Background
#Solar panels for a single-family house in Switzerland cost around CHF 19,800 for a typical 8 kWp system (kilowatt peak, the rated output of the panels), including installation and VAT.
After the federal one-off payment (Einmalvergütung) of CHF 2,880, around CHF 16,900 remain. These figures come from the reference curve the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) derived from 1,686 quotes and invoices from 2025: CHF 1,628 per kilowatt plus CHF 5,278, excluding VAT. The panels themselves are the smaller part of the bill; in small rooftop systems, labour costs more than three times as much.
The curve describes the middle of the market, not your roof: the middle half of systems from 2 to 10 kW cost between CHF 2,096 and 3,114 per kilowatt. A battery, roof renovation, structural reinforcement and a new meter cabinet come on top. The table and calculator below show what your system size costs and after how many years it pays for itself at your electricity price. After that, compare every quote item by item.
For your roof
What does a system on your roof cost?
With your address we calculate price range, incentives and payback for your roof from federal data. We email the report straight away.
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What does each system size cost?
#| Capacity | Module area | Cost incl. VAT | One-off payment | After incentive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| about 22 m² | CHF 14,500 | −CHF 1,800 | CHF 12,700 | |
| about 35 m² | CHF 19,800 | −CHF 2,880 | CHF 16,900 | |
| about 43 m² | CHF 23,300 | −CHF 3,600 | CHF 19,700 | |
| about 65 m² | CHF 32,100 | −CHF 5,400 | CHF 26,700 | |
| about 87 m² | CHF 40,900 | −CHF 7,200 | CHF 33,700 |
What drives the price
#A system gets cheaper per kilowatt with every size step, because part of the cost is fixed. The reference curve of the SFOE study splits the price into CHF 1,628 per kilowatt and a base of CHF 5,278 that every system carries regardless of size (excl. VAT, range 2 to 75 kW). At 5 kWp this base accounts for around 39 percent of the cost, at 15 kWp around 18 percent. Covering more of the roof costs more in total but less per kilowatt.
The panels themselves are the smaller part of the bill. In rooftop systems of 2 to 10 kW they cost a median of CHF 235 per kilowatt excluding VAT in 2025, around 10 percent of the total. The largest block is labour at CHF 821 per kilowatt (37 percent), followed by site safety – fall protection, roof access and lifting equipment – at CHF 371 (14 percent). Inverter, mounting system, electrical material, planning and logistics share the rest. Only in large systems does the panel share rise to almost 28 percent. A cheaper panel therefore barely changes the price of a house system; roof shape, access and installation effort matter more.
The median per size class is the second official figure – and for an 8 kW roof it is higher than the curve. The study gives for rooftop systems excluding VAT: 2–10 kW CHF 2,497 per kW (408 systems), 10–30 kW CHF 1,911 (907 systems), 30–100 kW CHF 1,428, 100–300 kW CHF 1,102. The class median covers the whole class, in which small systems are considerably more expensive per kilowatt. That is why 8 × 2,497 = CHF 19,976, while the reference curve for exactly 8 kW gives CHF 18,302 excluding VAT. For a specific size, the curve is the better benchmark.
The spread is wide: a quarter of systems lie above the upper quartile. In the 2–10 kW class, the middle half of systems cost between CHF 2,096 and 3,114 per kW, in the 10–30 kW class between CHF 1,659 and 2,237. A quote well above the upper value deserves a question about the reason – a complex roof, scaffolding, a battery or electrical work can provide it; a quote far below deserves the same question.
Per square metre, a system costs just under CHF 600 of module area including VAT. According to the SFOE study, the median efficiency of modules installed in 2025 was 23.1 percent; one kilowatt therefore needs around 4.3 m² of module area. 30 m² correspond to around 6.9 kWp and, on the reference curve, around CHF 17,900 including VAT, around CHF 15,400 after the one-off payment. The roof area used is larger because clearances to roof edges, chimney and windows are added. Compare quotes in francs per kWp, not per square metre of roof.
The roof type moves the price measurably. According to the SFOE study, systems on pitched trapezoidal sheet roofs fixed directly to the sheet are the cheapest; tiled roofs cost somewhat more because mounting and fastening are more complex. On green roofs, systems of 10 to 30 kW were 24 percent above the median of their class. Integrated systems showed no significant premium in 2025, but the study does not capture their substructure and sheet-metal work. Between string inverters and optimisers the difference below 30 kW was less than 5 percent.
The canton accounts for several hundred francs per kilowatt. For systems of 10 to 30 kW, the cantonal medians in 2025 ranged from CHF 1,622 to 2,245 per kW excluding VAT; only cantons with more than ten data sets are shown (Figure 17 of the study). For a 15 kW system this range corresponds to around CHF 9,300.
Which extras are outside the basic PV benchmark? Check these items separately in the quote: roof renovation, structural reinforcement, upgrades to existing electrical cabinets, external planning and storage. The SFOE study separates these from PV system costs. Record each item as included, separately priced or unresolved. A missing amount does not mean the work is free.
