Finance tool
Loan vs. Lease vs. Cash
Same system, three ways to pay, 25-year totals side by side. Use the cash price from a real quote — and if the financed price is higher than the cash price, that spread is a dealer fee.
Cash
$22,000
25-year total cost
paid upfront
You own the system
No federal credit applies for homeowner purchases after 2025.
Loan
$36,710
25-year total cost
$204/mo
You own the system
Interest raises total cost; you still own the system and any home-value uplift.
Lease / PPA
$51,817
25-year total cost
$120/mo (escalating 2.9%/yr)
You never own the system
25 years of escalating payments; the leasing company owns the system and its incentives.
Lease total assumes a 2.9% annual payment escalator over 25 years. Ownership also carries the home-value uplift (see the Home Value Estimator) and, for post-2025 purchases, no federal credit — while leasing companies may still monetize the separate commercial credit on the system they own.
The decision logic
The full comparison — who captures incentives after 2025, what leases do to home sales, when each option wins — is in How to Pay for Solar. For decisions that touch home equity or retirement cash flow, consider a financial advisor via AdvisorWorld alongside DOE guidance.