Federal ITC 30% (tax credit)
State tax credit: Yes ($2,250)
Net metering (by utility)
There can be solar tax credits and incentives available at the federal, state and local levels. The calculator above will show you the value of all incentives your home is eligible for.
Electricity prices here in Hawaii remain the second highest in the nation, making it one of the most practical places to install solar. Innovative new on-bill repayment plans have been great at assisting low income residents to install their own solar energy systems.
How much money you can save with solar depends on which island you live on and how much electricity you use. Everyone in Hawaii can grab the US federal solar tax credit equal to 26% of the costs to go solar. It's important to note that Hawaii's state government also has your back if you’re considering going solar, with its own state solar tax credit.
Even without huge incentives or a perfect net metering program, the state is committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045, and they're gonna need a lot of help from folks like you to do it. On the islands of Oahu, Maui, or Hawaii, HECO has a Quick Connect program to help you get solar panels installed quickly and boost the local economy.
Read on to learn about solar panel policy, incentives, and savings in Hawaii, and get ready to go solar!
Learn what solar incentives are available to Hawaii homeowners
See what Hawaii solar incentives you qualify for based on your utility company and city
Find out how much these incentives and/or Hawaii solar tax credits will reduce your cost to go solar and add batteries
The federal solar investment tax credit will have the biggest impact on the cost you will face to go solar in Hawaii
If you install your photovoltaic system before the end of 2032, the federal tax credit is 30% of the cost of your solar panel system. This is 30% off the entire cost of the system including equipment, labor, and permitting.
Example: If your solar energy system costs $20,000, your federal solar tax credit would be $20,000 x 30% = $6,000.
The federal tax credit falls to 26% starting in 2033.
With net metering in some states, you get full retail rate credit for the amount of electricity you send back into the grid with your solar panels.
Net Metering requires your utility to monitor how much energy your solar power system produces and how much energy you actually consume, and make sure you get credit for the surplus.
Hawaii no longer has net metering for solar owners. Instead, HECO has switched to giving homeowners a choice. In Hawaii, you can set up your solar panels under a system called "Customer Self Supply," which means you have to use all the solar energy to power your home (hello, batteries!) or "Customer Grid Supply," which means you send all your solar energy to HECO, and they pay you less than retail prices for it.
Finding out which system works best for you can be complicated, so make sure to connect with a solar expert near you to get help with this complicated decision.
Hawaii no longer has any cash rebate programs, but there are may other kinds of incentives available to help you save money when you go solar. Most importantly, Hawaii offers a sweet tax credit to its citizens that combines with the federal solar tax credit to wipe out a huge portion of the cost to buy solar panels.
Here's where Hawaii wins when it comes to solar. If you buy a solar system in the Aloha state, you'll see 35% of the cost (up to $2,250) come back as a credit at tax time, in addition to the federal tax credit of 26% (with no limit)!
When April 15th rolls around, an average 6kW system that costs just over $18,000 will net you an estimated $6,500 back from both credits, provided you have some tax appetite. Wow.
When you install a solar power system, your home appreciates by twenty times your annual electricity savings. When you add a solar power system, you add value to your home. How much value you add depends on how much money you save on your energy bill.
In a state like Hawaii, solar panels can save you a lot – more than anywhere else in the country, in fact. Normally, as you are all too aware, an increase in your home’s value means a corresponding increase in property taxes. Many, if not most states exempt you from those property taxes. Hawaii sadly lacks such a statewide law.
Don’t panic just yet though. The City and County of Honolulu has passed their own property tax exemption! No, that’s not the entire state, but it is about 70% of the people here in Hawaii.
If you’re one of those 70%, you’re already golden – you’re 100% exempted from property taxes associated with your new solar power system for 25 years. If you’re one of the unlucky 3 in 10, it sounds like we all need to get on the phone to the state capitol to tell them we want solar power tax exemptions!