Since 1 April 2025 the federal one-off payment (Einmalvergütung) is a pure capacity contribution; the basic contribution has been set to zero. According to Annex 2.1 of the Energy Promotion Ordinance, systems below 30 kW receive CHF 360 per kW (mounted, free-standing) or CHF 400 per kW (integrated), 30 to below 100 kW CHF 300 or 330, and from 100 kW CHF 250. Systems without self-consumption below 150 kW receive CHF 450 per kW under the high one-off payment; systems tilted 75 degrees or more get a bonus of CHF 200 (mounted) or 400 (integrated) per kW. A battery does not count towards the one-off payment.
According to the SFOE study, a battery costs CHF 432 per kWh plus a base amount of CHF 2,122, excluding VAT. A 10 kWh battery therefore comes to around CHF 7,000 including VAT when installed together with the system; it then shares planning, logistics and administration with the solar installation. Median prices in 2025 were CHF 686 per kWh for batteries below 10 kWh and CHF 504 for 20 to 30 kWh. Whether it pays off depends on the consumption profile and the gap between electricity and feed-in prices.
Solar power you use yourself is worth roughly three and a half times as much as power you feed in. According to ElCom, a typical household pays a median of 26.5 centimes per kilowatt-hour in 2027, 1.2 centimes less than in 2026. Self-consumption only saves the energy price; fixed and metering fees remain. In the 1,588 municipalities whose ElCom tariffs we analysed – German-speaking Switzerland, Fribourg and Valais – this energy price has a 2027 median of 21.8 centimes. Without another agreement, feed-in is paid at the quarterly SFOE reference market price, but at least 6 centimes for systems below 30 kW; in 2025 this reference price for solar power ranged from 2.8 to 10.4 centimes depending on the quarter.
In the 8 kWp example, the system has paid for itself after around 16 to 21 years. At 950 kWh per kWp – the value the former cost-covering feed-in tariff assumed for good systems; measured averages from 2009 to 2021 were 937 to 1,037 kWh – it produces around 7,600 kWh a year. If you use 30 percent yourself at 21.8 centimes and feed in the rest at 6 centimes, that brings around CHF 820 a year; the CHF 16,900 after incentives are recovered after around 21 years. With 50 percent self-consumption, which EnergieSchweiz considers achievable with a managed heat pump and an electric car, it is around 16 years, as it is with a 10-centime feed-in payment. For funding large systems, the Confederation assumes a service life of 30 years for modules and 15 years for inverters. Interest, maintenance, inverter replacement and a tax deduction are not included in this simple calculation.
Until the end of 2028, a system on an existing building is tax-deductible. Under Art. 1 of the federal ordinance on property costs, investments in the use of renewable energy in existing buildings are deductible; only what you bear yourself can be deducted, i.e. the cost after the one-off payment. If the costs exceed your income, the remainder can be carried forward to the two following tax periods. For new buildings, the costs count as non-deductible investment costs; many cantons draw the line at five years, but not uniformly. From 1 January 2029, with the abolition of the imputed rental value, the federal deduction for owner-occupied homes ends; cantons may keep deductions for energy-saving measures for a limited period.
The price trend does not favour waiting. After the price rise in 2022/2023, costs fell by more than 20 percent in 2024 and by a further 4 to 9 percent in 2025; almost all size classes are below the previous low of 2020. For 2026 the study expects stabilisation, because quotes did not fall further in the second half of 2025. The forecast is not a price guarantee.
Tax deduction by canton
#Where the canton, municipality or grid operator sets its own rules, responsibilities or amounts, you will find the details for your canton here.
- AargauPV tax deduction Aargau
- Basel-LandschaftPV tax deduction Basel-Landschaft
- Basel-StadtPV tax deduction Basel-Stadt
- BernPV tax deduction Bern
- LuzernPV tax deduction Lucerne
- SolothurnPV tax deduction Solothurn
- St. GallenPV tax deduction St. Gallen
- ThurgauPV tax deduction Thurgau
- ZugPV tax deduction Zug
- ZürichPV tax deduction Zurich
The process in five steps
#Tick off for your project
Determine the size
derive the capacity in kWp from roof area and electricity use – sonnendach.ch shows your roof’s potential. The table and calculator above give the guide price from the SFOE reference curve, including VAT and before incentives.
Deduct incentives
calculate the federal one-off payment without obligation with the Pronovo tariff calculator (below 30 kW: CHF 360 per kW mounted, 400 integrated), check cantonal and municipal programmes via energiefranken.ch and clarify the tax deduction for systems on existing buildings in your canton.
Obtain three quotes on the same basis
same capacity, comparable components, all eight cost blocks visible – including scaffolding, electrical work, grid registration and commissioning. Have the battery and wallbox listed as separate items so that the pure PV price remains comparable.
Read quotes against the statistics
is the price per kilowatt within the quartile range of your size class? Have deviations upwards and downwards explained. The free Solar-Offerte-Check by EnergieSchweiz provides an independent assessment.
Calculate over the lifetime, not just the purchase price
enter your grid operator’s energy price and feed-in payment in the calculator, plan for an inverter replacement and use the net investment after incentives and tax deduction. Only then does it become clear whether a larger system or a battery is economical.
Checked for your roof, not just read up on
What does a system on your roof cost?
With your address we calculate price range, incentives and payback for your roof from federal data. We email the report straight away.
Free and non-binding · no unsolicited calls
Rather talk directly? +41 78 615 90 58
Frequently asked questions
#Sources
#The responsible authorities are decisive. Always verify binding details – amounts, deadlines and conditions – for your specific property against the current status of the respective authority.