# Guides URL: https://solarrealcost.com/learn 27 plain-language home solar guides from SolarRealCost, written from primary sources, each linked to a tool that runs your own numbers. Guides Every guide is written from primary sources, links to a tool that runs your own numbers, and is checked by a credentialed reviewer before it goes into search. ## Does solar still pay in 2026? [Topic page and tools](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay) * [![A low-angle view along a residential roof of dark solar panels catching the last warm light.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-install-solar-panels-cost.png)Start hereWhat solar costs to install, now that the credit has endedWhat a rooftop system costs in 2026, what moves the price per watt, and why every payback figure written before this year is now wrong.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/install-solar-panels-cost) * [![Sunlight raking across a dark solar panel surface at a shallow angle so the cell grid reads as texture.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-are-solar-panels-worth-it-now.png)GuideAre solar panels worth it in the first year without the credit?The honest 2026 arithmetic: production from NREL's own model, your real electricity rate, and the federal credit at zero. Sometimes yes, sometimes clearly not.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/are-solar-panels-worth-it-now) * [![Solar panels on a steep south-facing shingle roof catching low sunlight, with a gentler-pitched neighbouring roof in the background.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-best-angle-for-solar-panels.png)GuideBest angle for solar panels: tilt, direction and your roofThe best angle for solar panels is roughly your latitude, facing south, but on a house the roof pitch usually decides. What tilt and direction change.5 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/best-angle-for-solar-panels) * [![Four blank white paper folders laid in a row on a plain table in flat daylight.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-cash-loan-lease-or-ppa-explained.png)GuideCash, loan, lease or PPA: the four ways to pay for solarThe same array costs very different amounts depending on how you pay. Dealer fees, escalators, who owns the system, and what happens when you sell.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/cash-loan-lease-or-ppa-explained) * [![A rooftop solar array on a shingle roof under a heavy overcast sky, with soft diffuse light and a faint bright patch where the sun is behind the clouds.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-do-solar-panels-work-on-cloudy-days.png)GuideDo solar panels work on cloudy days? What the data showsDo solar panels work on cloudy days? Yes, at lower output. National-lab data for Seattle, Pittsburgh and Phoenix shows what clouds and winter cost a year.5 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/do-solar-panels-work-on-cloudy-days) * [![A quiet suburban street of houses at dusk, one with a rooftop solar array, seen from across the road.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-does-solar-increase-home-value.png)GuideDoes solar increase home value? What the studies foundDoes solar increase home value? Berkeley Lab found buyers paid more for homes with owned solar, about $4 per watt, but not for leased systems. The limits.5 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/does-solar-increase-home-value) * [![Two tilted rows of ground-mounted solar panels on steel posts in a grassy backyard, with a fence and a house behind, in evening light.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-ground-mounted-solar-panels.png)GuideGround mounted solar panels: when a yard array beats the roofGround mounted solar panels make sense when the roof is shaded, old or faces the wrong way. What a ground mount adds: footings, a trench, setbacks and permits.8 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/ground-mounted-solar-panels) * [![A residential rooftop solar array photographed in flat overcast light, one panel dusty and slightly out of alignment.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-how-long-do-solar-panels-last.png)GuideHow long do solar panels last, and what fails first?Panels degrade slowly and outlive their warranties. The inverter is usually the first real cost, and the roof underneath is the one people forget.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/how-long-do-solar-panels-last) * [![A two-story suburban house at dusk with lights on in several windows and a small solar array on the roof.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-how-many-kwh-does-a-house-use.png)GuideHow many kWh does a house use? EIA averages and your own numberHow many kWh does a house use? EIA puts the average U.S. home at 863 kWh a month in 2024, about 28 a day. State averages, reading your bills, and solar sizing.6 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/how-many-kwh-does-a-house-use) * [![A neat grid of dark solar panels on a plain shingle roof seen straight down from above.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-how-many-solar-panels-do-i-need.png)GuideHow many solar panels do you actually need?Work it out from your own annual usage before anyone tells you. The arithmetic, why panel count alone means nothing, and when a smaller array is better.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/how-many-solar-panels-do-i-need) * [![A residential rooftop solar panel in sharp focus with the house's electric meter below in soft focus, under a clear midday sky.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-how-much-energy-does-a-solar-panel-produce.png)GuideHow much energy does a solar panel produce, city by cityHow much energy does a solar panel produce? From national-lab PVWatts runs, a 400-watt panel makes about 435 kWh a year in Seattle and 702 in Phoenix.4 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/how-much-energy-does-a-solar-panel-produce) * [![A row of tilted solar panels on a south-facing shingle roof, seen side-on against a clear sky in low sun.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-pvwatts-calculator.png)GuidePVWatts calculator: what to enter and how to read the resultHow to use the PVWatts calculator for a home roof: what to type in each box, what the monthly and annual kWh mean, and what the estimate leaves out.8 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/pvwatts-calculator) * [![A wall-mounted home battery cabinet and a conduit run on a garage side wall below the eave, rooftop solar panels visible above in late warm light.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-battery-cost.png)GuideSolar battery cost in 2026: what a home battery addsSolar battery cost from 2025 install data: what a home battery adds to a solar quote, what sets the price, and why the federal credit for it is now $0.5 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-battery-cost) * [![Aerial view of a suburban street at sunset, with dark solar panels on the shingled roofs of several single-story houses among leafy trees.