Solar panels in Flagstaff, AZ
Up at 7,000 feet under the San Francisco Peaks, in the pine country that surrounds NAU, Flagstaff throws people off about solar. The truth is that cold, clear high-country days are good for panels, since they produce a little more efficiently in cool air, and Flagstaff still gets a lot of sun. Snow can sit on a roof for a few days in winter and pause production, so we size and angle a Flagstaff system with that in mind. You are on APS, whose rates keep climbing, which is the real reason owning your power pencils out up here.
Local Arizona solar, designed and managed for you, with licensed local crews on the roof.
Solar for Flagstaff homeowners
Solar in Flagstaff: the bottom line
- Flagstaff gets strong Arizona sun, so a rooftop here has plenty to work with.
- Flagstaff is served by APS. APS wants to raise rates about 14%. It is not approved yet, but it is coming up.
- Solar locks in your power cost, so an APS rate change only hits the small part of power you still buy.
- You can usually start with $0 down, and the free savings review gives you an honest number for your home.
Why solar makes sense in Flagstaff
The bottom line: For most Flagstaff homes, solar is worth a serious look. Flagstaff runs on APS, which is asking the state for a rate increase of about 14%, and rooftop solar fixes the cost of your daytime power so anAPS rate change moves a much smaller number. The honest answer for your home comes from the free savings review.
Flagstaff runs on Arizona Public Service (APS), and that is the biggest factor in how a system here gets sized. APS is asking the state for a rate increase of about 14%, and it is not approved yet. The more you know about where your utility is taking rates, the clearer it gets why fixing the cost of your own power makes sense now, not later.
Arizona sun is the other half of the story. Flagstaff gets the strong, steady sunlight rooftop solar is built for, and a roof that faces the right way can carry most of your daytime power itself. That is the whole idea: the power your panels make costs you the same every year, while the power you buy from APS keeps climbing. You can often start with $0 down, so there is no big check up front.
Plenty of the solar companies in Flagstaff are national chains that drop into Arizona for the season. We are not that. We size the system around your real usage, handle the APS interconnection and the local permit, and give you an honest number up front. If solar does not pencil out for your roof, we will tell you that too.
What power costs a Flagstaff home, and what solar saves
Rough ranges by home size, figured the same way our savings calculator figures them. Not a quote.
A home about this big in Arizona
What power costs, and what solar saves
Bigger home, more air conditioning, bigger power bill. Here is roughly what a home each size spends on power from APS today, and roughly how much it would save with its own solar.
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Smaller home
about 1,200 sq ft
$110–$140 a month to APS now
$1,300–$1,700 a year to APS now
With your own solar, save about $1,050–$1,600 a year, on average roughly $90–$135 a month back in your pocket
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Average home
about 1,800 sq ft
$170–$210 a month to APS now
$2,000–$2,500 a year to APS now
With your own solar, save about $1,550–$2,450 a year, on average roughly $130–$205 a month back in your pocket
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Bigger home
about 2,800 sq ft
$270–$320 a month to APS now
$3,200–$3,800 a year to APS now
With your own solar, save about $2,400–$3,800 a year, on average roughly $200–$315 a month back in your pocket
These are rough estimates, not a quote. Your real number depends on your home, your AC, your roof, and your rate plan.
Here is why solar saves you money
It comes down to the price of one unit of power (one kilowatt-hour).
about 15.46¢ a unit
It climbs about 5% every year as APS raises rates.
about 11¢ a unit
$0 down, and the price stays the same year after year.
Your solar price is locked. APS keeps climbing. Today the gap is about 4.5¢ a unit, and every year APS goes up, you save more.
Solar locks in most of your power cost, so it stops climbing. The longer you wait, the more APS raises rates, and the more you miss out on.
