HomeCostMage
Home improvement cost guides
HomeCostMage publishes United States national modelled cost benchmarks for ten certified home-project questions. Figures keep the source year they came from. They are not 2026 contractor quotes, not Slovenia or Europe prices, and not a bid.
Solar pages use DOE / NREL 2024 dollars. Water-heating, HVAC, panel, and attic pages use NREL REMDB 2023 dollars. Each guide keeps its own equation, bounds, and planning notes.
Certified guides
Solar
DOE 2024-dollar PV-only rates and the 8 kW whole-system example.
- Solar panel installation cost · 2024 USD · Solar · project total
- Solar panel cost per watt · 2024 USD · Solar · unit rate
Water heating
Separate NREL REMDB 2023 equations for electric storage, heat-pump tanks, and gas tankless units.
- Electric storage water heater replacement cost · 2023 USD · Water heaters · electric storage
- Heat pump water heater cost · 2023 USD · Water heaters · heat-pump tank
- Tankless gas water heater cost · 2023 USD · Water heaters · tankless gas
Space heating and cooling
Like-for-like central air, ducted heat pump, and gas furnace retrofit models.
- Central air conditioner installation cost · 2023 USD · HVAC · cooling only
- Central heat pump installation cost · 2023 USD · HVAC · ducted heat pump
- Gas furnace replacement cost · 2023 USD · HVAC · gas furnace
Electrical service
A 200A panel intercept only. Not a 100A or 400A service-drop upgrade.
- 200-amp electrical panel upgrade cost · 2023 USD · Electrical · 200A panel
Attic insulation
Unfinished-attic loose-fill dollars per square foot. Area is yours to supply.
- Attic insulation cost per square foot · 2023 USD · Insulation · per square foot