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An honest answer · Myrtle Beach, SC

Is solar worth it in Myrtle Beach, SC?

The honest answer · as of July 2026

For some Myrtle Beach homes yes, for others genuinely no, and anyone who answers without seeing your roof and your bill is selling rather than advising. It turns on four things: what your utility credits exports at, how much production you can use on site, your roof's condition and shading, and how long you will stay. Solar in Myrtle Beach became a harder case in 2026, and we would rather explain why than talk around it.

Written by , Owner & Sales Director Reviewed by Steve Morse, Owner & CEO Updated July 2026

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Local verdict

The honest read on Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is the market where the honest answer requires the most care, because two local facts pull in opposite directions. Santee Cooper's retail rate is around 11.4 cents per kilowatt-hour, the lowest we work with, which lengthens payback because each offset kilowatt-hour is worth less. Against that, Santee Cooper runs the only genuine upfront rebate in our territory, which shortens it.

The complication is that the rebate has been waitlisted. A projection that depends on receiving it is a projection with a condition attached, and the condition is outside your control and ours. Ask for both versions of the arithmetic, with and without, and make the decision on the version without. If it only works with the rebate, it is a decision to wait rather than a decision to buy.

For rental and short-term-let properties the calculation changes in your favour on one axis and against you on another. Guests running air conditioning through a summer afternoon consume production at full value, which is good. But condominium and regime rules on roof ownership, alterations and visibility can prevent the project outright, and those need settling before any of the arithmetic matters. Horry Electric Cooperative also serves many surrounding addresses on different terms.

Written for Myrtle Beach specifically. Your own roof, bill and meter still decide the answer, which is what the free assessment settles.

Start with what changed

Two things happened in 2026, and both hurt

Santee Cooper closed one-for-one net metering to new residential systems. Under Santee Cooper's net metering and rebate programme, exported power now credits at about 4.16¢ per kWh in summer and 3.84¢ outside summer instead of at the retail rate. The federal 30% credit expired at the same time, for systems placed in service on or after January 1, 2026, and South Carolina's capped 25% credit does not fill the hole. Our guide to the 2026 credit position sets out the national picture.

Both changes push the same way, so payback in Myrtle Beach is longer than the figures still sitting on national comparison sites, which were calculated under the old rules.

None of that means solar stopped working here. It means the margin for error narrowed, and right-sizing and self-consumption now matter far more than they did. A well-designed system for the right home still makes sense. An oversized one sold on old assumptions does not.

The decision framework

Four variables decide it. Panel brand is not one of them.

  1. 01

    What your utility credits exports at

    The variable most people never consider, and the one that moved most. Santee Cooper credits exported power at about 4.16¢ per kWh in summer and 3.84¢ outside summer under Santee Cooper's net metering and rebate programme, against about 11.4¢ per kWh. Every kilowatt-hour you export instead of using is worth roughly a quarter as much. This single fact reshapes the answer for Myrtle Beach.

  2. 02

    How much production you can actually use

    Follows directly from the first. A household home during the day, running air conditioning, a pool pump or a home office, self-consumes most of what it generates. A household out from eight until six exports most of it. Same roof, same system, materially different return.

  3. 03

    Your roof: condition, orientation, shade

    Roof age sets whether you should do this now or after a replacement. Orientation and pitch set how much you generate. Shade sets the ceiling: grand Strand lots are often comparatively open, particularly the newer developments, which is favourable. Older interior neighbourhoods carry more pine canopy.

  4. 04

    How long you will stay

    Payback in this market runs well over a decade, so a five-year horizon almost never reaches it. An owned system may support resale value, which softens the maths, but if you are likely to move soon that is a real argument against.

Notice what is absent: panel brand, inverter brand, and the size of the system. Those follow from the four above rather than driving the decision.

Two lists

Who solar suits in Myrtle Beach, and who it doesn't

Most installers publish the first list. We publish both, because the second one is what you actually need if you are trying to decide.

Solar usually makes sense for your Myrtle Beach home if

  • Your power bill runs above roughly $150 a month, so there is real spend to offset.
  • Your roof is sound with 10+ years left, or you are replacing it anyway and can do both as one project.
  • You have unshaded south, west or east-facing roof area with reasonable pitch.
  • A meaningful share of your usage is during daylight: someone home in the day, a pool pump, a home office, an EV on the drive.
  • You plan to stay 10 years or more.
  • You have South Carolina tax liability to absorb the 25% credit, since it is non-refundable and capped annually.

