Solar Panel Cost & Payback in Kentucky
Home solar in Kentucky pays back in a median 21.6 years across the 52 places we cover, at an average electricity price of 14.3¢/kWh and about $3.60 per watt installed. Power sent back to the grid earns only about 7.3¢/kWh (Net metering service (NMS-2)), which lengthens payback. Mayfield has the fastest payback (20.7 years).
Solar estimates for Kentucky cities and towns
Sorted by fastest payback. Each figure is for a system sized to an average Kentucky home (1,047 kWh/month).
| Place | kWh per kW | System | Cost | Payback | 25-yr savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayfield | 1,413 | 9.2 kW | $33,120 | 20.7 yrs | $8,818 |
| Paducah | 1,388 | 9.2 kW | $33,120 | 21.0 yrs | $8,076 |
| Henderson | 1,382 | 9.2 kW | $33,120 | 21.0 yrs | $7,897 |
| Madisonville | 1,381 | 9.2 kW | $33,120 | 21.1 yrs | $7,868 |
| Hopkinsville | 1,379 | 9.2 kW | $33,120 | 21.1 yrs | $7,808 |
| Murray | 1,370 | 9.2 kW | $33,120 | 21.2 yrs | $7,541 |
| Shively | 1,367 | 9.2 kW | $33,120 | 21.2 yrs | $7,452 |
| Owensboro | 1,365 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.3 yrs | $7,714 |
| Lexington | 1,360 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.3 yrs | $7,559 |
| Bardstown | 1,359 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.3 yrs | $7,529 |
| Lawrenceburg | 1,359 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.3 yrs | $7,529 |
| Georgetown | 1,358 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.3 yrs | $7,498 |
| Versailles | 1,358 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.3 yrs | $7,498 |
| Shelbyville | 1,352 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.4 yrs | $7,312 |
| Fort Campbell North | 1,351 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.4 yrs | $7,281 |
| Paris | 1,350 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,250 |
| Elizabethtown | 1,349 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,219 |
| Winchester | 1,349 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,219 |
| Valley Station | 1,348 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,188 |
| Mount Washington | 1,348 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,188 |
| Lyndon | 1,346 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,126 |
| Newburg | 1,344 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,064 |
| Louisville | 1,343 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,033 |
| Saint Dennis | 1,343 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.5 yrs | $7,033 |
| Lexington-Fayette | 1,342 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.6 yrs | $7,002 |
| Shepherdsville | 1,342 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.6 yrs | $7,002 |
| Highview | 1,341 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.6 yrs | $6,971 |
| Nicholasville | 1,336 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.6 yrs | $6,816 |
| Saint Matthews | 1,336 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.6 yrs | $6,816 |
| Bowling Green | 1,335 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.6 yrs | $6,785 |
| Richmond | 1,330 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.7 yrs | $6,630 |
| Campbellsville | 1,330 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.7 yrs | $6,630 |
| Fern Creek | 1,329 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.7 yrs | $6,599 |
| Jeffersontown | 1,326 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.8 yrs | $6,507 |
| Frankfort | 1,323 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.8 yrs | $6,414 |
| Danville | 1,320 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.9 yrs | $6,321 |
| Okolona | 1,318 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 21.9 yrs | $6,259 |
| Glasgow | 1,311 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 22.0 yrs | $6,042 |
| Fort Knox | 1,309 | 9.6 kW | $34,560 | 22.0 yrs | $5,980 |
| Berea | 1,308 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.0 yrs | $6,197 |
| Somerset | 1,296 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.2 yrs | $5,810 |
| Independence | 1,291 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.2 yrs | $5,648 |
| Burlington | 1,288 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.3 yrs | $5,552 |
| Radcliff | 1,287 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.3 yrs | $5,519 |
| Florence | 1,280 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.4 yrs | $5,294 |
| Erlanger | 1,280 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.4 yrs | $5,294 |
| Middlesboro | 1,276 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.5 yrs | $5,165 |
| Fort Thomas | 1,260 | 10.0 kW | $36,000 | 22.7 yrs | $4,648 |
| Meads | 1,255 | 10.4 kW | $37,440 | 22.8 yrs | $4,667 |
| Covington | 1,250 | 10.4 kW | $37,440 | 22.8 yrs | $4,499 |
| Newport | 1,250 | 10.4 kW | $37,440 | 22.8 yrs | $4,499 |
| Ashland | 1,220 | 10.4 kW | $37,440 | 23.3 yrs | $3,492 |