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Washington · Updated August 2026

Washington electric rates in 2026

What Washington utilities charge, where the number comes from, and what it means for your bill.

~15.0¢State average rate

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Every utility, side by side

What Washington homeowners pay

Utility	Rate	Basis
Puget Sound Energy	~15.0¢	State average applied
Seattle City Light	~15.0¢	State average applied
Avista	~15.0¢	State average applied
Pacific Power	~15.0¢	State average applied
Market	Regulated	Supply and delivery billed together by your utility

The 15.0¢ figure is the Washington statewide average residential price published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration for August 2026. It is a state average, not a verified tariff figure for any one utility. Utilities serving Washington include Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light, Avista, Pacific Power. Your own bill is the accurate number, and the quote tool prices against it.

Figures as published August 2026. Utilities reset on their own schedules — check your bill for the rate on your account.

The production side

What a roof in Washington produces

Washington averages about 3.5 peak sun hours a day. A well-oriented kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1,022 kilowatt-hours a year. A typical 9 kW residential system therefore produces around 9,198 kilowatt-hours annually, which at a rate near 15.0¢ is worth roughly $1,380 a year before any incentive.

Those are pre-shading figures. Trees, roof pitch and orientation move them, sometimes a lot, which is why we read your specific roof rather than quoting a state average at you.

What Washington offers a homeowner

We do not publish a state incentive figure for Washington because we have not verified one against a primary source. Where a state program exists and we can cite the filing, we say so. Where we cannot, we would rather leave it blank than quote a number off a blog post. The economics below stand on the rate and the production, not on an incentive.

Why the number is what it is

The pressure on your bill is not mostly your utility. PJM — the wholesale market that PA, NJ, MD, DE, OH, VA and parts of several other states buy into — cleared its capacity auction at the price cap, and the cost of that flows into delivery charges. Data-center load is arriving faster than new generation is being built. Maryland's Office of People's Counsel put the homeowner impact at roughly $21 a month for BGE customers. Illinois residential prices rose 28.4% year over year.

Two ways to pay for solar, and they are very different

If you buy the system

You own the equipment, you keep any renewable energy credits, and you carry the maintenance responsibility. Installed pricing varies by roof, shading and system size.

If you use a PPA

$0 upfront. We install and own the system; you buy the power it produces at a rate set in your agreement, and you only pay for what it actually generates. The system owner carries maintenance for the life of the agreement.

The residential federal tax credit (25D) ended for systems purchased after December 31, 2025.

You will still see ads promising a 30% credit that “ends December 31.” Read the date on them. If you buy a system today as a homeowner, you cannot claim that credit. What remains under 48E applies to the owner of the system — which, under a PPA, is us. SolarAmerica does not provide tax advice; talk to your tax professional about your situation.

Local detail

Solar by county in Washington

Every Washington county has its own page with local towns, ZIP codes, peak sun hours and production math. 39 in total.

Who you would be working with

SolarAmerica

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We design your system and manage the project; installation is performed by vetted licensed partners in your area. SolarAmerica is not itself the installing contractor.

Questions

The things people actually ask

What is the average electricity rate in Washington?

About 15.0¢ per kilowatt-hour all-in as of August 2026, using the EIA statewide residential average. Your own bill divided by your kilowatt-hours is the number that actually applies to you.

Is solar worth it in Washington?

A kilowatt of panels produces roughly 1,022 kWh a year here, so a 9 kW system is worth about $1,380 annually against a 15.0¢ rate. Whether that beats your bill depends on your roof and your usage, which is what the quote tool checks.

Does SolarAmerica install the system?

We design the system and manage the project. Installation is performed by licensed partners in your area. You will know who is coming to your roof before anything is scheduled.

Is there still a 30% federal tax credit?

Not for a homeowner buying a system. The residential credit (25D) ended for systems purchased after December 31, 2025. What remains under 48E applies to the owner of the system, which under a power purchase agreement is us.

See what your roof in Washington actually adds up to

About 60 seconds. No cost, no obligation, and we will tell you if solar does not make sense for your home.

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