Ann Arbor particulars
Ann Arbor's Building, Rental and Inspection Services runs an expedited path for residential solar that needs only an electrical permit. Its 2020 checklist says the city doesn't charge line-item solar fees, application fees or plan review on that path. The 2020 fee sheet matches: "Solar Panels per set of 3 panels $0," with a $35.00 inspection where one applies. Both papers are six years old. Turnaround is printed as 3 to 5 business days for expedited residential work and 5 to 10 for the rest.
A non-expedited job adds a building permit: a $15 application, $37.50 to $100 for plan review and a $150 to $400 permit by project cost. Its number, per the city's page, is 734-794-6263. NREL named Ann Arbor on November 30, 2022 as one of 12 communities picked for Step 2 of the SolarAPP+ Prize, but whether the city went live on SolarAPP+ isn't stated, so ask the office. The MPSC map shows DTE Electric as the utility here; check your address with DTE.
The city's undated Solarize FAQ puts the southeast Michigan average at about $3.13 per watt, within $2.70 to $3.80. It also describes a federal credit the IRS says isn't available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Divide a quote's total by its watts and set that beside the FAQ's range.
Solar battery storage in Ann Arbor: what to know
The battery must meet DTE's certification and interconnection requirements, come with spec sheets, and be set to the import-only, export-only or no-exchange mode named in the application. Confirm DTE serves your address.
Ann Arbor's 2020 checklist and fee sheet cover solar panels and don't mention batteries, so ask Building, Rental and Inspection Services (734-794-6263, per the city's page) what a battery needs.
Permits for solar battery storage in Ann Arbor
The 2023 National Electrical Code has been Michigan's electrical code since March 12, 2024, and LARA sends residential requirements to the Michigan Residential Code.
When to call 911 and when it can wait
- Smoke, a burning smell or fire at a battery, inverter, panels or wiring is a 911 call. Leave the equipment alone.
- The neighborhood is out of power and your panels with no battery are off, which is how grid-tied inverters are built to behave.
What to settle before you buy
Try this first: ask the installer to attach the battery's spec sheets to the quote so you can see what the DTE application will include.
- Decide what you want backup power for: a few circuits or the whole house.
- Ask whether the battery is priced inside or on top of the solar quote.
- Get the capacity in kWh, the warranty and the make and model in writing.
- Look up the company's electrical contractor license number with LARA.
What solar battery storage costs
The estimate below is the Michigan-wide one, adjusted for Michigan wages and not for Ann Arbor in particular. The same table is on the solar battery storage page. How we estimate costs. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $6,550 to $14,800 per home battery (about 10 to 13.5 kWh) installed, before any incentive | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Michigan solar installer wage ratio (0.87). Before any incentive: there is no federal credit for a system installed in 2026. |
| Solar photovoltaic installer wage, Michigan mean | $24.29 an hour | What installers are paid (BLS OEWS May 2025), not what you are charged. Only 310 people are in the Michigan estimate. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row comes out of a model, so treat it as a planning figure and never as a quote. It takes 2 published national ranges for this job (cost guides from third-party sites that we haven't verified and don't cite) and multiplies them by Michigan's solar installer wage ratio to the US (0.87, BLS May 2025). The range is before any incentive: the federal residential clean energy credit does not apply to systems installed after December 31, 2025. The wage and permit rows are what installers are paid and what the city charges, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes, and too few Michigan installers publish prices to show a range. Full method.
Questions about solar battery storage
Will my solar panels work in a Michigan power outage?
Not without a battery, because grid-tied inverters shut off in an outage. The MPSC's consumer tips say backup power needs a battery.
Is there a tax credit or rebate for a home battery in Michigan?
Not a federal one for a battery finished in 2026. The Residential Clean Energy Credit ended for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, and installation completion is what counts.
Does a battery let me go off the grid?
Consumers Energy warns against claims that you can be independent of the grid, and says customers still have a bill for fixed charges.