Solar Panel Cost In 2023 (Homeowner’s Installation Savings Guide)
By Karsten Neumeister /
Here’s what you’ll learn in this guide:
Each product and or company featured here has been independently selected by the writer. You can learn more about our review methodology here. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
High-performance solar panels between 400 and 500 watts tend to be ideal for residential solar projects because they’re reasonably affordable and are outstanding when it comes to energy production. Below are the best solar panels in the 425-watt range that you can install in your home.
Nationwide Service
Average cost
Pros
Cons
SunPower designs and installs industry-leading residential solar and storage solutions across all 50 states. With a storied history of innovation dating back to 1985, no other company on this list can match SunPower’s experience and expertise.
SunPower earns its position as the top national installer on our list for a handful of reasons: It installs the most efficient solar technology on the residential market, offers the most expansive service area and backs its installations with a warranty well above the industry standard. All the while, SunPower pioneers sustainability efforts within the industry.
If that weren’t enough, SunPower systems come packaged with products all manufactured in-house by its sister company, Maxeon. This means that your panels, solar cells, inverters, battery and EV chargers are designed to work together and are all covered under the same warranty.
SunPower’s biggest downside? Its high-efficiency panels are considerably more expensive than most of its competitors’ products. However, its powerful panels are workhorses that make up for the initial cost with more backend production (think about this like spending more money for a car that gets more miles per gallon).
EcoWatch Rating |
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Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating |
Year Founded |
Average Cost ($-$$$$$) |
Solar Services |
Brands of Solar Equipment Offered |
Warranty Coverage |
5 |
A+ |
1985 |
$$$$ |
Solar Panels, Solar Batteries, EV Chargers, System Monitoring |
SunPower Panels |
25-year all-inclusive warranty |
Regional Service
Average cost
Pros
Cons
We like Blue Raven Solar because it understands that, for most homeowners, the cost of solar presents the biggest barrier to entry.
For that reason, Blue Raven Solar developed an innovative solar financing plan that offers in-house, flexible, zero-money-down options. The results speak for themselves, as Blue Raven Solar is now one of the fastest-growing solar companies in the nation and was recently acquired by SunPower. Its BluePower Plus+ plan (exclusive to Blue Raven) mimics the flexible structure of a lease while still providing the greatest benefits of owning your system.
Eligible homeowners enjoy 18 months of solar power before having to pay their first bill. When coupled with the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC), the initial energy savings can offset more than a third of the overall cost of a system before requiring a dollar down.
In contrast, other installers can only offer similar financing through solar leases, PPAs or third-party providers (such as Mosaic or Sunlight). Third-party loan providers can complicate the process, while opting for a loan or PPA will disqualify you from some of solar’s biggest benefits (additional property value, federal solar tax credit and local solar incentives).
EcoWatch Rating |
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Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating |
Year Founded |
Average Cost ($-$$$$$) |
Solar Services |
Brands of Solar Equipment Offered |
Warranty Coverage |
4.5 |
A+ |
2014 |
$$ |
Solar Panels, System Monitoring |
Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, SolarEdge, Silfab, SunPower |
25-year manufacturer warranty; 10-year workmanship warranty, 2-year production guarantee |
Regional Service
Average cost
Pros
Cons
ADT Solar sets the industry standard for warranty coverage by including a multifaceted guarantee, making it one of the top installers for homeowners who want added peace of mind.
Its warranty coverage includes all of the following for 25 years:
Though in recent years other solar companies have started to offer similar guarantees, ADT Solar has been at it since 2008, performing over 30,000 installations across the country.
EcoWatch Rating |
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Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating |
Year Founded |
Average Cost ($-$$$$$) |
Solar Services |
Brands of Solar Equipment Offered |
Warranty Coverage |
4 |
A- |
2008 |
$$$ |
Solar Panels, Solar Batteries, EV Chargers, Energy-Efficiency Upgrades |
Silfab, Panasonic and others depending on location |
25-year all-inclusive warranty |
While there are some exceptions, the majority of the solar panels available that are rated at 425 watts or higher are generally only available via professional solar panel installation companies. They often aren’t available for DIY installations, so pricing can vary quite a bit from a vendor to vendor. The table below provides average prices per watt for our top solar panels in the 425-watt range.