If you’re a HECO customer making 140% or less of area median income, you can qualify for a special program called a Green Energy Market Securitization (GEMS) laon. The program grants you the ability to install solar for $0 down with a special loan you repay on your HECO electric bill automatically. Your system must provide enough power that even after your loan you have 10% savings over what you were paying previous to your solar installation.
There are no credit requirements, and the loan is not attached to your name, it’s attached to your electric meter instead!
In Honolulu city and county, you can get a 0% interest loan for a new roof and solar installation over a term of 10 or 20 years! The amount can be up to $60,000, here is the application information. Work with your installer to claim this amazing deal.
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Prices based on a 8.4kW system, after 30% federal tax credit
26 solar companies in Hawaii provide pricing on SolarReviews. Here are the best rated companies near you.
4.75 63 Reviews
Juan Herrera, over 1 month
Dear Sean Grady and Pacific Energy Team, I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the outstanding service you provided during the recent installation of my solar panel system and batteries. From the very beginning, Sean demonstrated remarkable professionalism, expertise, and dedication. You took the time to thoroughly explain the process, answer all my questions, and customize a solution that perfectly fit my home’s energy needs. Your attention to detail and clear communication throughout the sales process made me feel confident and well-informed every step of the way. The installation team was equally impressive. Their efficiency, technical skill, and commitment to quality were evident from the moment they arrived. They ensured that the installation was smooth, timely, and minimally disruptive to my household. I was especially pleased with how clean and organized they left the worksite afterward. The seamless coordination between the sales, installation, and support teams made this entire experience stress-free and enjoyable. I am thrilled with the performance of the solar panels and battery system so far, and I have no doubt this investment will provide long-term benefits. Thank you, Sean and the entire team at Pacific Energy, for delivering such exceptional service and a product I can truly rely on. I highly recommend your company to anyone looking for top-tier solar energy solutions. Warm regards, Juan Carlos Herrera M.D.
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Juan Herrera, over 1 month
Dear Sean Grady and Pacific Energy Team, I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the outstanding service you provided during the recent installation of my solar panel system and batteries. From the very beginning, Sean demonstrated remarkable professionalism, expertise, and dedication. You took the time to thoroughly explain the process, answer all my questions, and customize a solution that perfectly fit my home’s energy needs. Your attention to detail and clear communication throughout the sales process made me feel confident and well-informed every step of the way. The installation team was equally impressive. Their efficiency, technical skill, and commitment to quality were evident from the moment they arrived. They ensured that the installation was smooth, timely, and minimally disruptive to my household. I was especially pleased with how clean and organized they left the worksite afterward. The seamless coordination between the sales, installation, and support teams made this entire experience stress-free and enjoyable. I am thrilled with the performance of the solar panels and battery system so far, and I have no doubt this investment will provide long-term benefits. Thank you, Sean and the entire team at Pacific Energy, for delivering such exceptional service and a product I can truly rely on. I highly recommend your company to anyone looking for top-tier solar energy solutions. Warm regards, Juan Carlos Herrera M.D.
4.58 23 Reviews
MH, over 1 month
great, easy to work with, and responsive support. Use for both our primary residence and clients. Jeremy and Joe are a great team to work with!
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MH, over 1 month
great, easy to work with, and responsive support. Use for both our primary residence and clients. Jeremy and Joe are a great team to work with!