How we got these: an Arizona home uses about 0.68 kilowatt-hours per square foot each month (higher than the national average because of air conditioning), at the APS average rate of 15.46 cents per kilowatt-hour, which climbs about 5% a year as rates rise. For a roughly 2,000 sq ft home that lands near the Arizona average of about 1,422 kWh and about $164 a month; summer bills run higher, often $200 to $250. The solar savings are figured the same way our savings calculator figures them: solar covers about 92% of your power at a locked rate of about 11 cents a unit with $0 down (about 7 cents if you pay cash), while APS keeps rising. The savings shown are an average per year over 25 years, so they start smaller and grow as APS climbs. These are rough estimates, not a quote. Your exact cost and savings come from the free savings review. Sources are listed on this page.
Want the number for your exact home? Estimate my savings
Does solar really work in Flagstaff?
It is the first question people up here ask, and the honest answer is yes, with a couple of Flagstaff-specific things to plan for.
- Cold helps. Solar panels actually produce a little more efficiently in cool air, and Flagstaff gets plenty of clear, sunny days through the year.
- Snow is the real variable. A few times each winter snow can sit on the panels and pause production for a day or two until it slides or melts off. We angle and place the array to shed snow and size the system knowing it happens.
- You are on APS, and APS keeps asking the state for more. Owning your daytime power is how Flagstaff homeowners stop every increase from landing on the bill.
- We run your real APS bill and your actual roof, and give you an honest number, even if the honest answer is that solar does not fit your home.
See the full picture on our APS rate increase page, or run your numbers and we will give you an honest answer for your Flagstaff home.
What we do in Flagstaff
We design and manage every part of the project, with licensed local crews on the roof.
Solar Panel Installation
We design your rooftop system to your actual usage and get it installed by licensed local crews.
Learn moreBattery Storage
Add home battery backup so you keep power when the grid goes down.
Learn moreSolar Financing
$0-down options, solar loans, and a straight answer on lease vs buy.
Learn moreSolar Maintenance
Monitoring, cleaning, and repairs to keep production where it should be.
Learn moreSolar in Flagstaff: common questions
Is solar worth it in Flagstaff, AZ?
For most Flagstaff homes, yes. Flagstaff gets the strong, steady Arizona sun that rooftop solar is built for. APS is asking the state for a rate increase of about 14%, and it is not approved yet. Owning your daytime power instead of buying all of it from the grid tends to pay off over time. The honest answer for your home comes from looking at your real bill and roof, which is exactly what the free savings review does, even if the answer turns out to be no.
Who is my utility in Flagstaff?
Flagstaff is served largely by Arizona Public Service (APS). APS is asking the state for a rate increase of about 14%, and it is not approved yet. That matters for solar because the way APS prices and credits power shapes how we size and plan your system, so we build it around APS from the start.
How much does solar cost in Flagstaff?
It depends on your roof, your home size, and how much power you use, so there is no single price. Most Flagstaff homeowners start with $0 down, which means no big upfront check. The fastest honest answer is to run your real APS bill through our free savings review, and we will show you the numbers for your home with no pressure.
How does the APS rate change affect going solar in Flagstaff?
APS is asking the state for a rate increase of about 14%. It is not approved yet, so nothing has changed on your bill today, but rate increases land on the power you buy from the grid. A solar system fixes the cost of your daytime power up front, so a future APS increase only touches the smaller amount you still buy. You can see the full picture on our APS rate page.
Do you do solar in Flagstaff?
Yes. We design rooftop solar, battery storage, and financing for Flagstaff homeowners on APS, handle the APS interconnection paperwork and the local permit for you, and a licensed local crew does the install. Reach out and we will walk you through what solar looks like on your roof and your APS rate plan.
Nearby cities we serve
Close to Flagstaff? We serve homeowners across Arizona.
Sedona
Solar in Sedona for red-rock-country homes: high-value roofs, strong sun, and APS rates that keep climbing.
APS Solar in SedonaPrescott
Solar in Prescott pairs a mild mountain climate and strong sun with APS rates that keep rising.
APS Solar in PrescottPhoenix
The Valley anchor. High summer cooling loads and rising utility rates make Phoenix rooftops some of the best solar candidates in the country.
APS Solar in PhoenixSee what solar would do for your Flagstaff bill.
Bring a recent APS bill. We will give you an honest look at the numbers for your Flagstaff home. About 15 minutes, no hard sell, and it's your call.