Skip to content

Solar panels in Tulsa, Oklahoma: output, savings and payback

Solar panels in Tulsa produce about 1,499 kWh a year for each kW installed, 1% less than the average of the 400 US cities in our data (1,517 kWh). Among the 6 Oklahoma cities we cover, it ranks 5th of 6 for solar output, against an average there of 1,547 kWh.

Oklahoma’s average residential electricity price for January to August 2026 was 13.81¢ per kWh, 4.38¢ below 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 7.2 kW system would cover a year’s use and save about $1,490 in its first year, or $50,790 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 Tulsa gets less sun, it needs 1% more capacity to cover the same use, so at any price per watt the system costs 1% 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 Tulsa.

A typical home in Tulsa

System size
7.2 kW
Sized to cover 10,788 kWh a year
First-year generation
10,788 kWh
First-year savings
$1,490
At 13.81¢ per kWh
Savings over 25 years
$50,790
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 Tulsa compares

Tulsa compared with the Oklahoma and US averages
TulsaOklahoma averageUS average
Solar output, kWh per kW a year1,4991,5471,517
Electricity price per kWh13.81¢13.81¢18.19¢
System size for a typical home7.2 kW7.0 kW7.1 kW
First-year savings$1,490$1,490$1,962

Averages are of the 6 places in Oklahoma and 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 Tulsa

All amounts in US dollars.

Your home

Sets how much electricity each kW of panels makes in a year at your location.

kWh per month

Check your utility bill: most show monthly kWh. Average your last 12 months if you can.

cents per kWh

Starts at the Oklahoma residential average for January to August 2026. Your bill shows your own rate.

Solar system
kW

Leave blank to size the panels to cover your yearly use, or enter the size on your quote.

Installed price
$per W

Enter the price from your installer quote to see cost, payback and return. Your quote divided by the system size in watts (for example, a 6 kW system is 6,000 W).

Assumptions you can change
% per year

Starts at 0.5%, the median of nearly 2,000 reported rates in an NREL review.

% per year

A scenario, not a forecast. Try 0% and 5% to see how much it matters.

%

Share of the panels’ output your home uses as it is made. 100% assumes all of it offsets power you would otherwise buy, up to your annual use.

A battery only adds savings when you use less than 100% of your solar power directly. Lower “Used directly at home” under assumptions to model that.

Results

Payback period

Add your installer’s quoted price to see payback

First-year savings
$1,490
Savings over 25 years
$50,790
System size
7.2 kW
Sized to cover your yearly use
First-year generation
10,788 kWh
Cumulative savings over 25 yearsAdd your quoted price to compare against the cost.
Year-by-year table
Generation and savings for each of the 25 years
YearGeneration (kWh)Price per kWhSaved that yearSaved so far
110,788$0.138$1,490$1,490
210,734$0.142$1,527$3,017
310,680$0.147$1,565$4,581
410,627$0.151$1,604$6,185
510,574$0.155$1,644$7,829
610,521$0.160$1,684$9,513
710,468$0.165$1,726$11,239
810,416$0.170$1,769$13,008
910,364$0.175$1,813$14,821
1010,312$0.180$1,858$16,680
1110,261$0.186$1,904$18,584
1210,209$0.191$1,952$20,536
1310,158$0.197$2,000$22,536
1410,107$0.203$2,050$24,585
1510,057$0.209$2,101$26,686
1610,007$0.215$2,153$28,839
179,957$0.222$2,206$31,046
189,907$0.228$2,261$33,307
199,857$0.235$2,318$35,625
209,808$0.242$2,375$38,000
219,759$0.249$2,434$40,434
229,710$0.257$2,495$42,928
239,662$0.265$2,557$45,485
249,613$0.273$2,620$48,105
259,565$0.281$2,685$50,790

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

CityDistancekWh per kW a yearPrice per kWhSystem sizeFirst-year savings
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma101 miles1,57413.81¢6.9 kW$1,490
Kansas City, Missouri220 miles1,48614.28¢7.3 kW$1,541
Dallas, Texas236 miles1,51916.03¢7.1 kW$1,729
Fort Worth, Texas245 miles1,55916.03¢6.9 kW$1,729
Memphis, Tennessee341 miles1,46413.80¢7.4 kW$1,489

Solar panels in Tulsa: questions

How much electricity do solar panels produce in Tulsa, Oklahoma?
About 1,499 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 7.2 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 Tulsa, Oklahoma?
At Oklahoma’s average residential price of 13.81¢ per kWh, a 7.2 kW system sized for an average US home would save about $1,490 in its first year and $50,790 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 Tulsa, Oklahoma?
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: Tulsa’s solar output and Oklahoma’s electricity price are already filled in. Every $0.10 per watt adds about $720 to the price of a 7.2 kW system.
What do homes in Tulsa, Oklahoma pay for electricity?
Oklahoma’s average residential price for January to August 2026 was 13.81¢ 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 Tulsa compare with nearby cities?
Of the 5 nearest cities we cover, Oklahoma City (101 miles away) gets the most sun at 1,574 kWh per kW, and Memphis (341 miles away) the least at 1,464 kWh. Tulsa gets 1,499 kWh. Within Oklahoma, it ranks 5th of the 6 cities we cover.
Where do these figures come from?
Solar output is from the PVWatts V8 tool for Tulsa’s coordinates in the Census Bureau Gazetteer, checked on 2026-11-11. The electricity price is the EIA residential average for Oklahoma 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 Tulsa: developer.nlr.gov (checked 2026-11-11)PVWatts V8.5.0 outputs.ac_annual for a 1 kW system. Weather data: 723042.csv, station at 36.13000106811523, -95.9000015258789 (308 m away).
  • Oklahoma electricity price: www.eia.gov (checked 2026-11-11)Oklahoma, residential sector, year-to-date through August 2026. Published as 13.81 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 4075000, "Tulsa city".

Methods and every other figure are on the methodology page.