Lionel S, over 1 month
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Lew Abrams, over 1 month
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4.18 50 Reviews
C man, over 1 month
Accused me of keying his truck after he read my bumper sticker on my truck , it said "Quanon- multi generational defect caused by the bad acid at Woodstock!", my guess, after reading some of the reviews of him is that maybe one or both of his relatives, and even maybe, that is where he was concieved, ,and he took offense to my bumper sticker cause right after he read it it popped up and said to me that he hadn't got a covid vaccination and didn't believe in it, which I thought to myself, ooooh k, and then asked me if I had gotten my vaccination which I replied yes. Which then a few days later when I returned to finish my work, I had to leave because he wanted to fight me, he kept on telling me he was a being a nice guy and to "get the f out of there. I was 66 at that time and he was 52, if I was his age there would have been a fight but it takes to long to recover from injury after you get older so I left, but I did hear 1 of his employee's ask another one " what the hell is he doing " and then when one of the younger guys that worked for the company I worked for went to the job to confront him the 2 guys that where wondering what he was doing at the time he was telling me how nice a guy he was apologized to him for the crap their boss had given me, good thing Ryan wasn't there, the young man who went looking for him was a local boy and, well let's say it wouldn't have ended up well for Mr Nice Guy. Maybe that's why he's left the state, because he threatened many older people and the younger friends wanted him to be taught how to respect others. All this happened in 2021, so believe what you read about this wanna be 52 yr old high school bully, maybe he was deservent of his rating years ago but the last most recent reviews show and tell of his work and personality. Beware of this guy if he ever comes back!
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C man, over 1 month
Accused me of keying his truck after he read my bumper sticker on my truck , it said "Quanon- multi generational defect caused by the bad acid at Woodstock!", my guess, after reading some of the reviews of him is that maybe one or both of his relatives, and even maybe, that is where he was concieved, ,and he took offense to my bumper sticker cause right after he read it it popped up and said to me that he hadn't got a covid vaccination and didn't believe in it, which I thought to myself, ooooh k, and then asked me if I had gotten my vaccination which I replied yes. Which then a few days later when I returned to finish my work, I had to leave because he wanted to fight me, he kept on telling me he was a being a nice guy and to "get the f out of there. I was 66 at that time and he was 52, if I was his age there would have been a fight but it takes to long to recover from injury after you get older so I left, but I did hear 1 of his employee's ask another one " what the hell is he doing " and then when one of the younger guys that worked for the company I worked for went to the job to confront him the 2 guys that where wondering what he was doing at the time he was telling me how nice a guy he was apologized to him for the crap their boss had given me, good thing Ryan wasn't there, the young man who went looking for him was a local boy and, well let's say it wouldn't have ended up well for Mr Nice Guy. Maybe that's why he's left the state, because he threatened many older people and the younger friends wanted him to be taught how to respect others. All this happened in 2021, so believe what you read about this wanna be 52 yr old high school bully, maybe he was deservent of his rating years ago but the last most recent reviews show and tell of his work and personality. Beware of this guy if he ever comes back!
4.17 8 Reviews
Tsuruda, over 1 month
Taryn who sold me on the company is down to earth and has responded to my calls. Sean emailed me gentle reminder and did the follow up. Joeffer, Blake, Mike, Dave, Devin and Soren worked hard both days to get our big job completed. They were professional and a good team. Installing was neat and precise. I appreciated the honesty. I am looking forward to the results.
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Tsuruda, over 1 month
Taryn who sold me on the company is down to earth and has responded to my calls. Sean emailed me gentle reminder and did the follow up. Joeffer, Blake, Mike, Dave, Devin and Soren worked hard both days to get our big job completed. They were professional and a good team. Installing was neat and precise. I appreciated the honesty. I am looking forward to the results.
4.10 5 Reviews
Ray Broggini, over 1 month
We`ve been priveleged to use RES, Inc before and find them extremely good. We`ve had solar for decades, first in CA, and service there was also good with the right company. We`re glad to recommend RES anytime to anyone.<br />We`re off the grid to tie-in questions are N/A. The gov`ts should give larger and easier to obtain incentives if solar is ever going to be as big as it should be. But look at the government we have now---they act clueless!
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Ray Broggini, over 1 month
We`ve been priveleged to use RES, Inc before and find them extremely good. We`ve had solar for decades, first in CA, and service there was also good with the right company. We`re glad to recommend RES anytime to anyone.<br />We`re off the grid to tie-in questions are N/A. The gov`ts should give larger and easier to obtain incentives if solar is ever going to be as big as it should be. But look at the government we have now---they act clueless!
