Solar by state
The same $200/month bill in every state we cover, paid in cash, installed in 2026 with no federal credit. Ranked by payback. Click a state for the full breakdown.
| State | Rate | Yield | System | Net cost | Payback | 25-yr net | Data notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 29.9¢ | 1291 | 5.84 kW | $12,098 | 5.7 yr | $52,516 | |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | 1305 | 6.86 kW | $17,706 | 6.1 yr | $58,881 | |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | 1302 | 5.68 kW | $15,537 | 6.9 yr | $51,059 | |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | 1308 | 8.97 kW | $26,742 | 8.5 yr | $31,510 | |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | 1359 | 7.64 kW | $19,719 | 8.6 yr | $46,877 | |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | 1392 | 7.57 kW | $19,833 | 8.7 yr | $46,763 | |
| California | 33.61¢ | 1677 | 4 kW | $9,926 | 8.9 yr | $22,036 | |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | 1544 | 9.72 kW | $20,610 | 9 yr | $45,986 | 1 unverified |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | 1252 | 7.46 kW | $20,286 | 10.3 yr | $37,467 | |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | 1506 | 9.43 kW | $20,942 | 11.3 yr | $32,666 | 1 unverified |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | 1755 | 8.36 kW | $17,471 | 13.4 yr | $21,851 |
By system size
The same model run backwards: the size is fixed and the household it covers is derived from it, in every state above. Useful when a quote arrives with a number of kilowatts on it.
- 4 kW solar system
- 5 kW solar system
- 6 kW solar system
- 7 kW solar system
- 8 kW solar system
- 10 kW solar system
- 12 kW solar system
- 15 kW solar system
Guides
- The federal solar tax credit in 2026
Gone for buyers, still 30% for leases. What ended, what survives, computed and cited.
- Is solar worth it in 2026?
With no federal credit for buyers, the answer turns on your rate, your export rule and your state - not on how sunny it is.
- Lease, loan or cash for solar in 2026
The three ways to pay, run on the same house, year by year, in every state we publish.
- What solar costs in 2026
Two price bases, by state and by bill, and why they are 60% apart.
- Solar payback in 2026
How it is computed, what moves it, and the state ranking - rate beats sunshine.
- State solar incentives in 2026
Which states still pay a buyer, what they pay, and where there is nothing - each from its own source.
- Is a home battery worth it in 2026?
Where storage changes the maths and where it does not, with the assumptions in the open.
- What old solar calculators get wrong
A dated survey of public tools, the four error classes with the size of each, and a checklist for auditing any calculator - including ours.
Rate: residential average, EIA 2026-07. Yield: kWh per kW per year at a statewide default, PVWatts v8 (verified). The pattern to notice: the electricity rate predicts payback far better than the sunshine does. Massachusetts beats Arizona.