Is Solar Actually Worth It? The Payback Worksheet
Four inputs, one calculation, and an honest answer about whether solar pays for itself on your roof.
- The four numbers that decide your payback period
- Why the quoted savings figure is almost always optimistic
- Lease vs. loan vs. cash, compared honestly
- What net metering changes did to the math
- The roof condition question to settle before you sign
Solar is an excellent investment for some houses and a poor one for others, and the difference is arithmetic, not opinion. The trouble is that the arithmetic is usually done for you by someone earning a commission on the result.
This worksheet lets you do it yourself. You need one utility bill and about fifteen minutes.
Input one: what you actually pay per kilowatt-hour
Take your annual electricity cost and divide it by your annual kilowatt-hours. Both are on your bills. That blended rate — including delivery charges and fees, not just the supply rate — is the number that matters.
Solar economics are driven almost entirely by this figure. High-rate regions can pay back in single-digit years. Low-rate regions frequently cannot pay back within the equipment warranty at all.
Input two: the real net cost of the system
Start with the gross quoted price. Subtract federal, state, and utility incentives you genuinely qualify for. Add anything the quote excludes — electrical panel upgrade, roof work, tree removal, permits, and any monitoring subscription.
Panel upgrades in particular surprise people. Older service panels frequently cannot accept a solar interconnection without being replaced.
The rest is in the PDF
6 sections plus the printable checklist — your four inputs, filled in. Free, and yours to keep or pass on.
Send me the free PDF