Decide
Are You Ready For Solar?
Estimate Your Cost to Go Solar
This calculator tool will help you determine how much you can generally expect to pay for a solar system in San Antonio, TX. Remember: every home and business is different and average price/watt can fluctuate due to various factors. Our calculator tool is a good place to start in order to pursue hard costs from a local solar installer as a next step. And as always, consider implementing energy efficiency measures in your home or business as the first step in deciding to go solar!
1). Calculate How Much Electricity You Use Per Year
On your CPS Energy bill, take a look at the bar graph labeled “Your Electricity Use (kWh).”
Add the usage together from each month to determine your annual usage. (be careful to only add 12 months of usage data, the bar graph will show 13 months of prior usage)!
This is your energy usage (kWh)/year
2). Determine What Size System You Need
Take the annual energy usage you determined from your CPS Energy bill.
Divide your annual electricity use by the estimated “production ratio” for Texas (1.5). This gives your solar system size in watts.
3). Assess the Gross Cost of Your Solar System
Take the estimated solar system size you generated above. (in watts)
Multiple it by the average price/watt for solar systems installed in the CPS Energy territory for 2024. ($4.25/watt)
This is the gross cost for your solar system.
Community Solar
BIG SUN
Community Solar
Offsite solar panels provide solar credits to reduce your monthly electric bill.
Community solar allows multiple CPS Energy customers to share the benefits of a single solar installation. Even if you move, you retain ownership of your personal solar module, and Big Sun Solar insures and maintains it at no additional cost.
1. Big Sun builds, manages, & insures your offsite solar system
Your Big Sun Solar system is installed on offsite ground-mount arrays in sunny locations across San Antonio. We take care of all insurance and maintenance costs for you.
2. CPS Energy buys your power
CPS Energy will purchase 100% of the energy generated from your Big Sun Community Solar panel and provide bill credits based on its production.
Community Solar gives you financial benefits of solar ownership without having the panels on your rooftop. With this “roofless” solar model, a centrally located facility is built within the community it serves, allowing multiple residents and business owners to buy panels in the same array. The solar power produced is fed back to CPS Energy’s grid, and the utility applies credits on customers’ electric bills for their renewable generation.
Community Solar
3. Lower your monthly bill for the next 20 years
Your system will automatically send solar credits to your CPS Energy bill for the next 20 years.
Free Tools To Help Decide If You Should Go Solar
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Energy sage
The EnergySage Solar Marketplace is a free service that makes it easy to list your property, specify your needs and accept qualified quotes from solar power system companies. Its panel of solar advisors is on hand to answer your questions and connect you with the resources you need to make an informed decision.
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PV Watts
NREL's PVWatts® Calculator
Estimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations.
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Project Sunroof
Project Sunroof puts Google's expansive data in mapping and computing resources to use, helping calculate the best solar plan for you.
