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Run the solar numbers yourself.
Installer quotes are built to close a sale. These calculators show payback, system size, financing cost, and battery economics with the unflattering parts left in — degradation, round-trip losses, and dealer fees included.
Open the Solar Payback Calculator →Tools
- Solar Payback CalculatorHow many years until panels pay for themselves — with degradation, rate inflation, and the tax credit.
- Solar System Size CalculatorThe system size, panel count, and roof space you need to offset your actual electricity use.
- Solar Loan vs Cash CalculatorPaying cash vs financing — what the loan really costs and whether it still beats your utility bill.
- Home Battery Payback CalculatorWhether a battery pays back on time-of-use arbitrage — and what backup power is really worth.
- EV Charging Cost CalculatorWhat it costs to charge at home, on public chargers, or off your own solar production.
Guides
- How to Read a Solar Quote (and Spot the Dealer Fee)The single question that reveals a hidden financing fee — plus every line on a proposal worth checking.
- Net Metering Explained (and Why It Decides Your Payback)What your utility pays for exported power varies enormously — and it has been getting worse. Here is what to check.
- What Solar Should Cost in 2026Cost per watt, what drives it, and how to tell a fair quote from an inflated one.
Is solar worth it in your state?
Payback is decided almost entirely by two things: what you pay for electricity and how much sun you get. Both vary hugely by state.
- Is solar worth it in Alabama? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Alaska? 24¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Arizona? 14¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Arkansas? 12¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in California? 30¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Colorado? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Connecticut? 28¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Delaware? 17¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Florida? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Georgia? 14¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Hawaii? 42¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Idaho? 11¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Illinois? 16¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Indiana? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Iowa? 13¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Kansas? 14¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Kentucky? 13¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Louisiana? 12¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Maine? 23¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Maryland? 17¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Massachusetts? 30¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Michigan? 19¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Minnesota? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Mississippi? 13¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Missouri? 13¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Montana? 12¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Nebraska? 11¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Nevada? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in New Hampshire? 23¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in New Jersey? 19¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in New Mexico? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in New York? 24¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in North Carolina? 13¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in North Dakota? 11¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Ohio? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Oklahoma? 12¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Oregon? 12¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Pennsylvania? 18¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Rhode Island? 27¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in South Carolina? 14¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in South Dakota? 13¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Tennessee? 12¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Texas? 15¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Utah? 11¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Vermont? 21¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Virginia? 14¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Washington? 11¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in West Virginia? 14¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Wisconsin? 17¢/kWh
- Is solar worth it in Wyoming? 12¢/kWh
What installer quotes tend to leave out
A solar proposal is usually built around one number: the monthly payment versus your current bill. That framing quietly omits several things that decide whether the system is actually a good deal.
- Panel degradation. Output drops around half a percent a year, so year-25 production is meaningfully below year one.
- Dealer fees. A headline 0.99% loan rate frequently hides an origination fee of 15–30% folded into the financed amount.
- Rate-increase assumptions. Projections often assume aggressive utility inflation, because it makes lifetime savings look enormous.
- Net-metering rules. What your utility pays for exported power varies hugely, and it has been getting worse in several states.
None of that means solar is a bad investment — in high-rate, high-sun areas it is often an excellent one. It means the honest version of the math is worth doing before you sign a twenty-year agreement.