Solar Panel | Average Price Per Watt |
SunPower Solar E-Series SPR-E20-435-COM Monocrystalline Solar Panels | $3.12 – $3.74 |
Canadian Solar HiKu Mono PERC Series Solar Panels | $2.70 – $3.20 |
LG NeON R High Efficiency 66-Cell 425W Solar Panels | $2.78 – $3.60 |
Mission Solar Energy (MSE) MSE PERC 72 SX6W 425 Solar Panels | $2.25 – $2.69 |
Qcells Q.Peak Duo L G6.2 425-Watt Solar Panels | $2.32 – $3.16 |
Although 425-watt solar panels are more costly than those with lower wattages, they come with two primary benefits: higher module efficiency and lengthier warranties when compared to smaller DIY panels. Solar panel warranties typically cover the equipment itself, installation labor, or the efficiency of the panels over time with a performance guarantee. The best solar panel warranties cover all three and provide peace of mind that your hefty investment will be protected for years to come. The table below provides warranty coverage information for our top panel picks.
Solar Panel | Warranty Coverage Included |
SunPower E-Series SPR-E20-435-COM Monocrystalline Solar Panels | 25-year warranty for equipment and labor, plus a 25-year progressive warranty for power production (minimum of 85.5% after 25 years) |
Canadian Solar HiKu Mono PERC Series Solar Panels | 10-year limited warranty for equipment plus a 25-year limited warranty for power production (minimum of 80% after 25 years) |
LG Solar NeON R High Efficiency 66-Cell 425W Solar Panels | 25-year limited warranty plus 25-year production warranty guaranteeing a minimum of 90.6% efficiency |
Mission Solar Energy (MSE) MSE PERC 72 SX6W 425 Solar Panels | 12-year warranty for equipment only, or up to 25 years with an extended warranty |
Qcells Q.Peak Duo L G6.2 425-Watt Bifacial Solar Panels | 12-year warranty for equipment, plus a 25-year linear warranty for power production (minimum of 83% efficiency after 25 years) |
Solar panels vary in size based on the manufacturer, and the dimensions often have to do with the number and size of solar cells in each panel as well as the cell type (usually half cell/half-cut cell or full cell). The average dimensions for a panel with this wattage are 39” by 79” at around 1.4” in thickness. Many panels in this category weigh in excess of 50 pounds, which makes them quite challenging to install as a DIY solar project. The table below provides dimensions and weights for the panels we’ve chosen as the best in this watt class.
Solar Panel | Product Dimensions (Per Panel) | Panel Weight (Per Panel) |
SunPower E-Series SPR-E20-435-COM Monocrystalline Solar Panels | 41.18” by 81.38“ at 1.81” thick | 56 lbs |
Canadian Solar HiKu Mono PERC Series Solar Panels | 41.26” by 76.38” at 1.38” thick | 51.6 lbs |
LG NeON R High Efficiency 66-Cell 425W Solar Panels | 41.02” by 75.2” at 1.57” thick | 45.19 lbs |
Mission Solar Energy (MSE) MSE PERC 72 SX6W 425 Solar Panels | 41.5” by 82.13” at 1.57” thick | 51.6 lbs |
Qcells Q.Peak Duo L G6.2 425-Watt Solar Panels | 40.6” by 81.9” at 1.38” thick | 55.1 lbs |
One of the most common questions homeowners have about solar panels is how much energy each one will produce. While it might seem like a simple calculation based solely on the wattage, there are many additional factors at play that can lead to significant variances in total power output.
For example, identical 425-watt solar panels will perform differently in areas with varying climates, as cloudy weather can reduce efficiency by more than 75%. Solar irradiance or solar intensity — which we’ll discuss below — is another factor that changes how efficient your panels will be based on your location. The number of hours of sunlight per day in your area can also have a major effect on solar energy production.
Some factors that affect power production that you have some degree of control over include the direction your panels face, the amount of shade on your panels throughout the day, and the brand and efficiency of the panels you choose.
That being said, you can use a generic calculation to estimate how much your 425-watt panels will generate:
It’s often not feasible to estimate your solar panel production while taking all of the factors we discussed above into consideration. However, provided you can have a fairly dependable figure for daily hours of sunshine, you can get reasonably close to calculating how much energy your panels will generate with the panel ratings and certifications from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). If we assume you live in an area that gets about eight hours of sun per day, the calculation below should be somewhat accurate:
(8 hours of sunlight) x (425 watts) x (75%) = 2,550 watts per day
(2,550 watts per day) / 1,000 = 2.55 kWh per day
At a maximum of 2.55 kWh per day (which would be considered Standard Test Conditions or STC), you could reasonably expect each panel to produce about 930.75 kWh annually. This number is a good place to start when calculating how many solar panels you need for your solar project. You can divide your total energy consumption for the year — an average of 10,715 kWh in the U.S.1 — by the total production expected per panel.
