Balcony solar in Salt Lake City
800 W of panels on a south-facing balcony railing in Salt Lake City produce about 790 kWh a year and save about $54.
Output by orientation and mounting
Yearly output with 800 W of panels and the inverter limited to 800 W.
| Panels face | On the railing (vertical) | Tilted at 30° |
|---|---|---|
| East | 600 kWh | 990 kWh |
| South-east | 770 kWh | 1,150 kWh |
| South | 790 kWh | 1,210 kWh |
| South-west | 750 kWh | 1,140 kWh |
| West | 570 kWh | 960 kWh |
Output by month
Show as a table
| Month | Railing (vertical) | Tilted at 30° |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79 kWh | 72 kWh |
| Feb | 70 kWh | 75 kWh |
| Mar | 80 kWh | 110 kWh |
| Apr | 62 kWh | 110 kWh |
| May | 52 kWh | 120 kWh |
| Jun | 43 kWh | 140 kWh |
| Jul | 45 kWh | 120 kWh |
| Aug | 59 kWh | 120 kWh |
| Sep | 69 kWh | 100 kWh |
| Oct | 92 kWh | 100 kWh |
| Nov | 75 kWh | 73 kWh |
| Dec | 67 kWh | 60 kWh |
Savings and payback
At $0.1325 per kWh you save about $54 in the first year. A kit costing $1,300 pays back in about 24.3 years.
- Electricity price: $0.1325 per kWh (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2025-09..2026-08). Source
- Assumes a constant base load of 150 W, so 51% of the output is used at home.
- Power sent to the grid is not paid for.
Rules
Utah
In effect since May 7, 2025
Up to 1,200 W of inverter output.
- Certified by UL or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory, meets the current National Electrical Code and cannot energize the building's wiring during a power outage.
- No notification to the utility is needed.
Last verified: October 31, 2026
Nearby cities
- West Valley City 810 kWh a year · 7 mi
- West Jordan 810 kWh a year · 11 mi
- Sandy 810 kWh a year · 12 mi
- Orem 830 kWh a year · 34 mi
- Provo 810 kWh a year · 38 mi
Data sources
- Solar data: PVGIS-NSRDB, PVGIS 5.2, 2011–2015.
- Electricity price: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2025-09..2026-08.
- Last verified: October 31, 2026
- How we calculate