Most addresses
Georgia Power
- Average home rate (2024)
- 15.49¢/kWh
- Paid for exported solar
- about 7.22¢ per kWh (a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ adder)
- Net-metered home solar, utility-wide
- 11,208
Honest numbers · Savannah, GA
How much do solar panels cost in Savannah, GA?
Solar panel cost in Savannah runs about $2.59 per watt installed in 2026: a 9.5 kW system is about $24,605, and makes about 14,010 kWh a year here.
The short answer · as of August 2026
Solar in the Savannah area costs about $2.59 per watt installed before incentives as of August 2026. A system near our ~9.5 kW average runs roughly $24,605 gross, which is also the net figure because Georgia has no residential solar income-tax credit. Payback depends on your Georgia Power rate and on how much production you use on site, so we model it from your own bill rather than publishing a market average.
Looking for a solar company in Savannah? See solar companies in Savannah: our local team, costs and a free assessment.
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Takes under a minute. No pressure, and no guaranteed-savings math.
30+ yrscombined team experience
~450combined experienced installs
Lifetimefull-system + roof-penetration warranty
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Local pricing reality
What drives price in Savannah
The first thing that shapes a Savannah price is a limit rather than a feature. Georgia Power caps residential systems on its renewable programme at 10 kW AC, so above a certain household usage the question stops being how much roof you have and becomes how much of your own production you can use during daylight. A quote that sizes to your annual consumption without mentioning that ceiling has not been built against Georgia’s rules.
The second is that this is a coastal city and the hardware has to be. Salt air and hurricane wind loading both apply, so attachment spacing, fastener specification and roof-penetration detailing are more demanding than inland and the correct components cost more than the catalogue default. Any quote produced without a site visit has almost certainly under-priced the flashing detail, which is the part you will never be able to inspect once the modules are on.
Third, if your address is inside a historic district the pre-construction work is a real line item. A Certificate of Appropriateness is separate from the building permit, board-reviewed petitions need a pre-application conference with Metropolitan Planning Commission staff first, and the board meets monthly. That is a schedule, not an obstacle, but it belongs in the quote rather than arriving as a surprise.
Written for Savannah specifically.
The numbers
What a system costs in Savannah, by size
Priced at the local $2.59 per watt benchmark (August 2026) and shown with no state credit subtracted, because Georgia has none. These are worked examples to set expectations, not a quote, and not a promise of savings.
| System size | Cost before incentives | State credit | Net after credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 kW | $15,540 | No state credit available | $15,540 |
| 9.5 kW Closest to our ~9.5 kW average system | $24,605 | No state credit available | $24,605 |
| 12 kW | $31,080 | No state credit available | $31,080 |
| 15 kW | $38,850 | No state credit available | $38,850 |
Note the third column carefully. Georgia has no state income tax credit for residential solar, and the federal residential credit expired for systems placed in service on or after 1 January 2026. If a quote you are comparing subtracts a tax credit from the price, ask in writing which credit it means. See what does apply in Savannah.
Sizing
Why online calculators oversize Savannah systems
Calculators assume a national-average system of 14.48 kW; our average is about 9.5 kW, which makes about 14,010 kWh a year here. Sizing past your own use earns only Georgia Power's export rate.
The part competitors leave out
Your utility sets your payback more than your panels do
Most Savannah homes are served by Georgia Power , though Canoochee EMC serves parts of Chatham County outside the city. One-for-one netting is not available to new Georgia Power systems: its monthly netting pilot was capped at 5,000 customers and filled in 2021, so exports are credited at about 7.22¢ per kWh (a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ adder). So Savannah payback depends on how much you use at home.
About these rates in Savannah
We have not published a payback table for Savannah, and the reason is the 10 kW AC cap rather than any missing rate. Georgia Power limits residential systems on its renewable programme to 10 kW AC, so the 12 kW and 15 kW rungs in the cost ladder above are shown for reference rather than as options here. Exported power earns roughly 7.22¢ per kilowatt-hour in 2026, made up of a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate and a 4¢ adder, against a retail rate near 13¢. The avoided-cost half is reset annually by the Public Service Commission, so a projection that holds 7.22¢ flat for twenty-five years is asserting something nobody knows. We model a range at the assessment and say which half of the number is fixed.
