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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.
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.