Not just "$X per watt" — see equipment, labor, permitting and tax broken out separately, so you know what you're actually paying for.
This is before any incentives — check the Solar Tax Credit & Incentive Calculator for your net price after available programs.
Further reading: Solar Tax Credits in 2026: What's Left After the Federal Credit Expired
The 55/30/15 equipment/labor/soft-cost split reflects typical published breakdowns for residential solar installs — the remaining ~15% (not broken out separately here) covers overhead, design, and installer margin baked into the quoted $/W rate. Your actual quote may allocate differently, but the total should land close to the $/W figure you enter.
Installed price (not just the bare panels) runs roughly $2.20–$3.50 per watt depending on your state and system size, before any incentives — that's the figure the calculator above computes for your specific inputs. Panel hardware itself is a small, fairly commoditized slice of that; labor and soft costs (permitting, sales, overhead) explain most of the price spread between installers and between states.
Most published price lists quote equipment cost only (panels and sometimes an inverter) with no labor, permitting, interconnection or markup — real installed pricing, which is what actually appears on a quote, is typically 2–3× higher. Use the calculator above for an installed-price estimate, not a component price list.
Mostly labor and soft costs — equipment prices are fairly commoditized, but installer overhead, sales/marketing cost, and regional labor rates vary widely. Getting 3+ quotes is the best way to see your local market's real range.
No — this is panels, inverter and racking only. Add battery cost separately using the Home Battery Cost Calculator.
Yes — PV (photovoltaic) is the technical term for solar-electric panels, so "PV cost" and "solar panel cost" mean the same thing. This calculator computes full installed PV system cost, not just bare panel hardware.
Costs vary meaningfully by state — see a full breakdown for yours: