The first year without the credit
Does solar still pay for itself on your roof?
What your roof would produce from NREL's own data, what it pays back at your real electricity price with the federal credit at zero, and how a lease differs from a loan. Nobody contacts you unless you choose them.
No sign-up. Your answers stay on this device.
Solar Check · about 1 minute
Tell us about your roof and your bill, then pick your next step.
No sign-up. Your answers are saved only on this device, and every tool on the site reuses them.
How it works
- 1
Answer a few questions
About a minute. Your answers stay on this device.
- 2
See what fits
The realistic options, what each involves, and the catch.
- 3
Choose the next step
Do it yourself, use a free resource, or pick who may contact you.
Every option, honestly
Least commitment first. With the catch spelled out.
| Option | Good when | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel the contract you just signed | Someone came to your door and you signed, and you'd rather not have. | Three business days federally, and several states give solar contracts their own longer window. Send it in writing. |
| Cut the usage before you size a system | Always, and especially if the bill is high because the house leaks heat. | A system sized to a wasteful house is a bigger system than you need, sold at a bigger price. |
| Run the real numbers for your roof | Before you talk to anyone, and again after the first quote arrives. | Any payback figure that still counts a 30% federal credit is wrong for a 2026 purchase. |
| Buy a system from an installer you choose | The numbers work on your roof, at your rate, without a credit. | Compare cash, loan, lease and PPA on the same system before you compare installers, and never sign at the door. |
Tools
Run the numbers yourself
Will solar pay for itself on your roof?
Production from NREL's model, at your real rate, with the federal credit shown at $0 and dated.
Open the tool →
How many panels do you need?
From what you actually use, the panel wattage available, and the production factor where you live.
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Solar cost estimator
Low, typical and high dollars per watt for your system size, roof complexity and state.
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Cash, loan, lease or PPA
The same system four ways over 25 years — escalators, dealer fees, who owns the tax benefit, and what happens when you sell.
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Net metering where you live
What your state actually credits you for power you export, and whether existing customers are grandfathered.
Open the tool →
Your right to cancel
The three business days the FTC gives you to cancel a contract signed at your home, what your state adds, and who to call for free.
Open the tool →
Topics
Start from your project
Still not sure which of these is you?
Answer a few short questions and the Solar Checkputs every option in order of fit — including the ones that cost nothing and involve nobody. You choose who, if anyone, ever contacts you.
No sign-up. Your answers stay on this device.