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-incentives-by-state.png)GuideSolar incentives by state: what's left in 2026 and how to find yoursSolar incentives by state after section 25D ended: the five kinds of state and utility programs left, how to look yours up in DSIRE, and how each changes payback.8 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-incentives-by-state) * [![A plain grey solar inverter mounted on a house's side wall next to the utility meter, with conduit running up to rooftop panels in late warm light.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-inverter.png)GuideSolar inverter: what it does, the types, and the costA solar inverter turns your panels' DC power into AC for the house. The main types, why it shuts off in an outage, and why to budget for replacing it.6 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-inverter) * [![A close view of a dark solar panel's cell grid and aluminium frame edge on a shingle roof, lit by low golden light.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-panel-efficiency.png)GuideSolar panel efficiency: what the number really tells youSolar panel efficiency explained: what the rating measures, the roughly 21% typical of home panels, why heat cuts it, and when paying more for it makes sense.6 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-panel-efficiency) * [![A shingled house roof at sunset with rows of black solar panels installed on one side, empty aluminum mounting rails running across the rest, and a ladder leaning against the gutter.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-panel-installation.png)GuideSolar panel installation: every step from contract to switch-onSolar panel installation, step by step: site visit, design, permit, install, inspection and utility approval, how long each took in NREL data, and when to switch on.8 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-panel-installation) * [![A closed front door seen from the porch, with an unmarked folder and pen on a small table and solar panels on a neighbouring roof in the background.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-panel-scams.png)GuideSolar panel scams: the pitches to spot and what to doSolar panel scams follow a few patterns: panels offered at no charge, fake officials, rushed tablet signatures. How to spot them, and what to do if you signed.5 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-panel-scams) * [![Two framed solar panels leaning upright against a garage's stucco side wall below a shingle roof edge, in warm late light.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-panel-size.png)GuideSolar panel size: how big panels are and what fitsSolar panel size explained: how wattage and efficiency set a panel's area, how much roof a typical 7.7 kW home system covers, and how to check your roof.4 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-panel-size) * [![A plain folder and pen on a kitchen table by a window, with a neighbouring roof's solar panels visible outside in late light.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-panel-warranty.png)GuideSolar panel warranty: what each one covers and what to askA solar panel warranty can be several. What to ask about panels, inverter, installation and roof, what the FTC says to check, and how fast panels wear.4 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-panel-warranty) * [![The edge of a residential rooftop solar array: aluminium rail and roof attachments on grey shingle, dark panel glass above in late warm light.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-panels-for-home.png)GuideSolar panels for home: what they are and if your house fitsSolar panels for home, explained: what a rooftop system is made of, why most go dark in a power cut, and the checks to run before any quote.6 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-panels-for-home) * [![A stack of solar panels on wooden blocks on the lawn beside a house whose new shingle roof has bare mounting rails and a ladder against the eave.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-solar-roof-replacement.png)GuideSolar roof replacement: redo the roof before the panelsSolar roof replacement: why an aging roof should be redone before or with solar, what DOE figures show for doing both at once, and what to ask if panels are up.4 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/solar-roof-replacement) * [![Aluminium mounting rail and stainless bolts laid out on grey asphalt shingle.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-what-a-solar-quote-must-show.png)GuideWhat a solar quote must show before you can judge itThe lines that belong on any solar proposal, the assumptions that quietly decide the payback, and the questions that produce real answers.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/what-a-solar-quote-must-show) * [![A half sun resting on a horizontal baseline, rays radiating upward.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-what-happened-to-the-federal-solar-credit.png)GuideWhat happened to the federal solar creditThe Residential Clean Energy Credit ended for property placed in service after 31 December 2025\. What that means for a 2026 purchase, and what still exists.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/what-happened-to-the-federal-solar-credit) * [![A residential electricity meter on a clapboard wall, dial face turned away and unreadable.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-what-your-utility-pays-for-exported-solar.png)GuideWhat your utility actually pays for the solar you exportExport credit can be worth a third of a system's lifetime value, and it is set by 51 separate commissions. How to find your own answer in ten minutes.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/what-your-utility-pays-for-exported-solar) * [![A plain unmarked envelope and a pen on a hall table beside a front door with daylight behind it.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-cancel-a-solar-contract.png)GuideYou signed at the door. Here is how to cancel a solar contract.Federal law gives three business days for a contract signed at home, and several states give solar contracts their own longer window. How to use it.1 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/cancel-a-solar-contract) * [![A residential rooftop solar array photographed in flat overcast light, one panel dusty and slightly out of alignment.](https://solarrealcost.com/images/gen/guide-my-solar-installer-went-out-of-business.png)GuideYour solar installer has gone. What now?An orphaned system still works. Who honours the equipment warranty, what the workmanship warranty is worth now, and how to find someone to service it.2 min read](https://solarrealcost.com/does-solar-pay/my-solar-installer-went-out-of-business) Not sure where to start? Take the Solar Check. About 2 minutes, no sign-up. Short questions, each with an example, and your answers stay on this device. [Start your Solar Check→](https://solarrealcost.com/check)