Is Solar Worth It in Nevada? (2024 Homeowner's Guide)

Here’s a quick overview of solar viability in Nevada:

  • Nevada ranks 6th in the country for solar installations.*
  • The average electricity rate is 16.35 cents per kilowatt-hour.**
  • The average solar payback period is 10 years.***
  • Homeowners are eligible for a decent net metering policy and the federal solar investment tax credit (ITC),
  • The average homeowner saves $39,939 over the lifetime of their solar system.***

*According to the Solar Energy Industries Association.1
**Data from the Energy Information Administration.2
***Calculated assuming the system is purchased in cash.

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Nevada ranks 6th in the nation for solar conversions and maintains a relatively low price of solar equipment. However, residents also pay less for electricity than most homeowners in the country, so many Nevadans wonder if solar panels are worth the investment.

Solar is a great option for many people in Nevada, but it’s not guaranteed to save you money. Below, you’ll find information on how to determine if solar panels are a good option for your home. We’ll also discuss the many benefits you’ll enjoy when you install solar panels and some additional considerations you should make to ensure your installation process goes smoothly.

To speak with an EcoWatch-vetted professional who can help you determine whether solar is worth it for your Nevada home, follow the links below.

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Blue Raven Solar

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Pros

  • Industry-leading in-house financing
  • Competitive pricing
  • Excellent reputation

Cons

  • Doesn't offer solar batteries (coming 2022)
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Blue Raven Solar

Best Solar Financing

Regional Service

EcoWatch rating

Average cost

Read full review now

Pros

  • Industry-leading in-house financing
  • Competitive pricing
  • Excellent reputation

Cons

  • Doesn't offer solar batteries (coming 2022)
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Momentum Solar

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  • Great warranty coverage
  • Concierge service ensures steady communication
  • Representatives are experts on local policies

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  • Slightly limited service offerings
  • Only available in 11 states

Watch Below: Learn Why Nevada Is the Perfect State To Go Solar

How to Figure Out if Solar Panels are Worth It in Nevada

Nevada is a hot spot for solar conversions in the United States, but not every homeowner will benefit from going solar. Below are the metrics you can use to figure out if your home is a good candidate for solar panel installation.

What’s Your Home Electricity Consumption?

The first thing you’ll want to consider is how much electricity your household consumes in an average month. Solar panels save money by providing you with a reduced energy bill, so the more electricity you use, the more potential savings you’ll enjoy.

Although there are no hard rules, a general benchmark is that a home should use at least 500 kilowatt-hours in a given month to be eligible for solar savings. The average home in Nevada consumes 973 kWh, which means converting to solar energy will be worthwhile for the large majority of Nevadans, at least from an energy usage standpoint. You can check your past electric bills to see what your average monthly consumption is.

How Much Is It To Go Solar in Nevada?

The price of solar panels in Nevada depends largely on the system size you need, but the equipment averages around $3.04 per watt. At $0.29 per watt less than the national average, solar equipment will be more affordable in Nevada than in most states, and your money will go further than average.

Most homes in the area need a 10-kilowatt system, which would total approximately $21,280 after the 30% federal tax credit is applied. Solar panels are more valuable in areas where energy bills are high, which could be attributed to high energy consumption or high electricity rates.

Nevada has below-average power prices but above-average energy needs. As such, Nevada is about average for solar conversion when it comes to power bill metrics.

What’s the Payback Period for Solar in Nevada?

close-up of dark solar panel details Many homeowners don’t realize that most home solar projects pay for themselves over time in energy savings.

The amount of time it takes your solar energy system to pay for itself can vary based on many factors, but the average solar panel payback period in Nevada is around 10 years. This is below the national average of 12 years.

Most solar customers in NV will find that their panel payback period falls between 7 and 13 years. If you use a solar calculator or a solar installer’s estimate to check your payback period and your estimate is longer than 13 years, it will take you longer to earn back your investment, and your total ROI will be lower than average.

What Are Average Buy-Back Rates in Nevada?

Many states have enacted a net metering program, which requires utility companies to buy back excess energy produced by your panels. This policy helps reduce your payback period and increase your return on investment.

Nevada has a good net metering policy that not only requires an electricity buy-back program but mandates that energy purchased from solar customers at 75% of the retail rate. This is, however, set to decrease over time.

The sub-optimal net metering program in Nevada has led mean solar customers to install a battery backup along with their panels. Solar batteries guarantee that you get credited at the full retail rate for whatever you’re able to store, which further improves savings and ROI. Solar storage solutions also provide energy during power outages.

How Much Sun Does Your Roof Receive?

