Solar in Washington costs about $2.88 per watt, so the typical 10.46 kW system runs about $30,125 before incentives. Timing matters more than price here: Puget Sound Energy has already passed the 4% trigger that obliges full retail credits, and keeps offering them by choice.
Check where your utility stands before you commit
Full retail credits in Washington depend on how close your utility is to its 4% trigger. Enter your ZIP code and we will check where yours stands.
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Two clocks on Washington net metering, and one has already run out
State law (RCW chapter 80.60) makes utilities credit your exports at full retail only until one of two limits hits, whichever comes first.
Full retail credits are required until solar reaches 4% of the utility’s 1996 peak demand. PSE has exceeded it and still enrolls under Schedule 150, voluntarily.
The latest date the obligation can run. About three years out, and it applies statewide.
What replaces one-to-one when a utility closes its program. Nothing was on file with the state regulator as of our check.
PSE says it will give notice before closing. That is a company commitment, not a legal guarantee.
This is a real act-now case, not a marketing deadline. At PSE, the legal duty to credit you at full retail is already met, so the current terms continue at the company’s discretion. Seattle City Light, Snohomish County PUD and Avista work under the same law. Check each one’s position directly.
PSE customers: the window is open by gracePSE will keep enrolling new customers on the old terms only until a new rate schedule is available. No successor has been filed.
March 31 takes whatever credit you banked
Under RCW 80.60.030, unused net metering credits go to the utility each March 31, with no payment. Washington has weak winter sun and long summer days, so a system banks credit through summer and autumn. Whatever winter did not use is lost at the end of the darkest stretch of the year.
Size to your use, not to maximum outputMatch the system to what your home consumes. Winter load is what protects a summer surplus from the March 31 reset.
Washington solar prices on some of the cloudiest roofs in the country
Around Seattle, each kW of panels makes about 1,096 kWh a year, among the lowest yields in the country and about 40% below Nevada. You need more hardware for the same power. Homes use 955 kWh a month, so the typical system is 10.46 kW, larger than the 7.27 kW US typical. See how Washington compares in our state-by-state solar pricing.
Each figure is the EcoGen Index price ($2.88 per watt, as of March 1, 2026) times the size, gross before incentives. Real quotes vary by roof, equipment and installer.
How 18.6 years of payback adds up in Washington
A household that uses what it makes, valued at the 14.09¢ statewide average rate.
10.46 kW system at $2.88 per watt
Rates are climbing 4.15% a year, among the fastest in the country, which steadily shortens that. Washington’s offsetting advantage is full retail one-to-one credit while it lasts. That is why timing matters more here than price.
Rerun it with your own billThe 14.09¢ is a statewide average for context, not a filed rate. PSE, Seattle City Light and the public utility districts each set their own residential rates.
Who should wait on Washington solar, and who should not
Think twice if one of these is true:
- Your roof needs replacing. Wait and do the roof first. An 18.6-year payback does not survive paying to remove and refit the array in year six.
- Your roof is shaded or faces north. At 1,096 kWh per kW, there is less margin here than almost anywhere in the country.
Do not wait if you are a PSE customer who has already decidedThe obligation to credit you at full retail has been met. Waiting is a bet that a company keeps offering something it no longer has to.
Two checks before a Washington quote
- Ask about the March 31 reset before sizing. A quote that maximizes yearly output without discussing winter use is optimizing the wrong number.
- Check your own utility rather than assuming. Seattle City Light, Snohomish County PUD and Avista each sit at a different point against the same 4% trigger.
Size your Washington system around the March 31 reset
A system that makes more than your home uses by March 31 gives the surplus away. Enter your ZIP code to size around your own winter use.
- Quotes built for your roofEach quote is designed around your home and your bills.
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More Washington solar guides
Frequently asked questions
How much do solar panels cost in Washington state in 2026?
About $2.88 per watt installed, 25th cheapest in the country as of March 1, 2026. Because Washington has among the weakest sunlight of any state at 1,096 kWh per kW a year, systems are large: typically 10.46 kW, roughly $30,125 before incentives.
Is Washington net metering ending?
It has a defined end. Under RCW chapter 80.60 utilities must offer one-to-one retail credits only until their cumulative solar capacity reaches 4% of their 1996 peak demand, or until June 30, 2029, whichever comes first. Puget Sound Energy has already exceeded its 4% threshold and continues enrolling new customers under Schedule 150 voluntarily, saying it will give notice before closing. No successor schedule has been filed.
Do Washington solar credits expire?
Yes. Under RCW 80.60.030 any unused net metering credits are granted to the utility on March 31 each year without compensation. Given Washington’s weak winter sun and long summer days, that timing means a summer surplus has to be consumed over winter or it is lost, which is why winter load such as electric heating or an EV protects the value.
What is the solar payback period in Washington state?
About 18.6 years for a household consuming what it generates at the 14.09¢ retail rate. The obstacle is sunlight rather than price: at 1,096 kWh per kW a year, roughly 40% below Nevada, you need more hardware for the same output. Rates rising 4.15% a year improve that steadily.
Should I install solar in Washington now or wait?
If you are a Puget Sound Energy customer who has already decided, waiting carries a real and specific risk: the legal obligation to credit you at full retail has already been satisfied, so the current terms continue at the company’s discretion rather than by requirement. If your roof needs replacing first, sequence that, because an 18.6-year payback does not survive removing and refitting the array partway through.
How we calculate these costs
Cost figures use Washington’s entry in the EcoGen Solar Cost Index (v2 method), $2.88 per watt as of March 1, 2026. Payback assumes no federal residential credit for owner-purchased systems, full retail one-to-one netting, 4.15% yearly rate growth (the state 5-year average), 0.5% yearly panel degradation and a 25-year horizon. The statutory framework is read directly from RCW chapter 80.60. PSE’s position past its 4% threshold and its continued Schedule 150 enrollment come from utility documents and reporting, not a single filing. No successor schedule was on file with the state regulator at the time of writing.
Sources (6)
- Washington State Legislature, RCW Chapter 80.60 (net metering statute, accessed June 10, 2026): app.leg.wa.gov
- Puget Sound Energy, Schedule 150 documentation (accessed June 10, 2026): pse.com
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, March 2026 edition: eia.gov
- EIA, Form EIA-861 Annual Electric Power Industry Report, 2024: eia.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024: census.gov
- IRS, One, Big, Beautiful Bill Provisions (Public Law 119-21, accessed August 15, 2026): irs.gov
