Free Calculator · Updated for 2026
Solar Panel Savings Calculator
See your real payback period and lifetime savings — sized to your state's sun, your utility rate, and 2026 installed-cost data. No signup, no email.
🏷️ Avg 2026 cost $2.50–$3.50/W
☀️ 51 states + D.C. of sun & rate data
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Heads up on the federal tax credit: the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) expired for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. This calculator models $0 federal credit for 2026 cash/loan purchases — the honest number, not the outdated 30% you'll still see quoted elsewhere. Leases/PPAs may indirectly benefit through a third-party commercial credit; state and utility incentives are still worth checking at
dsireusa.org.
Your home & system
Defaults are pre-filled with 2026 national averages — adjust anything you know.
Sets your electricity rate and average daily sun hours. Both are editable below.
Based on NREL solar-irradiance averages for your state. Shading or roof angle can shift this ±20%.
Budget ≈ $2.30/W · Standard ≈ $2.90/W · Premium (all-black, microinverters) ≈ $3.60/W+
Typical 10 kWh battery, installed ≈ $11,000–$14,000
Advanced assumptions
Federal credit is fixed at $0 (expired 2025). Look up your state's rebates, SRECs, or property-tax exemptions on DSIRE and enter the estimated dollar value here.
U.S. residential rates rose ~3–7.4% a year from 2023–2026. Higher inflation = solar pays off faster.
Wiring, inverter, heat & dust losses between rated and real-world output — typically 15–25%.
Your estimate
Updates instantly as you adjust the numbers.
System size
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Panels needed
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Total installed cost
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Net cost (after incentives)
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Payback period
– yrs
Time to earn back your net cost in avoided bills
Year-1 savings
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25-yr net savings
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25-year return on investment
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25-year cash flow
Cumulative cost so far
Cumulative net position
Year-1 production
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Monthly bill after solar
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Est. monthly loan payment
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CO₂ avoided / year
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Methodology & sources
- Installed cost, national cost-per-watt range ($2.50–$3.50, avg ≈$2.90/W) and residential panel-degradation rate (0.3–0.5%/yr) reflect 2026 market data reported across multiple solar-industry cost guides.
- The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D, 30%) expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — modeled here as $0 for new 2026 purchases, per current IRS guidance.
- State electricity rates use EIA Electric Power Monthly residential averages (2026). State peak-sun-hour figures are state-level annual averages derived from NREL solar-irradiance data; your actual site (roof angle, shading, orientation) will vary.
- Savings assume 1:1 retail net metering up to your usage — some utilities pay a lower rate for exported excess power, which would lower savings on oversized systems.
- This tool gives a planning estimate, not a quote. Get 2–3 quotes from licensed local installers and confirm current incentives at dsireusa.org before signing a contract.