The mechanic is simple. Power you consume the moment you generate it offsets electricity you would have bought at about 13¢ per kWh. Power you export earns only about 7.22¢ per kWh (a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ adder), and Daytime use is what pays here.
2026 incentives
What reduces this price this year
Georgia has no residential solar income-tax credit, so the net column above is the installed price. Georgia property-tax treatment of solar is genuinely unsettled: reputable sources describe a $25,000 exemption, a full exemption and no statewide exemption. Confirm with the Georgia Department of Revenue and your county assessor rather than relying on any figure printed online.
The 30% federal credit expired for systems placed in service on or after 1 January 2026. If a quote you are comparing still applies it, that quote is wrong by thousands.
Georgia Power runs no upfront residential rebate, so there is nothing to stack in Savannah.
Incentives specific to Savannah · statewide mechanics and worked examples · financing
Line items
What moves a Savannah solar quote
In Savannah the swings come from roof age (the median Savannah home was built in 1971), coastal wind-load attachment and salt-rated hardware, the 6 approvals Chatham County requires, and whether Georgia Power's export terms favour a smaller system.
Paying for it
Cash, loan, and the Georgia trap
On a 9.5 kW system at $24,605, ask for the cash and financed price side by side; a low loan rate often hides a dealer fee in the price.
The Georgia-specific trap: there is no state credit here to arrive at all. Any loan structured around a large first-year tax payment is built on money that is not coming, and that is a question to put to the lender in writing before you sign.
The honest part
When solar is not worth it in Savannah
We would rather tell you now than after you have paid for a design
- Protected live oak canopy shades your best roof planes for much of the day, which is common on and around the squares.
- Your roof needs replacing within about five years.
- Your household is out during daylight and you do not want storage. Under a 7.22¢ export credit against a 13¢ retail rate, exporting most of your production is the weakest case in Georgia.
- You need more than 10 kW AC to cover your usage, because Georgia Power’s residential programme will not allow it.
- The only unshaded plane faces the street inside a historic district and the review body will not permit panels on it.
If two or more of these describe your home, we will say so during the assessment and we will not design a system to talk you past them. That is the whole point of a free, no-pressure assessment. If circumstances change, we will still be here.
Our work
What we have built, and what it means for Savannah
Our pricing comes from ~450 combined experienced installs and a ~9.5 kW average system, priced for Chatham County permitting and coastal hardware.
Permits and approvals
What approval takes in Savannah
6 approvals for a Savannah system. We file every one.
- 01A building permit and a separate electrical permit
- 02A Certificate of Appropriateness before the work, where any exterior change is visible from the public right of way inside a historic district. This is separate from, and additional to, the building permit
- 03A pre-application conference with Metropolitan Planning Commission staff where the petition goes to a board rather than to staff review
- 04Permits from the City of Savannah for addresses inside city limits, or from the Chatham County Office of Building Safety and Regulatory Services for unincorporated addresses, which does not accept applications by fax or email
- 05An additional electrical permit where battery storage is included
- 06Interconnection approval from Georgia Power, whose residential renewable programme caps systems at 10 kW AC
Your utility decides payback
Solar panel cost in Savannah depends on your utility
Georgia Power and Canoochee EMC split Savannah street by street. We read yours off your bill first.
Some addresses
Canoochee EMC
- Average home rate (2024)
- 13.98¢/kWh
- Paid for exported solar
- Set by the co-op; we confirm it per account
- Net-metered home solar, utility-wide
- 194
For comparison: Georgia average 14.08¢ · U.S. average 16.48¢. Georgia had 18,612 net-metered home solar systems at the end of 2024.
Rates: US EIA Form EIA-861, 2024 averages incl. fixed charges, not tariffs. Export terms as of August 2026.
Savannah sun, month by month
Solar panel cost in Savannah: what the system makes
About 14,010 kWh a year from a south-facing roof with no shade. May is the strongest month at about 1,337 kWh and December the weakest at about 903 kWh.
Your roof will differ. The squares and the streets around them carry some of the heaviest mature live oak canopy of any city we work in, and it is protected.
