Solar panels in Washington, District of Columbia: output, savings and payback
Solar panels in Washington produce about 1,429 kWh a year for each kW installed, 6% less than the average of the 400 US cities in our data (1,517 kWh).
District of Columbia’s average residential electricity price for January to August 2026 was 24.86¢ per kWh, 6.67¢ above the US average of 18.19¢, according to the Energy Information Administration.
For a home using the US average of 899 kWh a month, a 7.5 kW system would cover a year’s use and save about $2,682 in its first year, or $91,430 over 25 years. With the average sunshine of the 400 US cities in our data, the same home would need a 7.1 kW system. Because Washington gets less sun, it needs 6% more capacity to cover the same use, so at any price per watt the system costs 6% more and pays for itself later.
There is no verified US installed-price figure yet, so add the price per watt from your installer’s quote in the calculator below to see the payback period for Washington.
A typical home in Washington
- System size
- 7.5 kW
- Sized to cover 10,788 kWh a year
- First-year generation
- 10,788 kWh
- First-year savings
- $2,682
- At 24.86¢ per kWh
- Savings over 25 years
- $91,430
- Prices rising 3% a year
- Payback
- Needs your quote
- No verified US installed price yet: enter yours below
Assumes all the electricity the panels make is used at home, up to the home’s yearly use, and that panel output falls 0.5% a year. Power sent to the grid is counted at zero.
How Washington compares
| Washington | District of Columbia average | US average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar output, kWh per kW a year | 1,429 | Only place we cover | 1,517 |
| Electricity price per kWh | 24.86¢ | 24.86¢ | 18.19¢ |
| System size for a typical home | 7.5 kW | – | 7.1 kW |
| First-year savings | $2,682 | – | $1,962 |
Averages are of the 400 US cities in our data, unweighted. The US column uses the US average price as well as the average sunshine.
Your home in Washington
All amounts in US dollars.
Results
Payback period
Add your installer’s quoted price to see payback
- First-year savings
- $2,682
- Savings over 25 years
- $91,430
- System size
- 7.5 kW
- Sized to cover your yearly use
- First-year generation
- 10,788 kWh
Year-by-year table
| Year | Generation (kWh) | Price per kWh | Saved that year | Saved so far |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10,788 | $0.249 | $2,682 | $2,682 |
| 2 | 10,734 | $0.256 | $2,749 | $5,430 |
| 3 | 10,680 | $0.264 | $2,817 | $8,247 |
| 4 | 10,627 | $0.272 | $2,887 | $11,134 |
| 5 | 10,574 | $0.280 | $2,959 | $14,093 |
| 6 | 10,521 | $0.288 | $3,032 | $17,125 |
| 7 | 10,468 | $0.297 | $3,107 | $20,232 |
| 8 | 10,416 | $0.306 | $3,185 | $23,417 |
| 9 | 10,364 | $0.315 | $3,264 | $26,681 |
| 10 | 10,312 | $0.324 | $3,345 | $30,026 |
| 11 | 10,261 | $0.334 | $3,428 | $33,454 |
| 12 | 10,209 | $0.344 | $3,513 | $36,967 |
| 13 | 10,158 | $0.354 | $3,601 | $40,567 |
| 14 | 10,107 | $0.365 | $3,690 | $44,257 |
| 15 | 10,057 | $0.376 | $3,782 | $48,039 |
| 16 | 10,007 | $0.387 | $3,876 | $51,915 |
| 17 | 9,957 | $0.399 | $3,972 | $55,887 |
| 18 | 9,907 | $0.411 | $4,071 | $59,957 |
| 19 | 9,857 | $0.423 | $4,172 | $64,129 |
| 20 | 9,808 | $0.436 | $4,276 | $68,405 |
| 21 | 9,759 | $0.449 | $4,382 | $72,787 |
| 22 | 9,710 | $0.462 | $4,491 | $77,277 |
| 23 | 9,662 | $0.476 | $4,602 | $81,879 |
| 24 | 9,613 | $0.491 | $4,717 | $86,596 |
| 25 | 9,565 | $0.505 | $4,834 | $91,430 |
Savings count only electricity your home no longer buys. Power sent to the grid is valued at zero. Grid emissions data has not been verified yet, so no carbon figure is shown. See the methodology for every formula and source.
