Community & shared solar
Community solar 100% offset calculator
See the subscription size and savings for a full offset covering your entire usage, the choice for subscribers who want the maximum available savings.
How it works
Two steps to your 100% offset numbers
Step 1
Enter your annual usage
A 100% offset uses your full usage as its target. Confirm this fits within your program's cap using the maximum subscription size tool, since some programs limit full offsets to slightly above 100% of usage.
Step 2
Add your credit rate and discount
These determine your maximum available dollar savings at this offset level. For a full year-by-year, multi-year projection including escalators, use the subscription savings calculator instead.
Understanding a 100% offset subscription
Why a full offset delivers the maximum savings
Since the discount applies per kWh, covering 100% of your usage means every kWh you consume gets the benefit of the subscription discount, producing the largest possible dollar savings at a given discount rate. A 10,800 kWh household at a 10% discount saves roughly $151 a year at this level, compared to $76 at 50% offset and $38 at 25%. Start with the DSIRE database if you need the official wording rather than a summary.
What a full offset commits you to
A 100% offset means your entire annual usage is tied to the subscription contract, which is the largest financial commitment among the offset levels. If your usage drops significantly, for example after moving to a smaller home, you could end up over-subscribed relative to your new usage. Check the cancellation fee calculator if this is a real concern for your situation. The Department of Energy's community solar basics guide lists flexible adjustment options as a consumer protection worth checking for before committing to a full offset.
How this compares to owning your own system
A 100% offset from community solar and a fully sized rooftop system both aim to cover your entire usage, but arrive at it through very different cost structures. Community solar has no upfront cost and a smaller ongoing discount, while ownership has a large upfront cost and typically larger long-term savings. Compare both directly with the ownership vs subscription comparison tool. The panel count for 100% offset tool covers exactly what a fully sized rooftop system would take.
Checking whether 100% is realistic for your provider
Not every shared array has enough available capacity to support a full offset for every interested subscriber, especially in high-demand programs. Confirm capacity availability during enrollment, and have the 50% offset calculator ready as a fallback if the provider can only accommodate a partial subscription. A grid interconnection limit can also cap what a shared array supports in total, covered by the grid export cap calculator. Check the DSIRE database for your state's specific capacity rules, since some states cap individual subscription sizes by law.
Questions
Frequently asked
A 100% offset means your subscription is sized to cover your full annual electricity usage in bill credits. A 10,800 kWh household with a 10% discount and a 100% offset saves roughly $151 a year, the maximum available at that discount level.
No, you still receive a normal utility bill every month. A 100% offset means the bill credits from your subscription cover the full dollar value of that bill, but you still pay the community solar provider separately for the discounted subscription cost.
A 100% offset delivers the largest total savings in dollar terms, but it also means the largest subscription commitment and the biggest exposure if your usage drops or you need to cancel. Consider a smaller offset if you value more flexibility over maximum savings.
If your usage drops, you'll be over-subscribed and may accumulate more bill credit than you use, which typically rolls over depending on your utility's rules. If your usage grows, you may need to check whether your subscription still qualifies as a full offset or falls short.