Solar panels in Summerville: what they cost and what they make
A typical Summerville home needs 21 solar panels. They would make about 12,930 kWh a year and cost $22k to $33k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 9.8 yrs.
See panels on your own Summerville 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 Summerville
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 8.8 kW system costs about $26,400. Quotes in Summerville will usually fall between $22,000 and $33,000. Complex roofs, main-panel upgrades and financing push prices up.
The 30% federal tax credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy. SC credit (TC-38): 25% of cost, usable up to $3,500 per year (or 50% of tax liability) with 10-year carryforward. On this system that is worth about $6,615, and it is included below.
The number that decides whether solar pays in Summerville is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 9.8 yrs. Under net billing it is about 16.2 yrs, because only the ~43% 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 8.8 kW system in Summerville
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 | $19,800 | $0 | +$153 | $41k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $221 | −$68 | $14k |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $140 | +$14 | $25k |
| Lease $145/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $145 | +$27 | $3,300 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 13.5¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $145 | +$26 | $7,100 |
Under net metering, at 15.9¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $6,600 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine Summerville gets
kWh per kW, 25° southMay is the best month for solar in Summerville, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 66% of a May day. A 6 kW system would make about 564 kWh in Dec and 860 kWh in May.
On June 21 the sun rises at 6:12 am and sets at 8:32 pm, 14 hours 20 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:20 am to 5:18 pm, just 9 hours 58 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Summerville, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 31° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.9 | 4.3 | 103 |
| Feb | 3.5 | 4.7 | 102 |
| Mar | 4.6 | 5.4 | 131 |
| Apr | 5.9 | 6.1 | 143 |
| May | 6.4 | 5.9 | 143 |
| Jun | 6.4 | 5.7 | 133 |
| Jul | 6.3 | 5.7 | 136 |
| Aug | 5.6 | 5.5 | 130 |
| Sep | 4.9 | 5.4 | 122 |
| Oct | 4.1 | 5.3 | 123 |
| Nov | 3.2 | 4.7 | 107 |
| Dec | 2.6 | 4.0 | 94 |
| Year | 4.7 | 5.2 | 1,466 |
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 Summerville
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,466 |
| Southeast | 96% | 1,407 |
| Southwest | 96% | 1,407 |
| East | 85% | 1,246 |
| West | 85% | 1,246 |
| North | 65% | 953 |
Face panels south and tilt them 31° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 85% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 65%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Summerville
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (56°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (4°).
Summerville's homes
Summerville has 21,228 households. 69.1% own their home, and 13,908 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 2001. Most roofs this young have years of life left, which makes them good candidates for solar.
79.2% of homes heat with electricity and 18.8% 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 Summerville
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 Summerville
How much do solar panels cost in Summerville?
A 8.8 kW system — enough for the average South Carolina home — costs about $22,000 to $33,000 before incentives, based on $2.50–$3.75 per watt. South Carolina's state tax credit takes off about $6,615. The 30% federal credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy.
How many solar panels does a house in Summerville need?
About 21 panels of 420 watts for a home using 1,050 kWh a month, the South Carolina average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,466 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Summerville?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 8.3¢ per kWh, against 15.9¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 9.8 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 16.2 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does Summerville get?
5.2 a day on panels tilted to 31°, and 4.7 on flat ground. The best month is Apr; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Summerville?
31° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 56° is best in winter and 4° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 31° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a Summerville 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 Summerville
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Charleston, SC | 9 | 1,472 | 5.2 |
| Goose Creek, SC | 10 | 1,466 | 5.2 |
| Charleston, SC | 17 | 1,473 | 5.2 |
| Mount Pleasant, SC | 23 | 1,470 | 5.2 |
| Columbia, SC | 83 | 1,432 | 5.2 |
Summerville shares a weather-data neighbourhood with Charleston; their sunshine numbers differ by less than our data can resolve. Housing, prices and outage figures are specific to Summerville.
Cities with the same sunshine as Summerville
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Dallas, TX 1,473 kWh per kW
- Waco, TX 1,473 kWh per kW
- Manhattan, KS 1,473 kWh per kW
Sources: NASA POWER 2001–2020 monthly climatology (grid cell 63 km from Summerville'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.