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | kWh per kW a year | Price per kWh | System size | First-year savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore, Maryland | 35 miles | 1,429 | 21.31¢ | 7.5 kW | $2,299 |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 126 miles | 1,385 | 21.13¢ | 7.8 kW | $2,280 |
| Virginia Beach, Virginia | 156 miles | 1,463 | 16.95¢ | 7.4 kW | $1,829 |
| New York, New York | 204 miles | 1,395 | 29.26¢ | 7.7 kW | $3,157 |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | 230 miles | 1,395 | 14.94¢ | 7.7 kW | $1,612 |
Solar panels in Washington: questions
- How much electricity do solar panels produce in Washington, District of Columbia?
- About 1,429 kWh a year for each kW of panels, for a roof-mounted, south-facing array at a 30° tilt with 14% system losses (PVWatts). A 7.5 kW system would make about 10,788 kWh in its first year. Shade, a different roof angle or an east or west-facing roof will change this.
- How much could solar panels save in Washington, District of Columbia?
- At District of Columbia’s average residential price of 24.86¢ per kWh, a 7.5 kW system sized for an average US home would save about $2,682 in its first year and $91,430 over 25 years. That assumes the home uses all the power the panels make, electricity prices rise 3% a year and panel output falls 0.5% a year. Power sent to the grid is counted at zero. At the US average price of 18.19¢, the first-year figure would be $1,962.
- How long do solar panels take to pay back in Washington, District of Columbia?
- It depends on the installed price on your quote, which varies by installer and system, and we do not have a verified US average to use. Enter your quote in the calculator on this page: Washington’s solar output and District of Columbia’s electricity price are already filled in. Every $0.10 per watt adds about $750 to the price of a 7.5 kW system.
- What do homes in Washington, District of Columbia pay for electricity?
- District of Columbia’s average residential price for January to August 2026 was 24.86¢ per kWh, against 18.19¢ for the US as a whole (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B). Your own rate depends on your utility and plan, so use the figure from your bill in the calculator if you can.
- How does Washington compare with nearby cities?
- Of the 5 nearest cities we cover, Virginia Beach (156 miles away) gets the most sun at 1,463 kWh per kW, and Philadelphia (126 miles away) the least at 1,385 kWh. Washington gets 1,429 kWh.
- Where do these figures come from?
- Solar output is from the PVWatts V8 tool for Washington’s coordinates in the Census Bureau Gazetteer, checked on 2026-11-11. The electricity price is the EIA residential average for District of Columbia for January to August 2026, and household use is the EIA average for US homes. Each figure is listed with its source link at the bottom of this page.
Sources for this page
- Solar output for Washington: developer.nlr.gov (checked 2026-11-11)PVWatts V8.5.0 outputs.ac_annual for a 1 kW system. Weather data: 1144937.csv, station at 38.88999938964844, -77.0199966430664 (1,624 m away).
- District of Columbia electricity price: www.eia.gov (checked 2026-11-11)District of Columbia, residential sector, year-to-date through August 2026. Published as 24.86 cents per kilowatthour.
- US average price: www.eia.gov (checked 2026-11-11)U.S. Total, residential sector, year-to-date through August 2026. Published as 18.19 cents per kilowatthour.
- Typical household use: www.eia.gov (checked 2026-11-10)Average annual electricity sold to a U.S. residential utility customer in 2022: 10,791 kWh ("an average of about 899 kWh per month").
- Panel output loss: docs.nlr.gov (checked 2026-11-10)Median of nearly 2,000 reported degradation rates: "a median value of 0.5%/year" (average 0.8%/year).
- Location: www2.census.gov (checked 2026-11-10)Census Gazetteer INTPTLAT/INTPTLONG (internal point) for GEOID 1150000, "Washington city".
Methods and every other figure are on the methodology page.