InstaBidsHow much will solar panels cost in Cambridge?
$27,000 was the median declared permit value for data years 2023-2026 in Cambridge, MA. One- or two-family dwelling and townhouse solar permits issued in Cambridge declared a typical range (middle half of 229 City of Cambridge permit data points, Cambridge, MA, 2023-2026) of $19,930 to $36,819.
Updated 2026-10-28
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| What was measured | Median declared value | Declared value range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| One- or two-family dwelling and townhouse solar permits issued in Cambridge declared | a median declared value on building permits of $27,000 | the typical range (middle half of 229 City of Cambridge permit data points, Cambridge, MA, 2023-2026) was $19,930 to $36,819 |
Declared permit values are what applicants reported to the city; final contract prices can differ.
How measured: residential single-job permits; declared values below the low-value floor for the same job removed (0 rows). Source: City of Cambridge Inspectional Services Department, via Cambridge Open Data, data read 23 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from City of Cambridge Inspectional Services Department, via Cambridge Open Data, data years 2023-2026, read 23 October 2026, for Cambridge, MA. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
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What the job includes, the line items to ask for and how to compare bids: the national solar panel system cost guide.
What does Cambridge document before a solar installation?
Example rule, Cambridge multi-unit solar owner guide: initial design assessment: “structural analysis of the roof”
Source: City of Cambridge solar guide for owners of residential multi-unit rental properties, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Cambridge multi-unit solar owner guide: roof assessment author: “A Massachusetts-registered structural engineer”
Source: City of Cambridge solar guide for owners of residential multi-unit rental properties, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Cambridge multi-unit solar owner guide: building inspector documentation: “a report on the roof’s structural characteristics”
Source: City of Cambridge solar guide for owners of residential multi-unit rental properties, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Cambridge multi-unit solar owner guide: equipment design: “equipment selection and layout”
Source: City of Cambridge solar guide for owners of residential multi-unit rental properties, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Cambridge permit application checklist, where pertinent: submission format: “in digital PDF format”
Source: Cambridge Inspectional Services permit application checklist, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Cambridge permit application checklist, where pertinent: engineering documentation: “Engineering drawings & reports (stamped)”
Source: Cambridge Inspectional Services permit application checklist, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Cambridge occupied-building permit checklist, where pertinent: construction fire safety: “NFPA 241 Construction Fire Safety Plan”
Source: Cambridge Inspectional Services permit application checklist, read 9 November 2026.
What do Cambridge solar permits declare?
Each Cambridge figure above is a declared permit value: what the applicant told the permit office the solar job was worth when applying. It is not an invoice.
The records come from City of Cambridge Inspectional Services Department, via Cambridge Open Data.
The selection covers completed permit applications for one- or two-family dwellings and townhouses. Addition or alteration records also need a one-family, two-family or townhouse property use. Roof-deck, addition and combined scopes are excluded.
The selection reads both the addition and alteration dataset and the solar installation dataset.
Before matching, the selection left out 2 permits for a new dwelling or work not on an existing home, 1 permit for legalisation, as-built work, revisions, supplements or renewals, and 3 permits whose descriptions also named another job.
Of the 229 matched permits, 229 carried a declared value. No values were removed by the low-value check, leaving 229 permits behind the figures.
The low-value check uses a fixed floor because the American Housing Survey has no hired-out figure for solar.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, read 16 October 2026.
How can I check a Cambridge roof before requesting solar bids?
Start with the Solar System map linked from Cambridge's Energy Efficiency & Clean Energy page. The city points residents there to check an address's solar potential. Use that property-specific starting point when describing the roof in your solar request, alongside the declared permit values shown above.
Source: City of Cambridge, Energy Efficiency & Clean Energy, read 31 October 2026.
Where does Cambridge direct residents to compare solar installation options?
The city directs residents to Sunny Cambridge through the EnergySage Solar Marketplace to request, receive and compare installation options and quotes. You can follow that route independently of InstaBids. When comparing a proposal with this page, keep the actual installation quote separate from the permit values and New York program figures.
Source: City of Cambridge, Energy Efficiency & Clean Energy, read 31 October 2026.
What do New York State program records (NYSERDA) measure?
The Census Bureau's American Housing Survey, used for the national figures on other cost pages, has no solar item, so the second block comes from New York State program records (NYSERDA).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, read 16 October 2026.
The New York State program records measure the reported project cost of completed residential solar systems bought outright. The selection keeps purchases and excludes leases and power purchase agreements.
Source: NYSERDA, Solar Electric Programs Reported by NYSERDA, read 16 October 2026.
| What was measured | Median | Typical range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| Home solar systems bought outright and completed under NYSERDA programs in New York State had | a median of $38,702 | the typical range (middle half of 12,001 NYSERDA program data points, New York State (NYSERDA program data), 2025-2026) was $28,520 to $51,000 |
| By system size | a median of $3.84 per watt | the typical range (middle half of 12,001 NYSERDA program data points, New York State (NYSERDA program data), 2025-2026) was $3.20 per watt to $5.09 per watt |
How measured: owned, completed home systems, untrimmed; project cost divided by system size in watts. Source: NYSERDA, Solar Electric Programs Reported by NYSERDA: Beginning 2000, data read 16 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from NYSERDA, Solar Electric Programs Reported by NYSERDA: Beginning 2000, data years 2025-2026, read 16 October 2026, for New York State (NYSERDA program data). They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
Full national guide: How much will solar panels cost?
The New York State block includes both a whole-system row and a per-watt row. The Cambridge permit block reports declared values by job.
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Sources for the figures on this page
- City of Cambridge Inspectional Services Department, via Cambridge Open Data, https://data.cambridgema.gov/d/qu2z-8suj, read 23 October 2026. InstaBids computed medians and middle-half ranges.
- NYSERDA, Solar Electric Programs Reported by NYSERDA: Beginning 2000, https://data.ny.gov/Energy-Environment/Solar-Electric-Programs-Reported-by-NYSERDA-Beginn/3x8r-34rs, read 16 October 2026. Used under the OPEN-NY Terms of Use; no endorsement by New York State or NYSERDA is implied.
- City of Cambridge solar guide for owners of residential multi-unit rental properties, cambridgeenergyalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/Installing-Solar-for-Owners.pdf, read 9 November 2026.
- Cambridge Inspectional Services permit application checklist, viewpointcloud.blob.core.windows.net/profile-pictures/Building_Permit_Application_Checklist_(002)_Mon_Dec_17_2018_14%3A19%3A17_GMT%2B0000_(Coordinated_Universal_Time).pdf, read 9 November 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/2023/AHS 2023 Value Labels Package.zip, read 16 October 2026.
- City of Cambridge, Energy Efficiency & Clean Energy, www.cambridgema.gov/services/energyefficiencyresources, read 31 October 2026.