Home solar guides
Straight answers to the questions people ask before buying solar, with numbers from utility tariffs, NREL and current quotes.
How much solar panels cost in 2026
Average price per watt by state and city, and what a 5, 7 or 10 kW system costs before incentives.
Is solar worth it in 2026?
Payback without the federal credit in the cities I cover, and when solar is a weak deal.
How much solar panels save
Yearly and monthly savings by utility, and why they change from month to month.
How many solar panels you need
Size a system from your electric use and local sunshine, in four steps.
Disadvantages of solar panels
Nine downsides to weigh before you sign, with numbers from real tariffs.
Solar payback by city after the tax credit
Research: payback for a 7 kW system in every city I cover, and why export credits matter more than sunshine.
How much electricity a solar panel produces
Daily, monthly and yearly output per kW and per 400 W panel, city by city.
Net metering vs net billing
How each utility credits the power you send to the grid, and what it does to savings.
Solar lease vs buying
Cash, loan, lease or PPA: who owns the panels, who gets the credits, and what escalators cost.
Solar on cloudy days, at night and in winter
How much output drops by season in each city, and what happens after dark or in an outage.
Which direction solar panels should face
South, east, west or north: how much each roof direction makes in each city.
How long solar panels last
Lifespan, how much output drops each year, and what a 7 kW system still makes in year 25 in each city.
Do solar panels work in a power outage?
Why a standard system switches off with the grid, and what it takes to keep the lights on.
Do solar panels increase home value?
What the largest US study found, why it only covers owned systems, and what a lease does to a sale.
How long solar installation takes
From contract to permission to operate: national medians and the permit, inspection and utility steps by city.
How much a home battery costs
Installed price per kWh by state, what it does and doesn't do for your bill, and who actually needs one.
How many solar panels to charge an EV
Yearly EV charging in kWh, and the panels it takes in each city I cover.
Can hail damage solar panels?
What the certification hail test covers, how big real US hail gets, and fire safety rules on the roof.
How to get out of a solar lease
Your options before the term ends, when you sell the house, and at the end of the contract.
Does home insurance cover solar panels?
What to ask your insurer before you install, and who insures a leased system.
How to clean solar panels
Whether cleaning pays, what a dry season costs in lost power, and how to clean or clear snow safely.
Can solar panels be recycled?
What panels are made of, what can be recovered, and how to find a certified recycler.
Monocrystalline vs polycrystalline panels
What home systems actually use, from utility records, and what matters more than cell type.
Do solar panels emit radiation?
What kind of fields panels and inverters make, how far they reach, and what studies found.
Solar shingles vs solar panels
Price, power per square foot, and when a solar roof makes sense.
How to tell if solar panels are working
Monthly output to expect in your city, and the checks that catch a problem.
What a solar inverter does
String inverters, microinverters and optimizers, and which one fits your roof.
Can you install solar panels yourself?
Permits, inspection and utility approval: what stands between a DIY system and the grid.
Solar vs a generator for outages
What each costs, what each can run, and the safety rules for generators.
How to check a solar quote
Six numbers to verify before you sign.
Home solar after the 30% federal credit
What ended and which state rules still apply.