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Two quick inputs
Savings and payback
First year savings quick calculator
Get a fast first-year estimate with just two inputs, production and utility rate, no usage data required.
How it works
One step to your quick estimate
Step 1
Enter production and rate
No usage figure needed, this tool applies a standard offset assumption for speed. For a precise result using your actual usage, see the solar savings calculator by utility rate or the quick 2-minute payback estimator.
Step 2
Get your instant estimate
The tool applies a 90% effective offset assumption and returns both a monthly and annual figure right away.
Understanding the quick estimate method
How this differs from the detailed calculator
This version needs only two inputs, production and utility rate, and applies a standard 90% effective offset assumption for speed. The full solar savings calculator asks for your actual usage to cap the offset precisely rather than assuming a fixed percentage, giving a more tailored number at the cost of one more input. The US Energy Information Administration's solar explainer covers how solar generation works and where it fits in the wider grid.
Why 90% instead of full offset
A right-sized system rarely captures every single kWh at full retail value, since some production may exceed usage in certain months or fall under a slightly reduced export rate. 90% is a reasonable, moderately conservative default for a quick estimate, closer to what most well-sized systems actually achieve than assuming a full 100% capture. If your roof cannot host its own system, community solar is the usual alternative, and its credit rate is what decides whether it pays.
What a typical result looks like
For a system producing 9,490 kWh a year at a $0.16 utility rate, this quick method estimates about $1,367 in first-year savings, or roughly $114 a month on average, a useful ballpark before working through a more detailed calculation. Utility rates drive the whole savings calculation, and the US Energy Information Administration's electricity data track them state by state.
When to move to the more precise tool
Treat this as a first look. For a more precise number that accounts for your actual usage, use the solar savings calculator by utility rate, which caps the offset at what you actually consume instead of a flat percentage, or the real vs estimated savings gap calculator for how much any estimate might vary from reality. The production figure behind this estimate comes from the real world vs nameplate output gap calculator, which models output for your location and roof.
Questions
Frequently asked
This version needs only two inputs, production and utility rate, and applies a standard 90% effective offset assumption for speed. The full solar savings calculator asks for your actual usage to cap the offset precisely rather than assuming a fixed percentage.
A right-sized system rarely captures every single kWh at full retail value, since some production may exceed usage in certain months or fall under a slightly reduced export rate. 90% is a reasonable, moderately conservative default for a quick estimate.
For a system producing 9,490 kWh a year at a $0.16 utility rate, this quick method estimates about $1,367 in first-year savings, or roughly $114 a month on average.
Treat it as a first look. For a more precise number that accounts for your actual usage, use the solar savings calculator by utility rate, which caps the offset at what you actually consume instead of a flat percentage.