Does home solar pay for itself?
Straight numbers on home solar, batteries and your power bill. Put in your bill, get a system size and a payback figured on the gross installed price, then read the briefing behind every number.
Start with the question you came with
- 01Getting Started
7 Steps to Going Solar: How to Install Panels
7 steps to going solar: check roof fit, size the system from a year of bills, price it gross, compare quotes, clear permitting, then install and switch on.
- 02Cost
How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in 2026?
This briefing prices home solar at roughly $2.50 to $3.50 per watt installed, with no federal residential credit left to subtract, plus the payback math.
- 03Batteries
Are Solar Batteries Worth It? The Payback Math
Are solar batteries worth it? This briefing runs the honest math on cost, net metering, time-of-use rates, payback, and sizing for your own home and tariff.
- 04Batteries
Tesla Powerwall Cost: Powerwall 3 Price and Install
Tesla Powerwall cost, priced honestly: the illustrative hardware price, the fully installed total, the installation slice on its own, and what moves it.
- 05Payback
Solar Panel Payback Period: When Do They Pay Off?
Solar panel payback period, worked out: with no federal credit, break-even lands near 10 to 15 years. See the formula, the variables, and the 25-year net.
- 06Sizing
How Many Solar Panels Do You Need for a House?
This briefing turns your kilowatt-hours, sun hours and roof into a real panel count: the sizing formula worked in full, roof-fit limits, and one full example.
- 07Getting Started
How to Read a Solar Quote (7 Steps)
This field guide shows how to read a solar proposal in seven steps: system size, price per watt, production, payment terms, and red flags before you sign.
Three rules we apply to every figure on the site
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Newest briefings
Newest briefingAre Solar Panels Bad for the Environment?
Are solar panels bad for the environment? This briefing covers the manufacturing footprint, energy payback time, materials, water use, and end of life.
Are Solar Panels Worth It? Pros, Cons, Payback
Are solar panels worth it? This briefing weighs the financial, environmental, and practical case together, with the honest downsides and who should skip it.
Solar Panels and Your Homeowners Insurance
Solar panels and homeowners insurance: do you need to tell your insurer, will your premium rise, what a policy covers, and what a claim actually involves.
Solar Panels for New Construction Homes
Solar panels for new construction: what solar-ready wiring means, builder-installed solar vs adding it later, mortgage financing, and the questions to ask.
Plug-In Solar Panels: What They Actually Power
Plug-in solar panels let a renter or apartment owner add real generating capacity without a permit or rooftop array, inside limits worth knowing first.
Solar Generator vs Home Battery: What Differs
A solar generator is a portable battery pack you charge from an outlet or panel; a home battery is wired permanently into your panel. Here is what differs.
Best Time of Year to Install Solar Panels
This briefing times a solar install around installer backlogs, weather and permitting rather than the sun, and shows why winter often finishes fastest.
Electrical Panel Upgrade Cost for Solar
Electrical panel upgrade cost for solar explained line by line: when the 120 percent rule actually forces one, what a 200A upgrade runs, and cheaper fixes.
DIY Solar Panel Installation: Costs and Risks
DIY solar panel installation explained: what you can legally do yourself, what still needs a licensed electrician, and how the real costs and savings compare.
We do the boring math so a salesperson can't do it for you
Solar quotes are designed to be confusing. WattBarn exists to make them legible: what a system should cost, what it should save, and how long payback really takes in your state.
- The arithmetic is on the page. Every calculator result opens into the steps that produced it, including the electricity rate, sun hours, derate and cost per watt we used. If you disagree with an assumption you can see exactly which one to change.
- Costs are gross installed prices. No figure anywhere on this site subtracts a federal residential tax credit, because there is none left to subtract for systems placed in service from 2026 onward.
- How this site is funded. This site carries no affiliate links and no advertising. No link earns a commission. It never changes the numbers in the calculator or which products a guide recommends. The full explanation is on the disclosure page.
Every number on the site is illustrative. No figure anywhere on WattBarn applies a federal residential tax credit: the Residential Clean Energy Credit under IRC section 25D was terminated by Public Law 119-21 and is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025, with the test being when the original installation was completed rather than when it was ordered, contracted or paid for. State and utility programs vary by location, so take those to your own utility or state energy office and your own tax position to a qualified tax professional.
Get a solar cost breakdown by email
Tell us about your home and we will email you a breakdown of what a system sized to a bill like yours typically costs, and how long it takes to pay back. We are not an installer or a broker, we do not sell systems, and we cannot quote your roof.