Solar panels utilize sunlight to generate electricity, and you ultimately save money with solar based on how much electricity you produce with your panels. As such, solar panel systems are the most efficient in areas that receive abundant sunlight.

Nevada is the third best state in the nation for sun availability, making Nevada a great place for solar conversion.3 However, there are some factors that can make some homes in NV less appealing for solar panel installation.

For example, the direction your roof faces can make a huge difference in panel efficiency, with south-facing roofs being the best and west-facing roofs sometimes being suitable. You will also need to assess your roof for shading during the daytime. Shade from trees or buildings will reduce energy production and make your solar system less valuable overall.

What’s the Outlook on Solar in Nevada?

Nevada currently ranks as the 6th state in the country in terms of solar conversions, so it’s very safe to say that solar power is well-accepted and even favored throughout the state. Residential solar installations are more than 10 times as prevalent in the Silver State than they were a decade ago, and the solar industry shows no signs of slowing down.

Utility-scale solar also has a massive foothold throughout Nevada. Solar power systems are so popular in NV for two primary reasons: the state receives abundant sunshine, and the solar incentives are excellent and quite enticing for homeowners looking to save by switching to solar power.

Benefits of Solar Energy in Nevada

There are quite a few benefits you’ll enjoy when you decide to convert to solar energy, including numerous financial incentives and some environmental upsides. We’ll discuss the most appealing benefits of solar conversion below.

Electricity Bill Savings

As mentioned above, the most substantial savings you’ll enjoy when you convert to solar will be on your electric bills. Solar panels reduce or even eliminate your utility bills and provide you with monthly savings.

The average Nevadan spends around $159.09 on electricity every month, which means the maximum potential savings are around $1,909 per year. Over the lifetime of your solar PV equipment, these savings are expected to add up to around $39,939 in Nevada after they pay off the total expense of your system.

In addition to these massive savings, you’ll also essentially lock in a lower electricity rate for your system’s 25+ years of performance, which means you’ll be able to avoid future price hikes from your utility company and save even more.

Lower Taxes & Access to Other Incentives

Nevada is considered quite a solar-friendly state, in part because there are quite a few solar incentives afforded to residents by the state and federal governments.

One of the most rewarding incentives is the federal solar tax credit, commonly called the ITC. This is a credit to your federal tax liability for the year your system is installed, and it totals a massive 30% of your installation expense. In Nevada, the ITC averages around $9,120 for solar customers.

Some additional Nevada solar incentives are listed below:

  • Net Metering: Net metering lets you overproduce energy with your panels and sell the excess to your power company to reduce your electric bills. Net metering is mandated in Nevada and currently guarantees a buy-back rate of 75% of the retail rate.
  • Nevada Energy (NV Energy) Storage Incentive Program: NV Energy offers incentives to customers who install a solar battery along with their panels, provided they agree to let the utility provider use the stored energy when needed.
  • Local Solar Rebate Programs: Some utility companies — like NV Energy and Southwest Gas — provide rebates for solar panel installation to qualifying customers.

Home Resale Value Increase

Homeowners are often surprised to find out just how much solar panels add to their home value. Estimates from Zillow suggest that the average home in the US will jump up by around 4.1% in value.4 This value jump averages out to around $17,161 in Nevada, where the average home value is $418,583.5

This value increase could be even more significant in higher-priced areas, like Las Vegas and Reno. This is one benefit that not all solar customers will get, as it’s only expected from systems that are purchased using cash or a solar loan. The lack of a home value boost is one of the primary downsides of opting for a solar lease or power purchase agreement (PPA).

Clean, Renewable Energy

Of course, not all solar benefits are financial, and converting to clean energy is a great way to reduce your negative impact on the environment.

Installing solar panels will reduce your dependency on your utility company and fossil fuels as a whole. You’ll limit your contribution to pollution and reduce your carbon footprint, all while becoming more energy independent and reducing your energy expenses.

What to Look Out For When Considering Solar in Nevada

There are still some decisions and considerations to be made after you confirm that your home will benefit from solar panel installation. We’ll explain some other things you’ll need to think about as you move toward installing panels on your property.

Upfront Fees

solar panels installed on the side of a commercial building The upfront fees of solar panels will be an important factor for any homeowner, even in Nevada, where the total for conversion is well below the average throughout the rest of the country.

You can keep your upfront investment down by choosing a solar financing option that doesn’t require a large down payment. You can also opt out of add-on products like solar batteries and electric vehicle chargers and choose a cheap solar panel brand, at the expense of losing efficiency and durability.