Solar irradiance is a measure of how intensely the sunlight in your area hits the earth or, in the case of a solar system, your panels. The more directly the sun hits your panels, the higher the maximum potential production will be for your location. Due to the curvature of the earth, the states that are best for solar are located nearest to the equator. At latitudes closer to the equator, the sun hits at an angle nearly perpendicular to the earth’s surface, providing the highest intensity. States further north will receive sunlight at a more indirect angle, which limits the maximum production of your panels.
Using a standard solar irradiance measure (expressed in kilowatts per square meter) that you find on a solar calculator for your area is a decent way to account for the sunlight intensity on your property. Remember, this is just one factor that affects potential production, but it is an important one to consider.
Here’s a look into solar irradiance:
Many people who plan to install photovoltaic modules (PV modules) — especially those moving forward with a DIY solar installation — get caught up in the wattage of their panels and never consider the voltage on their panels’ datasheets. Voltage is easily conceptualized by imagining a container of water with a small pipe leading out of the bottom. When the valve for the pipe is opened, the speed at which water flows out of the pipe (amps) will increase with higher levels of water in the container (voltage). Voltage is sometimes thought of as the force that pushes current to solar batteries or electronic devices and appliances.
Solar panel voltage — including measures for open-circuit voltage (VOC) and short circuit current (ISC) — is important because it determines what your panels can and can’t power. Panels with a lower voltage than the volts required by an electric device won’t power it. For example, a 24-volt panel can charge a 12-volt battery because it has sufficient voltage, but that same panel couldn’t provide enough power to run an electric stove, which typically requires 240 volts. Solar panels can be wired together in a series using branch connectors to increase the maximum system voltage to the inverter so that it’s sufficient to power larger appliances or batteries or even entire homes.
In addition to a minimum voltage, a solar panel must provide ample wattage to power different things around your home, boat, RV, or other off-grid solar projects. In the table below, we’ll include some of the more common household items you should be able to power with a 425-watt solar panel.
Appliance/Household Item | Running or Rated Watts Required to Run |
Phone Charger | 10 watts |
CFL Light Bulb | 18 watts |
Ceiling Fan | 60 watts |
Standard 60W Incandescent Light Bulb | 60 watts |
DVD Player | 100 watts |
Mini-Fridge | 100 watts |
Home Speaker System | 100 watts |
Box Fan or Floor Fan | 100 watts |
Hair Straightener | 120 watts |
Laptop Charger | 125 watts |
Electric Can Opener | 170 watts |
Gaming Console | 180 watts |
Vacuum Cleaner | 200 watts |
Rice Cooker | 200 watts |
Heated Blanket | 200 watts |
Up to 56” LCD TV | 225 watts |
Paper Shredder | 225 watts |
TV | 230 watts |
PC (Non-Gaming) | 240 watts |
Small Dehumidifier | 250 watts |
Computer Monitor | 250 watts |
Crockpot | 250 watts |
Projector | 280 watts |
Whole-House Exhaust Fan | 350 watts |
Blender | 360 watts |
Central AC Fan Only | 370 watts |
Evaporative Cooler | 400 watts |
Keurig Coffee Maker | 400 watts |
Desktop PC and Monitor | 400 watts |
5-Gallon Aquarium | 300-420 watts |
Energy-Efficient Washing Machines | 420 watts |
High-Quality Sound System | 425 watts |
Waterbed Heater | 425 watts |
As mentioned above, it’s challenging to estimate accurately how much power your 425-watt solar panels will produce, primarily because there are so many factors that affect power production. Most importantly, varying amounts of sun in your area can mean massive differences in efficiency. You’ll have to consider your average number of daylight hours per day, shading on your panels at any point of the day, and the weather, which can bring clouds and rain that reduce overall efficiency quite drastically.
Your power output will also depend on the brand of the panel you choose and its efficiency rating, how old your panel is (panels lose efficiency as they age), which direction your solar modules are facing, and solar irradiation in your area.
Determining how many 425-watt panels you need for your solar project will be easiest if you know your annual electricity consumption. You can check your past energy bills for this number, or you can use the average consumption of 10,715 kWh per year for a rough estimate. Next, you can divide this total by the estimated production per panel. Using numbers from our example calculations above, the math is as follows:
(10,715 kWh per year) / (930.75 kWh produced per panel) = 11.51 panels, rounded up to 12 panels
This means a 10-kW solar system would require around 12 425-watt panels. One of the benefits of using solar panels made for residential applications is that you minimize the number of panels — and therefore the weight — you have to add to your roof and maximize production per square foot.
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