Solar is probably not right for you if

  • The retail rate here is the lowest we work with, so a modest bill offsets slowly. Under roughly $110 a month in Santee Cooper territory, the numbers rarely justify a system.
  • Your usage is almost entirely after dark and you will not shift load or add storage. Export credits are under 4.2¢ against an 11.4¢ retail rate.
  • Your roof needs replacing within about five years, which is common on older Grand Strand properties.
  • The property is a short-term rental you may sell within five years.
  • You are counting on the Santee Cooper rebate but the current programme year is already fully subscribed. We check before you commit.
  • You have little or no South Carolina tax liability, so the 25% state credit cannot be fully used. It is non-refundable and capped annually.
  • You are being sold on a 30% federal credit. That quote is wrong, and it is a reason to walk away from that company rather than from solar.

If two or more of these describe your situation, we will tell you so at the assessment and we will not design a system to argue you past them.

Getting to a real answer

What a free assessment actually settles

The four variables are answerable for your specific address. That is the whole job.

  • Your actual utility and rateAround Myrtle Beach, Horry Electric Cooperative serves many addresses around the city, and the terms differ. This is not guesswork we can do from a map.
  • Your real usage shapeFrom your usage history, not a square-footage estimate, so we can see what you would self-consume.
  • Roof condition and remaining lifeIncluding the awkward answer if the roof should come first.
  • Shade, measuredNot judged from a satellite photo in February.
  • A right-sized designOur combined experience averages about 9.5 kW, against the 11.22 kW national calculators assume for this market.
  • An honest recommendation, including noThere is no obligation and no pressure. If we say wait, we mean wait.

Resale

Does it add to your home's value?

Research, most often Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's, has generally found that homes with owned solar sell for more than comparable homes without it. The effect depends on your market and your system, so nobody can give you a figure for your address, and leased systems behave differently. Selling a home with solar covers the transfer mechanics.

Treat resale as a reasonable secondary benefit rather than a primary reason to buy. If the four variables above do not work, a possible resale premium will not rescue the decision.

Myrtle Beach worth-it FAQ

The questions people actually ask us

Is solar worth it in Myrtle Beach, SC in 2026?

For some homes here, yes. For others, honestly no. It comes down to four things: what your utility credits exported power at, how much of your production you can use on site, your roof's condition and shading, and how long you plan to stay. Myrtle Beach homes with a sound unshaded roof, a bill above roughly $150 a month and significant daytime usage tend to make sense. Homes with heavy shade, a low bill, an ageing roof or a likely move within five years usually do not.

Did solar get worse in Myrtle Beach after 2025?

Yes, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. Two changes landed at once: the 30% federal credit expired for systems placed in service on or after January 1, 2026, and Santee Cooper closed one-for-one net metering to new residential systems. Payback periods here are meaningfully longer than the figures still published on aggregator sites, which were calculated before both changes.

Does solar increase home value in Myrtle Beach?

Research has generally found that homes with owned solar sell for more than comparable homes without it, though the effect depends on your market and your system, and leased systems behave differently from owned ones. We are not going to put a percentage on your house. It is a reasonable secondary consideration, not a reason to buy on its own.

What electricity bill makes solar worth considering in Myrtle Beach?

As a rough screen, a bill under about $90 a month rarely justifies a system, because there is not enough spend to offset. Above roughly $150 a month with meaningful daytime usage, it is usually worth running the numbers properly. Between those, it depends heavily on your roof and your usage pattern.

Is solar worth it if I am not home during the day?

It is a weaker case than it used to be. Under Santee Cooper's net metering and rebate programme, exports credit at about 4.16¢ per kWh in summer and 3.84¢ outside summer against about 11.4¢ per kWh, so production you cannot use is worth a fraction of production you can. Shifting flexible loads into daylight, or adding storage, closes that gap. Without either, expect your bill to move less than you hoped.

Will you tell me if solar is not right for my home?

Yes. That is the point of a free, no-pressure assessment, and it is why we publish the poor-fit list on this page rather than hiding it. We would rather lose a sale than install a system that does not serve you, because the second kind of customer tells everyone.

Nearby

The same question near Myrtle Beach

Keep reading

Guides behind the “is it worth it” maths

All South Carolina solar guides Solar learning hub

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We will confirm your utility, read your real usage, measure your shade and check your roof, then tell you honestly whether solar is worth it at your address. Including if the answer is no.

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