Community & shared solar
Staying with your utility bill exactly as it is has a real cost too. See what it actually adds up to compared to subscribing.
How it works
Step 1
If you're not sure a program exists near you yet, check the eligibility checker tool first, then come back with real numbers.
Step 2
Longer timelines make the cost of doing nothing more visible, since utility rate growth compounds the gap year over year. Use the subscription savings calculator next for a fuller year-by-year breakdown.
Not signing up for community solar isn't a neutral decision, it's choosing to keep paying full price on a bill that a legitimate discount could have reduced. A $150 monthly bill over 5 years with 3% annual utility rate growth costs about $956 more without a 10% community solar discount than with one. Check the DSIRE database to see what discount range is typical in your specific state before assuming the 10% figure used here applies to you.
Utility rates tend to rise over time, and every year you delay is a year the discount would have applied to a higher and higher bill. This is why the cost of doing nothing compounds rather than staying flat, similar to how the waitlist cost of delay calculator shows costs rising the longer a wait drags on. The 25-year solar versus no-solar comparison runs this same compounding effect against a rooftop system instead.
Not knowing community solar is available, feeling wary of a new contract, or simply not having gotten around to researching it are all common and understandable reasons for inaction. None of them require doing nothing forever, and most can be resolved in a few minutes by checking eligibility and comparing a real offer against your current bill. If a suitable roof is also on the table, the solar panel calculator can tell you what owning a system outright would actually take.
Once you've seen what doing nothing costs, the next step is confirming a program exists in your area and comparing real offers rather than the typical discount used here. Start with the eligibility checker tool, then move to the provider comparison tool once you have options in hand. The Department of Energy's community solar basics guide is a useful starting point if you want to understand the mechanics before comparing offers.
Questions
Doing nothing means paying your full utility bill with no discount at all. A $150 monthly bill over 5 years with 3% annual utility rate growth costs about $956 more than the same bill with a 10% community solar discount applied.
The main downside is simply paying more than you need to over time, since a legitimate community solar discount has no real drawback for most subscribers beyond a contract commitment. There's no upfront cost or risk that would make doing nothing meaningfully safer.
Some people haven't heard of community solar, aren't sure it's available in their area, or feel wary of signing a new contract without understanding the terms. None of these are unreasonable, but they're solvable with a bit of research rather than reasons to rule it out entirely.
Availability depends on your state's community solar policy and whether a shared array serves your specific utility territory. Check the eligibility checker tool to see whether a program exists for your area before assuming it isn't an option.
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