Estimate: NASA POWER sun data for Savannah, PVWatts model, south-facing, no shade.
Homes in Savannah
Savannah homes and the cost of solar on an older roof
- 26,019owner-occupied homes (44% of 58,632)
- 1971median year homes were built
- 55%of homes are single-family detached
- $225kmedian owner-occupied home value
- Half of Savannah homes are more than 55 years old, so the roof check matters here: a roof with under ten years left should be replaced before solar goes on, or at the same time.
- Only 55% of homes are single-family detached; in the other 45% the association or shared roof decides first.
- 26,019 Savannah households own their home, the ones who can install and claim the system as an asset.
- A 9.5 kW system at about $24,605 is roughly 11% of the median $225k Savannah home value.
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates for Savannah city. Estimates, rounded.
Our work
Real systems our crews have installed
Our own job photos, not stock or renders. Coastal.
ResidentialDetached garage arrayFarmhouse-style home
ResidentialShingle rooftop arrayBackyard-facing slope
ResidentialClean rooftop layoutBlack-framed panels
ResidentialMulti-facet metal roofWooded aerial view
ResidentialFull black-on-blackPoolside single-story home
ResidentialStanding-seam metal roofLakeside multi-facet install
Photo locations are not published.
Free assessment · Savannah, GA
Get a straight answer for your Savannah roof
We read your bill, confirm your Georgia Power export terms, and tell you what your roof in Chatham County will actually carry, and say so if it will not pay.
- Most addresses here are on Georgia Power, but Canoochee EMC serves parts of Chatham County outside the city. We confirm yours from your bill before we quote anything
- A building permit and a separate electrical permit: we pull it and manage the inspections
- Savannah has two different historic review bodies and which one you face depends on your address.
Prefer to talk? (843) 310-1128
Savannah solar cost FAQ
Straight answers on what solar costs in Savannah
How much do solar panels cost in Savannah, GA?
As of August 2026, solar in the Savannah area runs about $2.59 per watt installed before incentives. A system close to our ~9.5 kW average works out to roughly $24,605 gross, which is also the net figure because Georgia has no residential solar income-tax credit. Your own number depends on your roof, your usage and your utility.
What is the payback period on solar in Savannah?
We will not publish a payback figure for Savannah that we cannot stand behind, because Georgia Power's residential rate needs confirming against your own bill. What is certain is that exported power credits at about 7.22¢ per kWh (a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ adder), well below retail, so the share of production you use on site drives your payback more than any equipment choice. At the assessment we model it against your actual rate.
Why is your average system smaller than the 14.48 kW the calculators show?
Because we size to your bill rather than to a sales quota. National cost calculators model 14.48 kW for this market, which inflates both the price and the projected savings for a typical home. Our combined install experience averages about 9.5 kW.
Does a solar system add to my property taxes in Savannah?
Georgia property-tax treatment of solar is genuinely unsettled: reputable sources describe a $25,000 exemption, a full exemption and no statewide exemption. Confirm with the Georgia Department of Revenue and your county assessor rather than relying on any figure printed online. Confirm your own situation with Chatham County and a tax professional, since eligibility depends on your circumstances.
What is the average solar panel cost in Savannah for a 9.5 kW system?
About $24,605 installed at $2.59 per watt, with no Georgia credit to subtract. It makes about 14,010 kWh a year here unshaded. Georgia Power households paid about 15.5¢ per kWh on average in 2024.
Does roof age change the solar panel cost in Savannah?
Half of Savannah homes are more than 55 years old, so the roof check matters here: a roof with under ten years left should be replaced before solar goes on, or at the same time. A roof that needs replacing within a few years adds its cost to the project, so we price both together when it does.
How long is the payback on solar panel cost in Savannah?
It depends on your Georgia Power rate and how much of the 14,010 kWh a year you use at home, so we model it from your bill. Georgia Power households paid about 15.5¢ per kWh on average in 2024.
Free, no-pressure assessment
Get real numbers for your Savannah roof
We will confirm your utility, measure your roof, read your actual usage history, and give you honest figures, with no guaranteed-savings math and no pressure.
Mon–Sat, 10am–6:30pm ET · We typically follow up within the hour.