What your power bill looks like after solar
The most tangible benefit of going solar is the change in your monthly electricity bill, and this calculator translates a system size into exactly that: your current bill, your projected new bill, and the dollars you keep each month. It’s the number that makes the decision real.
Why the bill rarely reaches zero
A common misconception is that solar eliminates your electric bill entirely. In practice, two things usually remain. First, nearly every utility charges a fixed monthly connection fee — often between five and fifteen dollars — simply to keep you attached to the grid, and solar cannot offset that. Second, unless your system is generously sized, you’ll still import some power at night or in winter. We model both so your estimate is honest rather than optimistic.
How we calculate the new bill
We start with your annual consumption and the production your system delivers. The energy you produce and use on-site avoids retail charges directly. Any surplus you export earns a credit at your export rate, which may be full retail or a lower net-billing value. Any shortfall you import is billed at retail. Add back the unavoidable fixed charge, and that is your new bill — floored at the fixed charge, because utilities won’t cut you a check below grid-access cost in a typical month.
Turning a smaller bill into a bigger decision
Once you see your projected monthly savings, the next questions follow naturally: how many years until those savings repay the system, and is buying, financing, or leasing the best path? Our Payback and Lease vs Buy calculators pick up exactly where this one leaves off, turning a monthly number into a full lifetime picture.