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
Solar Panel Installation: How to Go Solar (7 Steps)
Solar panel installation, end to end: how to go solar in seven steps, from roof fit check to install day and utility turn-on, and the numbers to run yourself.
- 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
Looking for the best batteries for solar power storage, or just asking if it's worth it? This briefing runs the honest math: cost, net metering, payback.
- 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 briefingBest 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.
Solar Panels for Manufactured Homes: What Differs
Solar panels for manufactured homes explained: roof load limits, ballasted and ground-mount workarounds, chattel-loan financing, and sizing a smaller system.
How to Add Solar Panels to an Existing System
This field guide adds panels to an existing solar system in seven steps: roof space, inverter headroom, matching panels, permits, cost, and net metering.
How to Charge an EV With Solar Panels (6 Steps)
This field guide charges an EV from solar in six steps: energy math, panel and inverter headroom, charger sizing, scheduling, and a permitted install.
Ballasted Solar Racking Explained
Ballasted solar racking anchors a flat roof array with weight rather than bolts, and this explainer covers the engineering, the trade-offs, and when it fits.
IRS Form 5695 Explained: What Changed for 2026
Form 5695 reports residential energy credits, and what it can still claim changed sharply once the flat 30% solar credit stopped applying for good after 2025.
Solar Battery Storage Cost: What to Budget in 2026
Solar battery storage cost spans chemistry, capacity and brand, and this briefing prices the category itself, not one product, from one unit to a full bank.
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.