Solar panels in Waco: what they cost and what they make
A typical Waco home needs 22 solar panels. They would make about 13,577 kWh a year and cost $23k to $35k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 12.5 yrs.
See panels on your own Waco 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 Waco
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 9.2 kW system costs about $27,600. Quotes in Waco will usually fall between $23,000 and $34,500. Complex roofs, main-panel upgrades and financing push prices up.
The 30% federal tax credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy. This estimate includes no state or utility incentives; check with your utility before you buy.
The number that decides whether solar pays in Waco is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 12.5 yrs. Under net billing it is about 20.3 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 9.2 kW system in Waco
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 | $27,600 | $0 | +$163 | $36k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $231 | −$68 | $8,600 |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $146 | +$16 | $20k |
| Lease $155/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $155 | +$27 | $2,800 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 13.7¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $155 | +$27 | $7,100 |
Under net metering, at 16.1¢/kWh rising 2.5% a year. The “1.99%” loan’s $6,900 dealer fee is included in its payments. Lease and PPA prices are typical offers, not quotes.
How much sunshine Waco gets
kWh per kW, 25° southJul is the best month for solar in Waco, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 69% of a Jul day. A 6 kW system would make about 589 kWh in Dec and 856 kWh in Jul.
On June 21 the sun rises at 6:24 am and sets at 8:36 pm, 14 hours 13 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:24 am to 5:29 pm, just 10 hours 5 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Waco, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 30° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.0 | 4.5 | 107 |
| Feb | 3.5 | 4.5 | 99 |
| Mar | 4.5 | 5.2 | 125 |
| Apr | 5.5 | 5.6 | 130 |
| May | 5.9 | 5.4 | 131 |
| Jun | 6.7 | 5.9 | 136 |
| Jul | 6.8 | 6.1 | 143 |
| Aug | 6.3 | 6.1 | 141 |
| Sep | 5.2 | 5.8 | 128 |
| Oct | 4.2 | 5.5 | 126 |
| Nov | 3.2 | 4.6 | 105 |
| Dec | 2.7 | 4.1 | 98 |
| Year | 4.8 | 5.3 | 1,469 |
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 Waco
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,469 |
| Southeast | 96% | 1,410 |
| Southwest | 96% | 1,410 |
| East | 86% | 1,263 |
| West | 85% | 1,249 |
| North | 66% | 970 |
Face panels south and tilt them 30° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 86% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 66%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Waco
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (56°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (3°).
Waco's homes
Waco has 53,906 households. 49.4% own their home, and 25,990 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 1979. 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.
67.2% of homes heat with electricity and 30.9% 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 Waco
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 Waco
How much do solar panels cost in Waco?
A 9.2 kW system — enough for the average Texas home — costs about $23,000 to $34,500 before incentives, based on $2.50–$3.75 per watt. The 30% federal credit no longer applies to systems homeowners buy.
How many solar panels does a house in Waco need?
About 22 panels of 420 watts for a home using 1,096 kWh a month, the Texas average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,469 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Waco?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 10.5¢ per kWh, against 16.1¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 12.5 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 20.3 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does Waco get?
5.3 a day on panels tilted to 30°, and 4.8 on flat ground. The best month is Aug; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Waco?
30° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 56° is best in winter and 3° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 30° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a Waco 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 Waco
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple, TX | 33 | 1,470 | 5.3 |
| Killeen, TX | 46 | 1,486 | 5.3 |
| Waxahachie, TX | 62 | 1,475 | 5.3 |
| Burleson, TX | 67 | 1,500 | 5.4 |
| Georgetown, TX | 68 | 1,475 | 5.3 |
Cities with the same sunshine as Waco
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Charleston, SC 1,473 kWh per kW
- Manhattan, KS 1,473 kWh per kW
- West Palm Beach, FL 1,474 kWh per kW
Snow: NASA records about 2 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 30 km from Waco'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.