Solar panels in Salt Lake City: what they cost and what they make
A typical Salt Lake City home needs 15 solar panels. They would make about 9,803 kWh a year and cost $16k to $24k before incentives. At today's electricity prices they pay for themselves in about 14.3 yrs.
See panels on your own Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City
At $3.00 a watt, the median price cash buyers pay nationally, a 6.3 kW system costs about $18,900. Quotes in Salt Lake City 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. This estimate includes no state or utility incentives; check with your utility before you buy.
The number that decides whether solar pays in Salt Lake City is what your utility pays for the power you send back. Under full payback is about 14.3 yrs. Under net billing it is about 23.5 yrs, because only the ~42% 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 Salt Lake City
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 | $18,900 | $0 | +$94 | $18k |
| Credit-union loan 8% APR, 20 years, no dealer fee | $0 | $158 | −$64 | −$600 |
| “1.99%” solar loan 1.99% APR, 25 years, 25% dealer fee | $0 | $100 | −$6 | $7,300 |
| Lease $90/mo, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $90 | +$18 | $2,400 |
| Power purchase (PPA) 11.2¢/kWh, +2.9%/yr | $0 | $91 | +$16 | $4,300 |
Under net metering, at 13.2¢/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 Salt Lake City gets
kWh per kW, 25° southJun is the best month for solar in Salt Lake City, and Dec the weakest: a Dec day makes 44% of a Jun day. A 6 kW system would make about 440 kWh in Dec and 1,001 kWh in Jun.
On June 21 the sun rises at 5:56 am and sets at 9:02 pm, 15 hours 6 minutes of daylight. On December 21 it is up from 7:48 am to 5:03 pm, just 9 hours 14 minutes.
Peak sun hours in Salt Lake City, month by month
| Month | Flat ground | Panels at 37° | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.1 | 3.7 | 85 |
| Feb | 3.1 | 4.6 | 97 |
| Mar | 4.4 | 5.6 | 135 |
| Apr | 5.6 | 6.1 | 146 |
| May | 6.7 | 6.3 | 159 |
| Jun | 7.8 | 6.9 | 167 |
| Jul | 7.5 | 6.9 | 166 |
| Aug | 6.6 | 6.8 | 160 |
| Sep | 5.4 | 6.6 | 147 |
| Oct | 3.8 | 5.7 | 128 |
| Nov | 2.4 | 4.3 | 93 |
| Dec | 1.8 | 3.2 | 73 |
| Year | 4.8 | 5.6 | 1,556 |
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 Salt Lake City
| Roof faces (6/12 pitch) | Output vs south | kWh per kW |
|---|---|---|
| South | 100% | 1,556 |
| Southeast | 95% | 1,478 |
| Southwest | 95% | 1,478 |
| East | 83% | 1,291 |
| West | 82% | 1,276 |
| North | 60% | 934 |
Face panels south and tilt them 37° for the most energy over a year. East and west roofs keep about 83% of that. A north-facing roof keeps 60%, which is rarely worth the money. Try other angles.
Where the sun goes over Salt Lake City
The noon sun is lower in winter, which is why the best winter tilt (65°) is steeper than the best summer tilt (11°).
Salt Lake City's homes
Salt Lake City has 92,652 households. 45.8% own their home, and 36,121 of those owners live in single-family houses, the kind of home that usually gets rooftop solar.
The median home here was built in 1965. 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.
24.2% of homes heat with electricity and 71.9% 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 Salt Lake City
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 Salt Lake City
How much do solar panels cost in Salt Lake City?
A 6.3 kW system — enough for the average Utah home — costs about $15,750 to $23,625 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 Salt Lake City need?
About 15 panels of 420 watts for a home using 774 kWh a month, the Utah average. Each kilowatt of panels here makes about 1,556 kWh a year on a south-facing roof.
Is solar worth it in Salt Lake City?
Over 25 years, solar power here costs about 9.9¢ per kWh, against 13.2¢ from the grid today. Payback is about 14.3 yrs if your utility credits exported power at the full retail rate, and 23.5 yrs if it pays about 30% of retail.
How many peak sun hours does Salt Lake City get?
5.6 a day on panels tilted to 37°, and 4.8 on flat ground. The best month is Jun; the weakest is Dec.
What is the best angle for solar panels in Salt Lake City?
37° for the most energy over a year, facing south. 65° is best in winter and 11° in summer. On a normal pitched roof, anything within 15° of 37° gives you about 95% of the maximum.
How long would a home battery last in a Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City
| City | Miles | kWh per kW | Sun hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Valley City, UT | 7 | 1,583 | 5.6 |
| Millcreek, UT | 8 | 1,584 | 5.6 |
| Taylorsville, UT | 8 | 1,584 | 5.6 |
| Murray, UT | 9 | 1,585 | 5.6 |
| West Jordan, UT | 13 | 1,586 | 5.6 |
Cities with the same sunshine as Salt Lake City
These far-away cities get almost exactly as much solar energy per panel.
- Lawton, OK 1,577 kWh per kW
- Wichita Falls, TX 1,576 kWh per kW
- Redding, CA 1,575 kWh per kW
Snow: NASA records about 20 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 48 km from Salt Lake City'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.