Start here

How solar panels work

Sunlight to DC to AC to your breaker panel, in plain English — plus the four things almost everyone gets wrong, including why your system shuts off in a blackout.

Is my home a good fit for solar?

Six factors decide it. You can check five of them yourself in about twenty minutes, without talking to anybody.

Work out what you’d need, and what it costs

Size my system  —  the calculator

Answer a few questions for a close estimate of system size, panel count and installed cost. Runs in your browser; nothing is submitted or stored.

What solar actually costs in 2026

Real prices by system size, where the money actually goes — panels are only about 12% of it — and why two quotes for the same roof can differ by ten thousand dollars.

The federal tax credit: what changed

The 30% credit for homeowners expired on 31 December 2025. What that means if you’re buying now, what’s left, and the timing rule that catches people who paid in 2025.

Choosing and buying

How to read a solar quote

The three numbers that matter, and the dealer fee hidden inside low-interest solar financing — with the arithmetic on whether it’s actually a bad deal.

How to vet a solar installer

Licensing, certification, references and complaint history — and the single most useful question to ask any company.

Red flags and sales tactics

What high-pressure selling sounds like, the false tax-credit claim to listen for, your right to cancel, and what an honest company looks like.

DIY vs. professional install

What you can legally do yourself, what needs a licensed electrician, and why an unpermitted system can block your house sale years later.

Living with solar

Net metering explained

What your utility pays you for surplus power. Credits range from about 30 cents to about 5 cents depending on where you live — which decides whether solar pays off at all.

Batteries and backup power

What storage costs, what it will genuinely run during an outage, and the honest answer on whether it pays for itself.

Solar vs. generators

A generator is cheaper to buy; solar with a battery is cheaper to run. Which suits your situation — and the carbon monoxide warnings that matter more than anything else here.

Maintenance and lifespan

Almost nothing to do, and one component you should expect to replace. Also: why you shouldn’t climb up to clean them.

Solar and your roof

Whether panels cause leaks, what happens when the roof needs replacing, and the timing decision that saves people thousands.

Selling a home with solar

Owned panels generally help. Leased panels can complicate a sale badly. Transfers, buyouts, lien filings, and what to sort out before you list.

Beyond the roof

Solar for RVs, trailers and camping

Sizing a 12-volt system properly, why most people overbuy panels and underbuy battery, and the honest answer about running air conditioning.

Portable and plug-in solar kits

Solar generators and balcony solar. What they run, what they can’t, and which states have now legalized plugging solar into a wall socket.

Beyond panels: other solar technology

Solar shingles, water heating, pool heating, attic fans and passive design — including the option almost everyone has forgotten about.

Where you live

Illinois solar incentives

Illinois Shines payments, the vendor fee nobody mentions, and the utility rebate that can quietly cost you more than it pays.

Arizona solar incentives

The best sunlight in the country and among the least generous export rates — plus solar on rural land, where the first question isn’t panels at all.

Reference

Solar glossary

Every term used on this site, defined in one line each — and the eight that actually matter.