Live rate signal
Electricity price decides the payback math
Start with the latest residential electricity benchmark, then run a solar savings estimate using your state's rate.
U.S. average19.32¢/kWh51 states tracked monthlySolar math starts with
the price you pay for power
GEO
STELLAR
A practical, unbiased guide to going solar — straight answers on cost, savings, financing, and whether it's worth it. Compare today's electricity rates, then turn that data into a solar savings estimate.
Latest U.S. residential average19.32¢/kWhApril 2026 · EIA snapshotEnergy data desk
The rate behind every solar estimate
The calculator is useful only if the electricity input is visible. GeoStellar now keeps the latest national benchmark, state extremes, and source path in front of the user before asking for assumptions.
Two pillars
Solar basics
How home solar actually works — panels, inverters, batteries, net metering, community solar, and whether it's worth it for your roof.
Explore the basics →Pillar 02Solar finance
The money side: paying for solar, the 2026 incentive landscape, payback math, home-value impact, and loan-vs-lease tradeoffs.
Explore the finance →Calculators
All tools →Solar Savings Calculator
Bill in, honest numbers out: system size, cost, savings, payback.
ToolTax Credit & Incentives Estimator
What the 2025 federal credit expiration means for your install year.
ToolPayback & ROI Calculator
Break-even year and lifetime return, with degradation and rate escalation.
ToolLoan vs. Lease vs. Cash
25-year totals and ownership tradeoffs, side by side.
ToolHome Value Impact Estimator
What an owned system adds at resale, from published research.
Latest guides
All 10 guides →When Solar Doesn't Make Financial Sense
An unsentimental list of the situations where home solar is the wrong call — roof, shade, rates, tenure, and the 2026 incentive cliff included.
Solar financeSolar Loans: What to Watch For Before You Sign
Dealer fees, teaser rates, missing-credit reamortization clauses, and UCC-1 filings — the four traps in solar financing and how to price them.
Solar financeDoes Solar Increase Home Value? What the Data Shows
Owned systems add measurable resale value — around 4% or ~$4,000/kW in the research. Leased systems can subtract it. The evidence, and the caveats.
Solar financeSolar Payback Period: How to Calculate Your Break-Even
Payback is net cost divided by honest annual savings — with degradation, rate escalation, and export haircuts included. Here's the full method.