☀️ Solar Panel Payback
Years to break even on a solar installation
About this calculator
Solar panels are a long-term investment, and this calculator finds the payback point. Enter system size, installed cost after incentives, your electricity rate, and expected annual production (or let it estimate from your location's sun hours) — it returns payback years, 25-year savings, and effective return.
Annual savings equal yearly kWh produced × your electricity rate, and payback equals net cost ÷ annual savings. Panels degrade about 0.5 percent per year, so production — and savings — taper slightly over the 25-year warrantied life.
Tip: Canadians: check federal and provincial incentives plus net metering rules in your province before sizing — incentives can cut payback by several years, and rates vary widely by utility.