Solar panels in New Brunswick

Q: How many solar panels do I need in New Brunswick?

About 23 panels for a home using 10,800 kWh a year. Each 400W panel produces roughly 482 kWh annually at New Brunswick sunlight levels. Your own figure depends on actual usage — pull a year of bills rather than assuming average consumption, since heating and EV charging change it a lot.

Q: How much do solar panels cost in New Brunswick?

A 9.2 kW system runs about CA$26,220 before incentives, or roughly CA$2.85 per watt installed. Quotes vary widely by installer, roof complexity and whether your electrical panel needs upgrading — get three before deciding.

Roofs across New Brunswick get about 1,419 hours of usable sunlight a year, and electricity costs 13.4¢/kWh. That combination puts a typical system's payback at 18 years. Here's the detail, from real rooftop data across 4 New Brunswick cities.

1,419Sun hours / yr

13.4¢Per kWh

23Panels typical

18 yrPayback

Solar is a slow payback in New Brunswick. At 18 years, mostly because electricity here costs 13.4¢/kWh, this only makes sense as a long-horizon decision or with local incentives. Check the numbers hard.

Check your own roof in New Brunswick → These are regional figures; your roof's size, pitch and shading move them a lot.

How New Brunswick compares

New Brunswick gets more sunlight than 35% of the cities we measure, and its electricity costs more than 29% of states and provinces. Both matter, but not equally: the electricity rate usually matters more, because solar saves money by replacing power you would otherwise buy. A sunny state with cheap power often pays back slower than a cloudy state with expensive power. Why that happens →

Solar by city in New Brunswick

City	Sun hrs/yr	Panels	Net cost	Payback
Moncton	1,441	23	CA$26,220	17.9 yrs
Bathurst	1,419	23	CA$26,220	18 yrs
Fredericton	1,413	23	CA$26,220	18 yrs
Edmundston	1,391	23	CA$26,220	18.1 yrs

What a system costs in New Brunswick

System	Size	kWh/yr	Net cost	Saves/yr	Payback
8 panels	3.2 kW	3,860	CA$9,120	CA$517	17.6 yrs
12 panels	4.8 kW	5,790	CA$13,680	CA$776	17.6 yrs
16 panels	6.4 kW	7,719	CA$18,240	CA$1,034	17.6 yrs
20 panels	8 kW	9,649	CA$22,800	CA$1,293	17.6 yrs
26 panels	10.4 kW	12,544	CA$29,640	CA$1,506	19.7 yrs

Payback stops improving as systems grow, then gets worse. You can only save on electricity you were going to buy, so once a system covers your usage the extra panels mostly export at a lower rate.

New Brunswick solar incentives

The 30% US federal tax credit does not apply in Canada, and the figures on this page exclude it. Canadian support comes through federal programmes such as the Canada Greener Homes Loan plus provincial and utility schemes, which vary and change — check current New Brunswick programmes directly rather than trusting a figure on a website.

Check your net metering rules. What your utility credits you for exported power drives your return more than most rebates do, and it differs by utility.

New Brunswick solar questions

Is solar worth it in New Brunswick?

At 13.4¢/kWh and 1,419 usable sun hours, a typical New Brunswick system pays back in about 18 years and returns roughly CA$10,208 across a 25-year panel life. That is slower than average, so compare at least three quotes before committing. Individual cities in New Brunswick vary widely around this average.

How many solar panels do I need in New Brunswick?

About 23 panels for a home using 10,800 kWh a year. Each 400W panel produces roughly 482 kWh annually at New Brunswick sunlight levels. Your own figure depends on actual usage — pull a year of bills rather than assuming average consumption, since heating and EV charging change it a lot.

How much do solar panels cost in New Brunswick?

A 9.2 kW system runs about CA$26,220 before incentives, or roughly CA$2.85 per watt installed. Quotes vary widely by installer, roof complexity and whether your electrical panel needs upgrading — get three before deciding.

Worth reading before you buy

What your utility pays for exportsChanges payback more than any equipment choice 12 questions to ask before signingIdentical systems vary 30–40% in price How long do panels last?Guide How long until it pays for itself?Guide

Regional estimates generated 2026-08-22 from Google Solar API rooftop samples across 4 New Brunswick cities, and average New Brunswick electricity rates. Not a quote and not financial or tax advice.