Payback Period

The time it takes for your solar panels to pay themselves off is an important factor both for determining your home’s solar viability but also for estimating your overall return on investment. The average solar panel payback period in Nevada is around 10 years, with a standard range of 7 to 13 years.

If your payback period is longer than 13 years, your total savings will be lower than the average of $39,939 in your area.

Net Metering Policies in Nevada

Local utility companies are required to offer net metering to solar customers in Nevada, and the minimum rate at which you’re compensated for excess energy is 75% of the retail rate. However, your electricity provider might have a more appealing rate, so you should check with your power company before signing anything.

The minimum rate is scheduled to decrease in the future, so coupling your panels with a solar battery can help ensure a better ROI in the long run.

Pending Policies & Changes to Incentives

The solar industry is changing constantly, so the policies and incentives mentioned above are always subject to change or disappear, and new solar rebate programs or incentives could be added. One example of a projected change in Nevada is the net metering policy, which is set to become less appealing over the next few years.

You shouldn’t wait around for better incentives to come along, but you should check for updates before you install panels on your home.

Weather & Climate in Nevada

Solar panels work best in areas that receive direct sunlight, which is to say, closer to the equator. Nevada is a good place for solar panels in terms of a southern location in the US. Nevada also has large desert areas that receive intense, direct sunlight during the day.

However, Nevada’s landscape varies dramatically between mountain peaks, arid deserts and native grasslands. This variation means that extreme weather events and temperatures can occur depending on the season, location and even time of day. Nevada residents are no stranger to floods, droughts, fires and heat waves.

Mountainous areas also experience snow and high winds. Although the intense sun can be a good thing in terms of generating electricity with your solar panels, extreme weather conditions are inherent to Nevada’s climate, so it may be a good idea to look for a solar warranty that would cover any weather-related damages and/or invest in a backup battery to use during power outages.

Companies Pushing Solar Leases or PPAs

Your final consideration is one of the most important: the solar panel installation company you choose to handle your solar project.

Not all companies will provide the same service, and some installers should strictly be avoided because they don’t have your best interests at heart. Companies that advertise “free solar for a year,” for example, are really just pushing solar leases on customers under the guise of lower expenses. Solar leases are actually bad, as they don’t let you take advantage of the federal tax credit, they don’t positively affect your home value, and they almost always save much less over time on energy bills.

Unfortunately, some companies are even more nefarious and could be out to scam you. ABC 13 Las Vegas has reported on companies posing as genuine installers who are just looking to take your money.6 NV Energy has also warned customers about phone scams that involve sales reps claiming to offer rebates and incentives from NV Energy that don’t really exist.7

It’s important only to work with a vetted and reputable solar installer to ensure you don’t run into scams or other issues.

Wrap Up: Is Solar Worth it in Nevada?

For the large majority of homeowners in Nevada, solar panels will be an excellent and worthwhile investment that ends up saving close to $40,000.

However, solar isn’t suitable for every property, so you will need to determine your solar viability before pulling the trigger and installing panels. To do this, you’ll need to assess your average monthly energy bills, your estimated panel payback period, your home’s orientation, financing options, and more.

We suggest contacting a reputable and experienced solar company in your area to get help figuring out if solar is right for you.

See also: See how much you can save by going solar with the EcoWatch Solar Calculator

Read More About Going Solar

 

The cost information presented in this article is derived from a comprehensive analysis, incorporating data from multiple industry sources. The average cost per watt per state was calculated based on figures from Consumer Affairs, Energy Sage, and Berkeley Lab’s Electricity Markets & Policy Department. Additionally, monthly energy consumption and the average monthly cost of electricity were sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, ensuring a well-rounded and accurate representation of the information presented.

Frequently Asked Questions

Given the popularity of solar installations in Nevada, we’re not surprised to get questions about the potential of solar panels from Nevadans on a daily basis. Below are some of the questions we see most frequently, along with our responses. If you have specific questions that aren’t answered here, reach out to our team of solar experts at solar@ecowatch.com.

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Article author
Dan Simms is an experienced writer with a passion for renewable energy. As a solar and EV advocate, much of his work has focused on the potential of solar power and deregulated energy, but he also writes on related topics, like real estate and economics. In his free time — when he's not checking his own home's solar production — he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, skiing and rock climbing.
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Expert reviewer
Karsten is an editor and energy specialist focused on environmental, social and cultural development. His work has been shared by sources including NPR, the World Economic Forum, Marketwatch and the SEIA, and he is certified in ESG with the CFA Institute. Before joining EcoWatch, Karsten worked in the solar energy sector, studying energy policy, climate tech and environmental education. A lover of music and the outdoors, Karsten might be found rock climbing, canoeing or writing songs when away from the workplace.

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