How Our Solar Calculator Works

Hey There! Let's Make Solar Easy!

Hi, we're HowMuchSolar! We love helping people use solar power to save money. Solar power is energy from the sun—it's clean, green, and can lower your electric bill. But it can feel tricky to understand. That's why we made our calculator! It shows you how much you can save with solar, based on your home and bill. Want to know how it works? Let's break it down in a super easy way!

The Methodology: How We Calculate Your Solar Savings

We start with your electricity bill and work backward—from system size to long-term savings. Here's how it all fits together:

1. Step 1: We Start with Your Electric Bill

   You tell us how much you pay for electricity each month. We take out some small fees your electric company adds. Then we use your state's average price for electricity to figure out how much energy you use. We call this energy "kWh"—it's just a way to measure how much power your lights, TV, and fridge need. We multiply by 12 to see how much energy you use in a whole year.

   Example:
   If your bill is $100, we might find you use 9,000 kWh in a year. That's how much energy your house needs!

2. Step 2: We Pick the Right Solar System for You

   Next, we find out how big your solar system should be. A solar system is a bunch of panels that turn sunlight into electricity. Every state gets a different amount of sun. We know how much sun your state gets each year. We divide your energy use by that number to find the perfect system size to cover all your energy needs.

   Example:
   If you use 9,000 kWh and your state gets 1,500 kWh of sun for each solar unit, you need a 6 kW system. That's the size that makes enough energy for you!

   We also check if your roof has enough space. If it's too small, we lower the size to fit. We'll let you know with a little star (*) if your roof limits the size.

3. Step 3: How Much Energy Your Solar Makes

   Now we see how much energy your solar panels make each day. We use your system size, the amount of sun in your state, and how much shade your roof has. Some of the energy you use right away—like running your fridge during the day. The rest goes to the electric company, and they give you credit for it. This is called net-metering—it's like a trade where you send extra energy and get credit to use later, like at night.

   How much you use and send depends on where you live:

   • In sunny states, you use 50% and send 50%.
   • In average states, you use 40% during the day and send 60% to the grid.
   • In colder states, you use 30% and send 70%.

   The credit you get is usually a bit less than what you pay for electricity. In most states, you get 60% to 80% of the normal price for the energy you send.

4. Step 4: Your New Bill with Solar

   With solar, you might still need a little electricity from the company sometimes. We figure out how much that costs after your credits. Then we add the cost of paying for your solar system. It's like paying a small amount each month to own something that saves you money! We also subtract big discounts, like a 30% savings from the government, to make it even cheaper.

   Your new bill is:
   Solar payment + smaller electric bill = your new total!

5. Step 5: See How Much You Save Over Time

   We look at 25 years to see how much money you save with solar. At first, solar might cost a bit more because you're paying for the system. But your old electric bill keeps going up every year. With solar, your bill stays lower. Over time, you save a lot! We make a table to show you how your savings grow each year.

6. Step 6: Your New Price for Energy

   We find out how much you really pay for energy with solar. It's like finding the best deal at the store! We take the energy your solar makes, add the credit you get from net-metering, and divide by your solar payment. This almost always gives you a much lower price than the electric company charges.

   Example:
   Let's say your solar makes 32 kWh a day and you live in Nevada. You use 16 kWh during the day and send 16 kWh to the grid. With net-metering, you get credit for 75% of what you send, so that's 12 kWh of credit. Your panels help with the 16 kWh you used plus the 12 kWh credit, which is 28 kWh a day. Multiply by 30.44 days in a month—that's 852 kWh a month. If your solar payment after the tax credit is $85, your price is $85 ÷ 852 = about $0.10 per kWh. The electric company might charge $0.14 right now—that's already more! But as electricity prices go up by about 3% each year, let's look 12 years ahead. The electric company price would rise to $0.20 by then—almost double your solar price. Your solar payment stays the same, so you keep saving more every year!

7. Step 7: Try Adding a Battery

   Our calculator also lets you see what happens if you add a battery to your solar system. A battery stores extra energy during the day so you can use it at night. This can be really good if your electric company doesn't give you much credit for the energy you send them, or if they charge more for electricity during certain times of day.

How to Use Our Calculator

Ready to see your savings? It's so easy!

1. Tell Us About You:
   Pick your state and city, and tell us your electric bill.
2. Add Your Details:
   Tell us your roof size, how much shade it has, or change the payment plan if you want.
3. Check Your Results:
   We'll show you:
   
   • The size of your solar system (like 10 kW).
   • How much energy it makes (like 48 kWh a day).
   • Your old bill ($225) vs. new bill ($176).
   • Total savings (like $33,000 over 25 years)!
   • Energy price (electric company: $0.19, solar: $0.10).
4. Play Around:
   Change things to see what happens. Try a bigger system or add a battery!

Why You Can Trust Us

We use real facts from experts like NASA and energy groups. It's like getting advice from the best teachers! You can change anything to fit your needs. We show you every step so you know it's real—not just a guess.