Solar is a 25-year investment. Whether it's worth it comes down to your system cost after incentives, your electric rates, and how much sun you get. Here's how to decide.
Around $2.50–$3.50 per watt installed, before incentives — then the 30% federal tax credit takes a big bite. Estimate yours after the credit in the solar cost calculator.
The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit cuts 30% off your system cost (including qualifying batteries) right off your tax bill. See it in the tax credit calculator.
The number that matters is payback — how many years of avoided electric bills repay your net cost, usually 7–12 years. After that, the power is essentially free, and rising utility rates widen the savings. Run it in the savings calculator.
The right system covers your actual usage given your local sun hours — cloudier regions need more panels for the same bill. Size it with the system size calculator.