k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $138 | +$30 | $33k |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $87 | +$80 | $40k |
| Lease $150/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $150 | +$29 | $4,000 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 25.6¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $152 | +$27 | $7,300 |
Under net metering, at 30.1¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $4,125 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine Barnstable Town gets
kWh per kW, 25° southJul is the best month for solar in Barnstable Town, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 42% of a Jul day. A 6 kW system would make about 355 kWh in Dec and 846 kWh in Jul.
On June 21 the sun rises at 5:07 am and sets at 8:19 pm, 15 hours 12 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:05 am to 4:14 pm, just 9 hours 9 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Barnstable Town, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 35° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.8 | 3.0 | 71 |
| Feb | 2.7 | 3.9 | 86 |
| Mar | 3.7 | 4.7 | 118 |
| Apr | 4.9 | 5.2 | 130 |
| May | 5.5 | 5.3 | 138 |
| Jun | 5.9 | 5.4 | 134 |
| Jul | 6.0 | 5.6 | 141 |
| Aug | 5.4 | 5.5 | 136 |
| Sep | 4.4 | 5.3 | 122 |
| Oct | 3.0 | 4.2 | 98 |
| Nov | 2.0 | 3.3 | 74 |
| Dec | 1.5 | 2.6 | 59 |
| Year | 3.9 | 4.5 | 1,307 |
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 Barnstable Town
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,307 |
| Southeast | 95% | 1,242 |
| Southwest | 95% | 1,242 |
| East | 82% | 1,072 |
| West | 82% | 1,072 |
| North | 60% | 784 |
Face panels south and tilt them 35° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 82% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 60%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Barnstable Town
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (62°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (12°).
Barnstable Town's homes
Barnstable Town has 21,413 households. 75.7% own their home, and 15,421 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 1978. Many roofs that age are due for replacement. Replace the roof first, then add solar: taking panels off and putting them back later costs thousands.
15.2% of homes heat with electricity and 68.8% with gas. If you switch to a heat pump or an electric car, plan for more panels or leave room on the roof.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
If the power goes out in Barnstable Town
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 Barnstable Town
How much do solar panels cost in Barnstable Town?
A 5.5 kW system — enough for the average Massachusetts home — costs about $13,750 to $20,625 before incentives, based on $2.50–$3.75 per watt. Massachusetts'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 Barnstable Town need?
About 13 panels of 420 watts for a home using 570 kWh a month, the Massachusetts average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,307 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Barnstable Town?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 11.2¢ per kWh, against 30.1¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 7.2 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 12.1 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does Barnstable Town get?
4.5 a day on panels tilted to 35°, and 3.9 on flat ground. The best month is Jul; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Barnstable Town?
35° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 62° is best in winter and 12° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 35° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a Barnstable Town 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 Barnstable Town
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford, MA | 30 | 1,333 | 4.6 |
| Fall River, MA | 38 | 1,331 | 4.6 |
| Taunton, MA | 42 | 1,321 | 4.5 |
| Brockton, MA | 45 | 1,312 | 4.5 |
| Weymouth Town, MA | 48 | 1,306 | 4.5 |
Cities with the same sunshine as Barnstable Town
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Clarksville, TN 1,326 kWh per kW
- Rockford, IL 1,326 kWh per kW
- Janesville, WI 1,326 kWh per kW
Snow: NASA records about 13 cm of snow on the ground here in an average January. Covered panels make little until it slides off, and these figures (like PVWatts') don't subtract that.
Sources: NASA POWER 2001–2020 monthly climatology (grid cell 22 km from Barnstable Town'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.