Written by Dean Mahmoud, CEO, and checked by Trevor Guilday, founder.Prices from the September 2026 Cost Index. Updated October 19, 2026.
A typical Washington home system is 8.64 kW and costs about $24,710 in cash at $2.86 per watt. With full one-for-one bill credits it pays for itself in about 14.1 years at Puget Sound Energy, the largest utility, simple payback before incentives. At the other large utilities it takes 17.4 to 30.7 years, because Washington’s sun is weak and many utilities charge little for power. How long full credits stay open depends on your utility.
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Most Washington utilities still credit each kWh you send out at your full price. The payback is long anyway: each kW of panels makes about 1,096 kWh a year, and many utilities charge little for power.
| Utility and price per kWh | Bill savings, year one | Cash price | Simple payback before incentives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puget Sound Energy (PSE): 18.56¢ | $1,758 | $24,710 | 14.1 years |
| Seattle City Light: 15.00¢ | $1,420 | $24,710 | 17.4 years |
| Pacific Power: 14.29¢ | $1,353 | $24,710 | 18.3 years |
| Avista: 13.48¢ | $1,277 | $24,710 | 19.4 years |
| Clark Public Utilities: 10.65¢ | $1,008 | $24,710 | 24.5 years |
| Snohomish County PUD: 9.69¢ | $917 | $24,710 | 26.9 years |
| Tacoma Power: 8.49¢ | $804 | $24,710 | 30.7 years |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
PSE’s Schedule 667 pays only 6.713¢ for each kWh you send out, so a home on it takes much longer to pay back; our per-utility figures do not model it. Schedule 667 is an option a PSE customer can pick, not a replacement PSE has announced. PSE’s Schedule 150 net metering stays open until a new rate schedule is in place, and PSE says it will give notice first.
State law makes a utility offer net metering to new solar homes until June 30, 2029, or until its solar total reaches 4% of its 1996 peak demand, whichever comes first. Past that point, a utility may set its own rate for new homes.
The last day any Washington utility must accept new net metering homes.
Of the most power the utility’s customers drew at one moment in 1996.
In the WSU Energy Program table of January 31, 2026, including PSE and Pacific Power.
It asked the UTC to close net metering to later applications. Still pending on October 14, 2026.
| Utility | Cap used | What a new solar home gets today |
|---|---|---|
| Puget Sound Energy | 132.25% | Net metering under Schedule 150, kept open by PSE until a replacement is ready |
| Pacific Power | 115.42% | Net metering under Schedule 135; a request to end it for later applications is pending |
| Seattle City Light | 92.57% | Net metering; City Light is planning its next phase |
| Avista | 77.84% | Net metering under state law |
| Snohomish County PUD | 77.82% | Net metering, with the credit kept in dollars |
| Clark County PUD | 63.61% | Net metering under state law |
| Tacoma Power | 50.86% | Net metering under state law |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
A home that joined before a cutoff keeps its credits as long as its interconnection agreement, the contract that lets your system connect to the grid, stays valid. PSE says customers approved under Schedule 150 can stay on it.
Under Pacific Power’s proposal (UTC Docket UE-250695), a complete application by February 1, 2027 keeps net metering for 25 years. Later applicants would get a smaller credit based on avoided cost. The UTC can change or reject the proposal, so the date is not final. Seattle City Light says its goal is at least six months of notice before any change takes effect.
The WSU table is the latest one posted; it counts systems to January 31, 2026.
The name at the top of your bill sets what each credit is worth and how long full credits stay open to new homes.
Schedule 150 net metering, or the optional 6.713¢ Solar Energy Credit. Serves Bellevue, Olympia, Bellingham and much of the Puget Sound area outside Seattle.
Next: ask which schedule goes on your application.
Credits are valued at your retail rate: 13.38¢ on the flat rate inside Seattle, plus a 39.45¢ daily base charge. 100 extra kWh are worth $13.38.
Next: ask which rule covers an application filed today.
Extra power becomes a dollar credit at the Schedule 7 energy charge, 10.613¢ since April 1, 2026. It cuts the energy part of the bill, not the daily base charge.
Next: use saved credit before March 31.
Pacific Power serves Yakima, Walla Walla and nearby parts of south-central and southeast Washington. It credits 1 kWh for 1 kWh under Schedule 135 and has asked to stop for applications after February 1, 2027 (see the cap table).
Avista, Clark County PUD and Tacoma Power were below the cap on January 31, 2026, so state net metering applies. WSU lists Franklin PUD, Kittitas PUD and OPALCO, the San Juan County co-op, as no longer following the state credit rule. If one of them is yours, get the current credit in writing. A public utility changes its rule by a vote of its own board.
Snohomish County PUD also has a net billing schedule (201) that pays 3.83¢ to 4.605¢ per kWh in 2026. Its net metering schedule stays open to new solar homes until its board adopts a new rate. Seattle’s suburban flat rates run 13.56¢ to 14.65¢.
Credits roll forward from month to month. Once a year, on March 31, state law hands any credits left from the past year to the utility, with no payment.
A home builds up credits over the summer.
By March 31 the home has drawn down 800 of them.
Cleared on March 31, unpaid. Snohomish PUD’s dollar credits expire the same day.
What 8.64 kW makes in a year. Put it next to a year of your bills.
PSE says the same thing in its solar FAQ: it does not recommend sizing a system to make more power than you expect to use in a year. A bigger system costs more and earns nothing for the extra.
The September 2026 benchmark: $0.03 below the US average, 24th lowest of 51. These are modeled cash prices, not quotes we collected.
| System size | Cash price | Made in a year |
|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | $14,300 | 5,475 kWh |
| 8.64 kW (typical) | $24,710 | 9,462 kWh |
| 10 kW | $28,600 | 10,950 kWh |
| 12 kW | $34,320 | 13,140 kWh |
No rebate and no tax credit for the panels. The money in Washington is the bill credit, the sales tax exemption and two utility battery programs.
100% of state and local sales tax off qualifying equipment, through December 31, 2029 (RCW 82.08.962).
At sign-up, up to $1,000 per battery. Then 50¢ per kWh in Flex events, up to $500 a year.
Up to $3,000 and 70% of the battery cost, then $15 per kW a year from year two.
Washington has no individual income tax, and the federal credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Way to pay | Panels belong to | Check this in Washington |
|---|---|---|
Cash | You | No sales tax line; exemption certificates for the seller and installer |
Credit union loan | You | The financed total next to the cash price; the lender sets the terms |
Prepaid lease | The lease company | Who owns and repairs it, and the buyout price if you sell |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Washington incentives guideWhat $0-down solar means in Washington
Listed A to Z, not ranked. Licenses checked in Washington Labor & Industries contractor data on October 13, 2026; other facts from each company’s own site, read October 13 to 14, 2026.
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PSE suggests at least three bids, each with the total cost, the cost per kW and the expected yearly output.
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CEO of EcoGen America. Since 2021 he has connected homeowners with residential solar installers in all 50 states.
About Dean
Founder of EcoGen America. He has worked in residential solar since 2016 and maintains the EcoGen Solar Cost Index.
About Trevor