Asheville Solar Panels: Cost and Local Incentives

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Asheville solar panels

If you are looking for long-term savings on your energy bills, it might be time to look into the benefits of solar power. By using solar panels for your home in Asheville, you would be able to generate your own power and reduce your reliance on the grid. With a solar battery, you could even keep power on even during outages, and you may have opportunities to sell electricity back to the utility if your panels produce more than enough. Using solar panels reduces your carbon footprint. 

Read on to learn about the costs of solar panels in Asheville, local solar incentives, and the savings solar panels can bring you over time.

Cost of solar panels in Asheville

The cost of solar panels in Asheville can be different depending on which installer you choose. The average price per watt for residential solar panels in Asheville is $3.73, coming out to about $33,570 in total. In comparison, the average price in the U.S. is $3.67 per watt according to Berkeley Lab’s Tracking the Sun report.  

How much do solar panels cost in Asheville in 2022?

Let’s look at how much you would pay for solar panels in Asheville based on system sizes. Different factors like how large your roof is, how much of the yard is shaded, and how much sun exposure different parts of the roof get can affect the size of solar system you would need to install. If you are paying Asheville’s average price of $3.73 per watt for an average Asheville system size of 9 kW, you might pay about $33,570 for the total system before any tax credits, rebates, or other incentives in the Asheville area.  

Purchasing solar panels might seem like a significant investment at first. However, the savings your system will bring you will eventually pay for itself. To figure out your payback period for your solar array, simply subtract what you would save with the federal tax credit from your total cost and then divide that by the average yearly amount you would pay for electricity. For example, if you were to claim the 30% federal tax credit, have the average state electric bill of $129.08, and pay $33,570 for the full array, it would then take about 15 years to pay back the array.

Energy costs are rising, so you could stand to save even more. Over a 20-year period, you could save at least $7,480.20 in the Asheville area if you had the North Carolina state average $129.08 electric bill and paid the state average of $33,570 for the array after applying the 30% federal tax credit. 

Average solar panel cost by system size in Asheville

At the time of writing, the U.S. national average cost per watt for solar panels is at $3.67. North Carolina’s median costs include:

To know how big of an array size you’d need, figure out how much electricity you tend to use each month. Your electric bill has this information in kilowatt hours (kWh). 

For example, maybe you used an average of 900 kWh per month. The solar array would then need to have the capacity to handle that usage. If you paid about $125.00 per month at a 14-cent per kWh rate, a 6.5 kW system would produce more energy than you would use, as listed in the calculator through KW Solar. If your system does produce more power than you need, you have the option to sell that extra energy back to the grid through net metering. In return, you will receive bill credits that you can use in less productive months.

The 30% federal tax credit might even help make Asheville solar power more affordable. If you were to purchase an Asheville average size solar array of 9 kW at $3.73 per watt, the system would cost $33,570. After applying the 30% tax credit, you would pay $23,500 for the whole solar array. 

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Incentives for solar panels in Asheville

There are also some Asheville incentives to help homeowners afford solar. These programs may help homeowners save thousands of dollars, making solar more accessible by helping with the high upfront costs.      

These are just a few of the available incentives accessible in Asheville. Be sure to check with your local utility, state incentives, or city programs for any new or updated programs in the Asheville area.  

Solar companies in Asheville

Does solar seem like it could be an option for you and your home? SaveOnEnergy can help you find solar installation options in the Asheville area. We partner with top solar installers to help find an option that works for you. If you are ready to start the process of finding a solar installer and learn more about the process, fill out the form on this page.

Also take a look at our guide on solar panel installation to learn more about how the process of installing solar works. 

Is going solar in Asheville right for you?

Residents of Asheville have a variety of options for accessing solar. Learn below how installing solar panels can help renters, homeowners, and even whole communities around Asheville reduce their carbon footprint and achieve more energy independence.  

Solar for renters

If you are renting, it would be up to the landlord to install solar panels. If the landlord seems open to the option of solar, you can discuss the benefits with them. If you want to access solar on a smaller scale, look into options like portable patio arrays or solar panels for an RV. You could also look into small devices, like portable solar phone chargers or flashlights. 

Solar for homeowners

Those who own their property can look into installing solar directly on their own. However, there is still financial help available to homeowners for help with the upfront costs of solar. A financing option that many homeowners can choose is solar power purchase agreements (PPAs). These contracts let a solar developer manage and install the system right on the property. Though you would never own the panels, you would have access to the electricity the array creates.

You might also look into more conventional financing options. You could look into leasing the full array, which many installers can go over with you. You could also check out other financing options, such as cash-back refinancing, home equity lines of credit, or home equity loans.       

Community solar

Anyone who is unsure of how they’d cover the upfront costs of solar can look into community solar. Community solar allows residents to subscribe to an off-site solar array, and then the electricity from that array goes right to the homes of the subscribers. Community solar is increasing in popularity; it can be a much more accessible way to get solar since it does not have those larger upfront costs. 

Community solar may be a great option for any homeowners that actually can’t even install solar, such as when a home has a yard with a lot of shade, an older roof that won’t support the weight of the solar panels, or a roof that does not get enough direct sunlight throughout the day.