Decide
Are You Ready For Solar?
Estimate Your Cost to Go Solar
This calculator tool will help you determine how much you can generally expect to pay for a solar system in San Antonio, TX. Remember: every home and business is different and average price/watt can fluctuate due to various factors. Our calculator tool is a good place to start in order to pursue hard costs from a local solar installer as a next step. And as always, consider implementing energy efficiency measures in your home or business as the first step in deciding to go solar!
1). Calculate How Much Electricity You Use Per Year
On your CPS Energy bill, take a look at the bar graph labeled “Your Electricity Use (kWh).”
Add the usage together from each month to determine your annual usage. (be careful to only add 12 months of usage data, the bar graph will show 13 months of prior usage)!
This is your energy usage (kWh)/year
2). Determine What Size System You Need
Take the annual energy usage you determined from your CPS Energy bill.
Divide your annual electricity use by the estimated “production ratio” for Texas (1.5). This gives your solar system size in watts.
3). Assess the Gross Cost of Your Solar System
Take the estimated solar system size you generated above. (in watts)
Multiple it by the average price/watt for solar systems installed in the CPS Energy territory for 2021. ($3.80/watt)
This is the gross cost for your solar system (cost before incentives).
4). Figure Out the Net Cost (after incentives)
Last step, multiply the gross cost of your system by .70 in order to subtract the 30% federal solar tax credit.
This will give you the cost of solar after incentives.
Free Tools To Help Decide If You Should Go Solar
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Energy sage
The EnergySage Solar Marketplace is a free service that makes it easy to list your property, specify your needs and accept qualified quotes from solar power system companies. Its panel of solar advisors is on hand to answer your questions and connect you with the resources you need to make an informed decision.
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PV Watts
NREL's PVWatts® Calculator
Estimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations.
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Project Sunroof
Project Sunroof puts Google's expansive data in mapping and computing resources to use, helping calculate the best solar plan for you.
