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Solar panel installation in Pittsfield halfway done: solar racking on flashed mounts across a shingle roof, the first solar panels of the system clamped in place

Solar cost guide

What Solar Panels Cost and What Moves the Price

Your roof, the power your house uses and the equipment you pick decide what solar costs. Here is how each one moves the figure, and how homeowners around Pittsfield pay for it.

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A firm price after a site survey

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What a solar panel system costs

A solar panel system's cost depends on its size, your roof, how much power the household uses and what the property needs, and the firm price comes after a site survey.

Across Pittsfield, solar panel installation typically runs $2.97 to $3.96 per watt installed, so the size of the array carries the total. A 5 kW system typically lands between $14,828 and $19,800, and a system of the size most Pittsfield homes put up typically runs $21,593 to $29,215.

Those are market ranges, not our quote. We walk the roof, open the electrical panel and read your power bills before we put a figure on paper, and that estimate is free with no obligation.

Typical installed prices in Pittsfield

Per watt, installed
$2.97 to $3.96
A 5 kW system
$14,828 to $19,800
An average-size Pittsfield system
$21,593 to $29,215

Your own figure comes from the survey, quoted for the whole job before any work starts.

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What we price on every roof

System size, roof, electrical service and permits

System size, the roof's type and condition, the electrical service, the equipment you choose and the permits set the price of a solar installation.

Each of these shows up as its own line when we walk you through a quote.

  • System size

    More panels mean more racking, wiring and labor. We size the array to the power the house actually uses, so you pay for production you need and nothing past it.

  • Roof type

    Shingle, metal and flat roofs each mount a different way. Shingles take "flashing" at every attachment, a "standing seam metal roof" takes clamps with no drilling, and a worn roof brings its own cost into the decision.

  • Electrical service

    The main panel has to take the new circuit. An older or full panel may need an upgrade first, and that shows on the quote as its own line.

  • Equipment

    The panel model, a central "string inverter" or a "microinverter" under each panel, and add-ons such as a battery all change the figure.

  • Permits

    Building and electrical permits, the inspection and the utility's "interconnection" filing come with every job, and we handle the paperwork.

When something on the roof fails

Microinverter, string inverter and panel replacement costs

Replacing a single failed microinverter is the smallest of these repair bills, a new panel installed comes in above it, and a string inverter replacement is the largest.

Here is what each common repair involves and what moves its price.

RepairWhat it involvesWhat moves the price
MicroinverterSwapping the small inverter under one panel. A failed unit cuts that panel's output while the rest of the array keeps running.Getting to the panel on the roof, and the model of the replacement unit.
Solar panelTaking out a cracked or failing panel and installing a matching one in its place.Finding a compatible panel, and where it sits in the array.
String inverterReplacing the central inverter that runs a whole series of panels. When it stops, every panel on that series stops producing.The inverter's size, and whether the new unit suits the existing wiring.
Wiring faultTracing and repairing a loose connector or a damaged run between the panels and the inverter.How long the fault takes to find. Many cost less to fix than an inverter swap.

  • Something already failing?

    We test the inverters, the wiring and the panels and find the fault before we price a fix, so you pay for the repair the system needs.

    Solar Panel Repair in Pittsfield
Solar shingles laid flush in a pitched house roof, the roof-integrated alternative to a rack-mount solar panel system

Keep the roof, or replace it first

Rack-mount solar vs solar shingles on cost

A rack-mount array on the roof you have costs less upfront than "roof-integrated solar" shingles, which pay off best when the roof is being replaced anyway.

  • Lower upfront cost

    Rack-mount array

    Panels on rails, the "racking", fixed through flashed mounts on your existing roof. It starts producing sooner and suits a roof with years of life left.

  • Solar shingles

    Solar tiles laid as part of a full reroof, so the roof and the array go on together. Worth pricing when a new roof is already on the list.

Putting panels on a roof that will need replacing soon adds a later bill for taking the array off and putting it back, which the trade calls "R&R".

  • Reroofing under solar?

    Our roofers handle panel removal and reset around a new roof, and lay solar shingles as part of one.

    Solar Roofers

Backup power, sized to your house

What sets a home battery's price

A home battery's price follows the capacity we size from your household's actual usage and the gateway wiring it needs.

We look at what the house draws, decide with you which circuits stay on in an outage, and size storage to that. The quote also covers coordinating with the utility, and a "smart panel" that manages loads is an add-on that raises it.

  • Planning for outages?

    We install home batteries for backup power, wired to keep the circuits you choose running when the grid drops.

    Solar Battery Installation

Spreading the cost out

Solar financing: loans, PACE and leases

Solar is paid for in cash or with a no-money-down loan, PACE financing or a lease, with terms from 5 to 25 years.

These are the ways homeowners here pay for a system.

  • CashYou own the system outright from the day it switches on.
  • Solar loanNo-money-down loans and same-as-cash offers spread the cost across the term.
  • PACE financing"PACE" is a financing route for energy upgrades; we go through whether it fits your house on the call.
  • LeaseYou pay for the use of the system rather than buying it.

Ask which one fits when you call (413) 724-0582.

Beyond the install price

Savings and home value

Rising utility rates and a higher sale price for homes with solar can change what a system is worth to you over time.

Utility rates rise 4 to 6 percent a year, so the power your roof makes is worth more each year it runs. Homes with solar panels sell for an average of 4.1 percent more than homes without. With "net metering", the surplus you send back to the grid earns bill credits against what you use at night, and the Mass.gov net metering guide sets out how those credits work.

4 to 6%How fast power rates climb each year
4.1%Average premium when the house sells

From neighbors who called

What homeowners say about the survey and the install

These are our Google reviews, as the owners wrote them.

The representatives we worked with at Incite - Jonathan and Daniella were incredible and kept us informed every step of the way. The electrical team and installation team were wonderful and efficient and did an amazing job under brutally hot conditions! We are thrilled that we decided on Incite Solar Solutions and know that going forward it will be the best decision we ever made. We are fortunate that all of our panels are in the back and we actually forget they are there. Great installation.
Sandi Madigan Google review
We're in line to get a system thru SunPower with Derek as our rep. So far so good--he's been great! We had a hiccup with our first home site inspection--seems that the info never made it back to Incite. Then Peter Walters was assigned to come out--night and day difference from our first home site visit. Peter totally knew what he was doing. Hope all continues to go well!
Margo Leanna Google review
We had Pete survey our property and he did an amazing job, took his time explaning to us everything he was doing and in what condition our home was in. He did a pretty awesome job!
Jhonatan Oliveira Google review

Get the number for your own roof

Want a firm price for your house?

Call and give us the address. We set up a free site survey, look at the roof, the panel and your bills, and quote the whole job before any work starts.

Call for a Free Estimate (413) 724-0582

We answer the phone or call back the same working day.

We show up when we say we will.

Call (413) 724-0582