4.08 15 Reviews
Richard in Kailua Kona, over 1 month
We purchased this system in 2023, based on the "IMPLIED" sales pitch that the company was going to opening an office in Kailua Kona. We were told by the the salesman that technical response would be within 24 to 48 hours. I should have gotten everything in writing! As of this writing, our system has shut down 4 times within the last 6 months. While the tech support has resolved the issue, they do not respond within the 24-48 hours that we were led to believe. Since they operate out of Hilo, we've been lucky to get them here within a week. There was once exception when it was 2 days but that isn't the norm. I've gotten support by calling the Tesla contact center, but there is only so much that they can do. The latest issue was somewhat resolved with the support of the contact center. The agent did escalate the issue to another level but it may be 15 days before a more knowledgeable Tesla technician has the opportunity to look at all the issues that we've had. He did agree that this shouldn't be happening but he doesn't believe that it's a Tesla issue, but he wasn't in a position to make that decision. I did contact the Provision tech who said that he was looking into it. I haven't heard anything back from Provision.
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Richard in Kailua Kona, over 1 month
We purchased this system in 2023, based on the "IMPLIED" sales pitch that the company was going to opening an office in Kailua Kona. We were told by the the salesman that technical response would be within 24 to 48 hours. I should have gotten everything in writing! As of this writing, our system has shut down 4 times within the last 6 months. While the tech support has resolved the issue, they do not respond within the 24-48 hours that we were led to believe. Since they operate out of Hilo, we've been lucky to get them here within a week. There was once exception when it was 2 days but that isn't the norm. I've gotten support by calling the Tesla contact center, but there is only so much that they can do. The latest issue was somewhat resolved with the support of the contact center. The agent did escalate the issue to another level but it may be 15 days before a more knowledgeable Tesla technician has the opportunity to look at all the issues that we've had. He did agree that this shouldn't be happening but he doesn't believe that it's a Tesla issue, but he wasn't in a position to make that decision. I did contact the Provision tech who said that he was looking into it. I haven't heard anything back from Provision.
4.06 3 Reviews
Chang, over 1 month
Absolutely thrilled with my recent solar panel and battery installation by SolarTech! From start to finish, the process was seamless. The team was incredibly knowledgeable and took the time to explain every step, ensuring I felt confident in my choices. After getting quotes from several companies on Oahu, I chose to go with SolarTech since a couple of co-workers recommended them ah they did business with this company. Julian R. was my sales associate, and he held a lengthy professional presentation/meeting with my family and myself and answered every question I had. He gave me an up-front proposal with full cost, savings and ROI. He also gave me multiple options for several different brands of panels and battery systems and six different price ranges from low to high. I was never pressured into any specific brand or system. Also, I felt Julian R. of SolarTech was the most personable sales associate of all the companies I was looking at, for example he din't just take look at our electric bill, he asked what are our needs, what appliances we run, what will we run, what did we want to get out of the battery system, and what kind of uptime do we expect to have. Julian always made time for anything I needed or any questions I had. I appreciate the entire team who helped on this project. From sales to technicians, I have to send shout out everyone they were all super friendly and helpful. Further I appreciate how fast this was done. I signed the contract on September 4 and as soon as the building permit posted just yesterday, and the job was completed today. I also appreciate the attention to detail and customer support I received. I never had to leave a message because Brandi A. (project manager) and Jelly B. (project scheduler) answered every call and question. Even during the install all the technicians and electricians were super personable and friendly, they talked story with me and answered any questions I had. Ikaika (electrician) even offered to pick up our dog's "poo". Lane one of the teams technician was experienced and took the time to scope and plan everything out. SolarTech doesn't mess around there was about 15 guys here on the job and they treated my house and property like it was their own. I appreciate that. The particular system I chose was a 20kw system Meyer-Burger panels with an Enphase battery system. I chose Enphase over all other brands mainly Tesla because #1 the Warranty of 15 years instead of 10 on other systems. #2 the support for Enphase because my last system was Tesla solar panels and I can't give Tesla support any positive marks. When my Tesla system broke it took multiple calls over an hour to get someone on the line to actually talk to. They pass you from machine to machine and it took over 2 weeks to get a replacement inverter when it failed once. I dreaded calling their support line. #3 Enphase's multiple redundancies compared to other brands single system and built-in inverter. #4 the Enphase system unlike Tesla's, is split into smaller Battery Banks and each bank has 4 inverters for High Availability. Lastly the panels, I was going with Maxeon panels but I felt that the better bang for buck was with Meyer-Bergers, plus the promotional discount SolarTech offered was the way to go. I have a piece of mind now knowing that I am not reliant on HECO's service as much and won't have to worry during those terrible frequent outages. It feels great to contribute to a greener planet while enjoying the financial benefits. Highly recommend this SolarTech's service to anyone considering solar energy! I highly recommend giving Julian R. a call at SolarTech.
