Your numbers
1
Starting savings and rate
Use the result from the solar savings calculator if needed.
Savings and payback
Cumulative savings graph generator
See your cumulative solar savings as a visual line graph, showing exactly how the curve bends upward as rising utility rates compound over 25 years.
For planning purposes only, not financial or tax advice; confirm figures with a licensed installer or tax professional before making a purchase decision.
How it works
Two steps to your graph
Step 1
Enter your year one savings
Use the result from the solar savings calculator as your starting point.
Step 2
Pick a rate and generate the curve
The tool plots cumulative savings across 25 years as a visual line graph. For the exact numbers behind the curve, see the year by year breakdown tool.
Understanding your savings curve
Why the curve bends upward
A straight line would mean flat annual savings every year, with cumulative totals growing at a constant pace. Instead, rate inflation makes each year's savings a little larger than the last, so the curve bends upward and grows steeper the further out you look, most visibly in the later years of the projection. Utility rates drive the whole savings calculation, and the US Energy Information Administration's electricity data track them state by state.
What a typical curve looks like
Starting at $1,800 in year one savings with 3% annual rate inflation, the curve reaches about $20,635 by year 10 and climbs to $65,627 by year 25, the same figures shown on the rate inflation projection tool. The steepening you can see toward the end of the graph reflects how much rate growth compounds over a long enough time horizon. The US Department of Energy's homeowner's guide to going solar walks through the same decision step by step.
Graph versus table
The year by year savings breakdown tool shows this same underlying data as a table. A visual curve can make the compounding pattern and overall shape more immediately intuitive than scanning rows of numbers, particularly for sharing with someone else who's less familiar with the underlying math. Charging an EV from your array changes how much power you need, and the ev solar savings 5 year projection sizes the system for it.
Comparing different rate assumptions visually
Try generating the graph at a few different rates to see how the curve's steepness changes. The rate increase sensitivity calculator shows the same comparison as a table if you'd rather see all the scenarios side by side. The community solar credit rate vs utility rate tool is worth a look if your roof cannot host its own system.
Questions
Frequently asked
A straight line would mean flat annual savings every year. The curve bends upward because rate inflation makes each year's savings a bit larger than the last, so cumulative totals grow faster over time rather than accumulating at a constant pace.
Starting at $1,800 in year one savings with 3% annual rate inflation, the curve reaches about $20,635 by year 10 and climbs to $65,627 by year 25, visibly steepening in the later years as the compounding effect builds.
The year by year breakdown tool shows the same underlying numbers as a table. This tool renders them as a visual line graph instead, which can make the compounding pattern and overall shape easier to grasp at a glance.
Yes, a visual curve often communicates the compounding effect of rising utility rates more clearly than a table of numbers alone. Export the graph as part of your PDF report if you want to share it directly.
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