☀️ 2026 Solar Payback Estimator

How fast does solar pay for itself?

Enter your monthly power bill and pick your state. We'll show your system size, install cost, and the year you break even — with real 2026 numbers, not the expired 30% tax-credit math you'll see everywhere else.

1Your power bill

2How you'll pay & rate outlook

U.S. power prices have climbed roughly 4% a year. The faster your utility raises rates, the faster solar pays off.
Solar pays for itself in
years
Est. system sizeto cover your yearly usage
0 kW
Est. installed costat $2.75/watt, no federal credit
$0
Year-1 savings
$0 /yr
25-year net savingsafter paying off the system
$0

Get your exact solar payback numbers

We'll price a real system for your roof and bill — free, no pressure.

✓ Thanks! A Higher Power Solar advisor will reach out with your custom payback breakdown.
Estimates are for planning only and depend on your real roof, shade, usage, and utility rate. The 30% federal tax credit (Section 25D) expired Dec 31, 2025 for purchased systems, so these numbers do not subtract a federal credit. Prefer to talk now? Call (941) 830-4937.

How this solar payback is calculated

We start with your bill. At your state's power rate, your bill tells us how many kilowatt-hours you burn each year. We size a system to cover that usage (using local sun-hours and an 80% real-world derate), price it at $2.75 per watt installed, and compare that cost to what you'd otherwise pay the utility over 25 years — with your panels degrading about 0.5% a year and power rates climbing at the rate you set. Payback is simply the install cost divided by your first-year savings. Because Florida power is cheap and California power is expensive, the exact same bill pays off far faster in California than in Florida — the tool shows you your number.

Is solar worth it in Florida in 2026?
For most Florida homes, yes — just with a longer payback than sunnier-priced states. Florida power is cheap (about 16¢/kWh), so a system typically pays for itself in roughly 10–13 years and then delivers 12+ more years of nearly-free power. Florida also gives solar a 100% property-tax exemption (adding panels won't raise your property taxes) and no 6% sales tax on the system, plus 1:1 net metering so every kWh you export cancels one you pull. Run your own bill above to see your exact payback year.
Did the solar tax credit end?
Yes — for people who buy their system. The 30% federal residential credit (Section 25D) expired December 31, 2025, so cash and loan buyers in 2026 no longer get a 30% federal credit, and this calculator does not subtract one. State perks are unchanged: Florida's property- and sales-tax exemptions and net metering, California's NEM 3.0 and SGIP battery rebate, and Nevada's net metering all still apply. The one 2026 way to still capture a federal credit is a solar lease or PPA, where the installer owns the system and passes the commercial (48E) credit through as a lower rate.
How is my solar payback figured out?
Install cost ÷ first-year savings = simple payback in years. Your first-year savings is basically your current annual power bill, because a right-sized system offsets your usage. We then project 25 years of savings — trimming production about 0.5% a year for panel aging and growing the value of each kWh by your rate-increase setting — and subtract the install cost to get your 25-year net savings.
Cash, loan, or lease — which is best in 2026?
Cash gives the fastest payback and the most lifetime savings — you own every free kWh after break-even. A $0-down loan spreads the cost so your monthly payment often replaces most of your old power bill from day one; lifetime savings are similar, the timing just shifts. A lease or PPA is the only 2026 path that still captures a federal tax credit (the installer keeps ownership and the credit, passing you a lower rate) — less total savings, but nothing out of pocket. See our financing options →