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Chang, over 1 month
Absolutely thrilled with my recent solar panel and battery installation by SolarTech! From start to finish, the process was seamless. The team was incredibly knowledgeable and took the time to explain every step, ensuring I felt confident in my choices. After getting quotes from several companies on Oahu, I chose to go with SolarTech since a couple of co-workers recommended them ah they did business with this company. Julian R. was my sales associate, and he held a lengthy professional presentation/meeting with my family and myself and answered every question I had. He gave me an up-front proposal with full cost, savings and ROI. He also gave me multiple options for several different brands of panels and battery systems and six different price ranges from low to high. I was never pressured into any specific brand or system. Also, I felt Julian R. of SolarTech was the most personable sales associate of all the companies I was looking at, for example he din't just take look at our electric bill, he asked what are our needs, what appliances we run, what will we run, what did we want to get out of the battery system, and what kind of uptime do we expect to have. Julian always made time for anything I needed or any questions I had. I appreciate the entire team who helped on this project. From sales to technicians, I have to send shout out everyone they were all super friendly and helpful. Further I appreciate how fast this was done. I signed the contract on September 4 and as soon as the building permit posted just yesterday, and the job was completed today. I also appreciate the attention to detail and customer support I received. I never had to leave a message because Brandi A. (project manager) and Jelly B. (project scheduler) answered every call and question. Even during the install all the technicians and electricians were super personable and friendly, they talked story with me and answered any questions I had. Ikaika (electrician) even offered to pick up our dog's "poo". Lane one of the teams technician was experienced and took the time to scope and plan everything out. SolarTech doesn't mess around there was about 15 guys here on the job and they treated my house and property like it was their own. I appreciate that. The particular system I chose was a 20kw system Meyer-Burger panels with an Enphase battery system. I chose Enphase over all other brands mainly Tesla because #1 the Warranty of 15 years instead of 10 on other systems. #2 the support for Enphase because my last system was Tesla solar panels and I can't give Tesla support any positive marks. When my Tesla system broke it took multiple calls over an hour to get someone on the line to actually talk to. They pass you from machine to machine and it took over 2 weeks to get a replacement inverter when it failed once. I dreaded calling their support line. #3 Enphase's multiple redundancies compared to other brands single system and built-in inverter. #4 the Enphase system unlike Tesla's, is split into smaller Battery Banks and each bank has 4 inverters for High Availability. Lastly the panels, I was going with Maxeon panels but I felt that the better bang for buck was with Meyer-Bergers, plus the promotional discount SolarTech offered was the way to go. I have a piece of mind now knowing that I am not reliant on HECO's service as much and won't have to worry during those terrible frequent outages. It feels great to contribute to a greener planet while enjoying the financial benefits. Highly recommend this SolarTech's service to anyone considering solar energy! I highly recommend giving Julian R. a call at SolarTech.
4.06 3 Reviews
Anonymous, over 1 month
Our sales person Tobey was great and took care of things from day one. Everything was smooth and speedy installation. I strongly recommend Tobey to help you with your purchase of solar power.
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Anonymous, over 1 month
Our sales person Tobey was great and took care of things from day one. Everything was smooth and speedy installation. I strongly recommend Tobey to help you with your purchase of solar power.