The Original Zillow Number
Zillow’s 2019 study found that homes with solar panels sold for 4.1% more than comparable homes without them, an average premium of roughly $10,000. That figure has circulated widely in the years since, often cited without its date attached, which matters because a newer, larger study has since found a bigger premium.
The 2025 Study That Nearly Doubled It
SolarReviews’ 2025 analysis compared more than 400 homes with and without solar, matched on sale date within 180 days, size within 200 square feet, and location within half a mile of each other, across 36 states and 62 cities. The result: solar homes sold for 6.9% more, roughly $25,000 higher, close to $29,000 for median-valued homes. That is not a small revision upward from Zillow’s 4.1%, it is close to a 70% increase in the size of the documented premium over six years.
Why the 6.9% Figure Belongs to SolarReviews, Not Zillow
SolarReviews describes its own 2025 study as replicating Zillow’s original methodology, using Zillow-sourced comparable-sales data as part of its analysis, a study built on Zillow’s data foundation, not a Zillow-authored finding. That distinction matters for how the 6.9% number should be cited: as a 2025 SolarReviews study, not as “Zillow found.” Framed that way, the honest reading of both figures together is that solar’s resale premium has grown, not just been re-measured the same way twice: 4.1% in 2019, 6.9% in 2025, from two different publishers using related but distinct methodologies.
The Numbers
Zillow’s 2019 study found homes with solar sold for 4.1% more than comparable homes without it, roughly $10,000 higher on average.
The Cool Down, reporting Zillow’s 2019 solar home value study
A 2025 SolarReviews study of more than 400 homes across 36 states and 62 cities, matched on sale date, size, and location, found solar homes sold for 6.9% more, roughly $25,000 higher (close to $29,000 for median-valued homes).
The 6.9% figure should be attributed to the 2025 SolarReviews study, which describes itself as replicating Zillow’s original methodology using Zillow-sourced data, not to Zillow directly.
Sources
The external data in this article draws on the sources below. Figures described in the text as estimates or industry triangulations are directional and are not attributed to a single dataset.
- The Cool Down, reporting Zillow’s 2019 solar home value study
- SolarReviews, Homes With Solar Sell for 6.9% More