Montana
Solar in Great Falls, Montana
A south-facing roof in Great Falls makes about 1,284 kWh per kW each year, 2% above the Montana average; a typical home's net-zero system here is about 8.4 kW, costs as low as $20,926 installed, and pays back in about 12 years on NorthWestern Energy rates.
See the numbers for your Great Falls address
At a glance
Typical gas-heated home, 900 kWh a month, best-case figures with the range shown. Sources.
Who sends your bill
At the center of Great Falls the service-territory layer shows NorthWestern Energy; Sun River Electric Cooperative serves parts of the surrounding area. Boundaries are coarse at town edges, so your bill is the final word; the utility finder checks any address.
What the sun does in Great Falls
- A south-facing roof at a 30° pitch makes about 1,349 kWh per kW a year before snow and 1,284 after a 5% snow allowance, 2% above the Montana average.
- July is the best month at about 170 kWh per kW; December the worst at about 42. Net metering carries the summer surplus into winter, which is why the net-zero size and your utility’s bank reset month both matter.
- Roof direction and pitch change the yield by a quarter or more; the estimate reads your actual roof from satellite imagery and fills south-facing planes first.
- Electric heat roughly doubles a January bill compared with July, so a winter bill from an electrically heated house is annualized with a Montana heating profile rather than multiplied by twelve.
A typical Great Falls home: 900 kWh a month, gas heat
Valued at NorthWestern Energy rates (15.8¢/kWh energy); no federal credit for homes in 2026. Your roof, usage and heating change every number.
Figures use NorthWestern Energy, which gives the better payback of the utilities serving the Great Falls area (Sun River Electric Cooperative: about 25 years). Your bill says which one you are on.
Questions Great Falls homeowners ask
- How much do solar panels cost in Great Falls?
- For a gas-heated home using about 900 kWh a month, a net-zero system of about 8.4 kW costs roughly $20,926 to $25,576 installed at current Montana cash prices, before any incentive. Larger homes and electric heat need bigger systems; your address gives a real figure in about a minute.
- How long does solar take to pay for itself in Great Falls?
- About 10.5 to 14.1 years for that typical home on NorthWestern Energy rates, assuming electricity prices rise 2.7% a year. NorthWestern Energy's own rules (fixed charge, net-metering credits) are built in. Figures use NorthWestern Energy, which gives the better payback of the utilities serving the Great Falls area (Sun River Electric Cooperative: about 25 years). Your bill says which one you are on.
- Which utility serves Great Falls?
- At the city centre the service-territory layer shows NorthWestern Energy; Sun River Electric Cooperative serves parts of the surrounding area. Boundaries are coarse at town edges, so your bill is the final word.
- Does solar work in Great Falls's winters?
- Yes, with a seasonal shape: July makes about 170 kWh per kW and December about 42, after a 5% allowance for snow cover. Net metering banks summer surplus against winter use, which is why the net-zero size and the bank's reset month both matter.
- What incentives apply in 2026?
- The 30% homeowner credit (Section 25D) ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025. Business-owned systems, including ranches and rental property, still qualify for the 30% investment credit and bonus depreciation when placed in service by the end of 2027; tax-exempt owners receive the 30% as cash. No Montana state credit. Not tax advice.
On the map
Nearby: Helena, Cut Bank, Belgrade, Bozeman, Lewistown, Havre. All Montana cities.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents and models below, with the date each was produced or last checked.
- Sunlight and monthly production for Great FallsEffective October 31, 2026 · Checked October 31, 2026 · Read from the primary source
- NorthWestern Energy rates and net-metering rules (worked example)Effective October 15, 2026 · Checked November 1, 2026 · Read from the primary source
- Which utilities serve the areaChecked October 31, 2026 · Read from the primary source
- Installed cost, savings and paybackChecked November 1, 2026 · Read from the primary source
Spot an error? Email mtsolarestimate@gmail.com. How the estimate is built: methodology.
Your Great Falls address, your numbers
The estimate reads your roof, takes your real usage and applies your utility’s rules. About a minute, no contact details asked.