Solar panels in Rochester: what they cost and what they make
A typical Rochester home needs 15 solar panels. They would make about 7,268 kWh a year and cost $16k to $24k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 6.7 yrs.
See panels on your own Rochester 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 Rochester
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 6.3 kW system costs about $18,900. Quotes in Rochester will usually fall between $15,750 and $23,625. Complex roofs, main-panel upgrades and financing push prices up.
The 30% federal tax credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy. NY solar energy system equipment credit: 25% up to $5,000 (5-year carryforward). On this system that is worth about $4,725, and it is included below.
The number that decides whether solar pays in Rochester is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 6.7 yrs. Under net billing it is about 11.5 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 6.3 kW system in Rochester
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 | $14,175 | $0 | +$165 | $50k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $158 | +$7 | $31k |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $100 | +$65 | $39k |
| Lease $150/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $150 | +$28 | $3,500 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 25.0¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $151 | +$27 | $7,100 |
Under net metering, at 29.4¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $4,725 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine Rochester gets
kWh per kW, 25° southJul is the best month for solar in Rochester, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 30% of a Jul day. A 6 kW system would make about 246 kWh in Dec and 808 kWh in Jul.
On June 21 the sun rises at 5:30 am and sets at 8:53 pm, 15 hours 23 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:39 am to 4:38 pm, just 8 hours 59 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Rochester, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 34° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.3 | 2.1 | 51 |
| Feb | 2.1 | 3.0 | 67 |
| Mar | 3.4 | 4.2 | 104 |
| Apr | 4.5 | 4.8 | 117 |
| May | 5.4 | 5.3 | 131 |
| Jun | 5.9 | 5.5 | 130 |
| Jul | 5.9 | 5.6 | 135 |
| Aug | 5.2 | 5.4 | 128 |
| Sep | 4.1 | 4.9 | 112 |
| Oct | 2.5 | 3.5 | 82 |
| Nov | 1.6 | 2.6 | 59 |
| Dec | 1.1 | 1.7 | 41 |
| Year | 3.6 | 4.0 | 1,154 |
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 Rochester
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,154 |
| Southeast | 96% | 1,108 |
| Southwest | 96% | 1,108 |
| East | 84% | 969 |
| West | 84% | 969 |
| North | 65% | 750 |
Face panels south and tilt them 34° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 84% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 65%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Rochester
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (62°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (13°).
Rochester's homes
Rochester has 93,261 households. 38.1% own their home, and 31,328 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 1938. 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.
22.1% of homes heat with electricity and 71.7% 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 Rochester
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 Rochester
How much do solar panels cost in Rochester?
A 6.3 kW system — enough for the average New York home — costs about $15,750 to $23,625 before incentives, based on $2.50–$3.75 per watt. New York's state tax credit takes off about $4,725. The 30% federal credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy.
How many solar panels does a house in Rochester need?
About 15 panels of 420 watts for a home using 571 kWh a month, the New York average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,154 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Rochester?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 10.6¢ per kWh, against 29.4¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 6.7 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 11.5 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does Rochester get?
4.0 a day on panels tilted to 34°, and 3.6 on flat ground. The best month is Jul; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Rochester?
34° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 62° is best in winter and 13° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 34° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a Rochester 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 Rochester
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo, NY | 66 | 1,168 | 4.1 |
| Syracuse, NY | 75 | 1,155 | 4.1 |
| Utica, NY | 121 | 1,170 | 4.1 |
| Erie, PA | 144 | 1,179 | 4.1 |
| Scranton, PA | 157 | 1,189 | 4.2 |
Cities with the same sunshine as Rochester
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Marysville, WA 1,166 kWh per kW
- Seattle, WA 1,145 kWh per kW
- Portland, OR 1,187 kWh per kW
Snow: NASA records about 17 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 38 km from Rochester'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.