What Size Solar System Does a 2,000-Square-Foot House Need, in Kilowatts and Dollars?
Summary
Between about 7 and 11 kW, and between about $18,000 and $29,000 before incentives, depending on where the house is. EIA's 2020 survey puts homes of 2,000 to 2,499 square feet at 12,173 kWh a year. Producing that takes about 6.9 kW in Phoenix, 9.4 kW in New York and 11.2 kW in Seattle at PVWatts' per-kilowatt output, and at EnergySage's 2026 average of $2.60 per watt those systems cost about $18,000, $24,500 and $29,100. The federal 30% credit does not apply to 2026 installations. A year of your own utility bills replaces the 12,173 figure and is the number to size from.
Kilowatts by city
| City | Annual output per kW | System for 12,173 kWh | Installed at $2.60/W |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix | about 1,755 kWh | about 6.9 kW | about $18,000 |
| New York | about 1,291 kWh | about 9.4 kW | about $24,500 |
| Seattle | about 1,088 kWh | about 11.2 kW | about $29,100 |
PVWatts runs are south-facing at a 20° tilt with 14% losses. EnergySage's state averages run from $2.12 per watt in Florida to $3.84 in Alabama, so the dollar column moves by state as much as the kilowatt column moves by sun; its own typical figure is $31,135 for a 12 kW system.
Why the square footage is only a starting point
The same survey shows hot-humid homes at 13,781 kWh and marine-climate homes at 8,410 kWh, a 5,000 kWh gap that dwarfs the step between floor-area brackets. Electric heat, air conditioning, a pool pump or an electric vehicle can move actual use away from that bracket average. Our panel-count guide for the same house works the number into 17 to 27 modules of 430 W; this one is the kilowatts and the price.
What size most people actually install
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reports that 80% of home systems installed in 2025 were about 12 kW or smaller, with a median of 7.7 kW. A 2,000-square-foot house in a sunny state lands near the median; the same house in Seattle lands near the top of the range.
Using your own number
Add twelve months of kWh from the utility bills, divide by the per-kW output for the nearest city above or run PVWatts for your address, and multiply the kilowatts by your state's price per watt. The result is the system to ask three installers to quote, and the quotes will tell you whether the roof can hold it.
Sources
- U.S. EIA — RECS 2020, Table CE2.1 Annual household site fuel consumption
- NLR — PVWatts V8 API (per-kW annual output for Phoenix, New York, Seattle; runs by the editors September 23, 2026)
- EnergySage — Solar Panel Cost in 2026 (updated June 30, 2026)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Distributed Solar & Storage 2026 Data Update
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