Get matched with licensed solar installers in your state. Rooftop solar, battery storage, and EV charging integration — compare quotes from local pros and stack federal tax credits with state incentives.
The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit refunds 30% of your total solar installation cost — including panels, inverters, batteries, labor, and permits — as a tax credit through 2032. On a typical $25,000 residential system, that's a $7,500 credit. Battery storage qualifies for the same 30% credit even when installed separately from solar, which makes pairing them efficient. State and utility incentives stack on top: NJ SuSI SREC payments, NY-Sun rebates, MA SMART program, CA's NEM 3.0 export credits, and Texas oncor/CenterPoint rebates can all reduce net cost further.
Solar panel quality differences between major Tier-1 manufacturers (REC, Q Cells, Panasonic, LG, Silfab, Maxeon) are small in real-world performance. The financing structure is where homeowners get burned. Cash purchase delivers the best 20-year financial return by far. Solar loans (12-25 year terms, 5–9% interest) are second-best and let you claim the 30% tax credit yourself. Solar leases and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) shift the tax credit to the installer and lock you into 20-year escalating payments — they're convenient but cost 30–50% more over the system lifetime. Run the math on every offer.
Net metering rules vary widely by state and utility. California's NEM 3.0 (effective 2023+) significantly reduced export rates — solar still pencils out but battery storage is now essentially required for full economics. NY, NJ, and MA maintain favorable net metering at retail or near-retail rates. Florida has 1:1 net metering through investor-owned utilities, though that policy has been under legislative scrutiny. Texas net metering depends on your retail electric provider — some pay full retail, others pay nothing for exports. A reputable installer will model your specific utility tariff over 20 years.
In California (NEM 3.0), parts of Texas (ERCOT outage-prone), and anywhere with frequent grid instability, residential battery storage is increasingly mandatory for a solar system to pencil out economically and provide outage protection. Tesla Powerwall 3, Enphase IQ Battery, FranklinWH, and SolarEdge Energy Bank each have tradeoffs around inverter compatibility, ride-through capability, and warranty terms. Expect to add $13,000–$20,000 for a 10–15 kWh battery bank to a typical solar install — the 30% federal credit applies.
The Home Service Guide connects homeowners with pre-vetted Solar Contractors Near You — Free Quotes | The Home Service Guide contractors in seven states. Click your state to see state-specific incentives, regulations, top contractors, and average pricing.
Solar contractors statewide — 20 cities served
Solar contractors statewide — 22 cities served
Solar contractors statewide — 20 cities served
Solar contractors statewide — 20 cities served
Solar contractors statewide — 20 cities served
Solar contractors statewide — 20 cities served
Solar contractors statewide — 19 cities served
Get Solar Contractors Near You — Free Quotes | The Home Service Guide quotes in any of the cities below — or any nearby city, ZIP code, or county.
Most residential solar systems run $15,000–$35,000 gross before incentives — typically $2.50–$3.50 per watt installed. After the 30% federal tax credit and state/utility incentives, net cost lands around $10,000–$22,000 for a 6–10 kW system that covers most of a typical home's annual electric use. Battery storage adds $13,000–$20,000 before the same 30% credit.
Most cash-purchased residential solar systems pay back in 6–10 years and produce free electricity for the remaining 15–20 years of the system warranty. Payback depends heavily on your electricity rate, sun exposure, system size, and your state's net-metering policy. CA, MA, NY, NJ payback typically faster due to high electric rates; TX and FL payback longer but still positive.
The Residential Clean Energy Credit refunds 30% of total solar installation cost (including panels, inverters, batteries, labor, and permits) as a direct dollar-for-dollar tax credit. It's non-refundable but rolls forward across multiple tax years if your liability is lower than the credit amount. Effective through 2032 at the full 30% rate, then steps down. Battery storage qualifies for the same 30% credit.
It depends on your state and utility. California NEM 3.0 makes battery essentially mandatory for full economic returns. Texas grid outages make backup batteries valuable for resilience. NY, NJ, MA, FL, CT have favorable net metering where solar-only systems still pencil out without batteries, though adding storage extends outage protection and shifts more of your usage off-grid.
Modern Tier-1 panels carry 25–30 year production warranties guaranteeing 80%+ of original output at end of warranty. Real-world performance often exceeds warranty floor — typical panels still produce 85–90% of original output after 25 years. Inverters typically need replacement at 12–15 years (string inverters) or 20–25 years (microinverters).
String inverters are the simplest and cheapest — one centralized inverter handles all panels in series, but partial shade on one panel reduces the whole string's output. Microinverters (Enphase) put a small inverter under each panel, optimizing each independently — best for shaded or complex roof layouts, also better monitoring. Power optimizers (SolarEdge) split the difference — optimization at each panel but power conversion in a central inverter. Your installer should recommend based on roof complexity and shading.