Indiana solar calculator
Size an Indiana home solar system from your electric bill — kW, panel count, roof area, true cost with no federal credit for 2026 installs, and payback.
Quick answer: At $0.175/kWh and 4.2 peak sun hours, a $200/month bill needs about 11.89 kW — 29 × 410 W panels covering ~58 m². Gross cost is ~$31,508 with no federal credit for systems installed after 2025, offsetting $2,400 a year for a ~13.1 year payback.
Your details
Ballpark, not gospel. Sized at 78% real-world output with the Indiana sun-hour average — confirm shading, roof angle and your utility’s excess distributed generation terms with a local installer before buying. Retail net metering ended July 1, 2022 under SEA 309 — new systems earn the excess distributed generation rate of about 1.25× the utility’s marginal cost, often just 2–3¢/kWh. The calculator values all generation at your retail rate; exports earn far less, so real savings track self-consumption and batteries.
The 30% credit ended — what changed
The residential clean energy credit (26 U.S.C. § 25D) gave homeowners a 30% credit on solar installed from 2022 through 2025. The July 2025 tax law ended it: no credit is available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. That is why every figure on this page is ~30% higher than pre-2026 guides show. If your system went live by the end of 2025, tick the box above to see the credit applied; leased systems may still benefit because the leasing company claims the commercial credit. Source: IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.
Typical Indiana system sizes by monthly bill
| Monthly bill | System size | Panels (410 W) | Net cost (no 2026 federal credit) | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 6.15 kW | 15 | $16,298 | 13.6 years |
| $200 | 11.89 kW | 29 | $31,508 | 13.1 years |
| $300 | 17.63 kW | 43 | $46,720 | 13.0 years |
Computed at $0.175/kWh, 4.2 peak sun hours and $2.65/W installed, with no federal credit for 2026 installs. Run your exact bill above.
Solar in Indiana: the details
Solar cost in Indiana
Solar is relatively cheap to install in Indiana. The EnergySage marketplace averaged about $2.65 per watt installed in 2026, with market quotes typically landing $2.25–$3.05/W — at the low end of the $2.50–$3.50/W national band. A typical ~13 kW Indiana system grosses around $34,450, with no federal credit for 2026 homeowner installs and no state incentive to soften it.
What moves the number: roof complexity, panel tier, and how competitive the quote market is in your metro. Get at least three quotes — spreads of $0.50/W between installers are common.
Export rules: getting paid for surplus power
Indiana’s retail net metering ended July 1, 2022 under SEA 309. New systems earn the ‘excess distributed generation’ (EDG) rate — about 1.25× the utility’s marginal cost, which in practice is often just 2–3¢/kWh. That is a fraction of the ~17.5¢ retail rate you offset by self-consuming.
Practical takeaway: treat every exported kWh as nearly worthless in the math — size for daytime self-consumption or add a battery.
Indiana solar incentives
No major statewide solar incentive was found in 2026 sources — no rebate, no tax credit, no SREC market. Whatever the federal or utility-level picture is, Indiana itself adds nothing to the payback.
Is solar worth it in Indiana?
Verdict: weak. A ~13.1-year payback with no federal credit, no state incentives, and 2–3¢ export credits makes Indiana one of the poorest solar-payback states. The only setup that works is maximum self-consumption — shift loads to daylight hours or pair the system with storage.
Questions people actually ask
Straight answers, no fluff. Then run your own numbers above.
How many solar panels do I need in Indiana?
It follows your bill. At the Indiana average of $0.175/kWh and 4.2 peak sun hours, a $200/month bill needs about a 11.89 kW system — roughly 29 × 410 W panels covering ~58 m² of roof.
What is the average cost of solar panels in Indiana in 2026?
The EnergySage marketplace averaged about $2.65 per watt installed in 2026, with market quotes typically $2.25–$3.05/W — at the low end of the $2.50–$3.50/W national band. A typical ~13 kW system grosses around $34,450, with no federal credit for 2026 homeowner installs.
Does Indiana have net metering?
Retail net metering ended July 1, 2022 under SEA 309. New systems are credited at the ‘excess distributed generation’ rate of about 1.25× the utility’s marginal cost — often just 2–3¢/kWh.
Does Indiana offer any solar tax credit or rebate?
No major statewide solar incentive was found in 2026 sources — no rebate, no tax credit, no SREC market.
Is the 30% federal solar tax credit still available?
Not for homeowner purchases anymore. The residential clean energy credit (26 U.S.C. § 25D) is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the July 2025 tax law (Public Law 119-21). Systems installed by the end of 2025 can still claim 30%, and leased systems may still benefit because the leasing company claims the commercial credit instead. (Source: IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.)
Is solar worth it in Indiana?
Weak on the numbers: a ~13.1-year payback with no federal credit, no state incentives, and 2–3¢ export credits. Solar only pencils out if you self-consume most of what you make — daytime usage or a battery matters most.
Figures last checked October 2026. Sources: EIA Electric Power Monthly (July 2026: 17.51¢/kWh), NREL PVWatts/NSRDB (~4.2 peak sun hours), DSIRE, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission; IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit.
More US solar calculators
Compare other states: Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, North Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts. And the national US solar calculator for country averages.
Comparing quotes? The solar cost calculator breaks down cost per watt and the solar ROI calculator maps your payback year by year. Going deeper: installation cost guide, how net metering works, how much you can save with solar and the solar batteries guide.