Savings and payback
Estimate what an owned solar system could add to your home's resale value, based on 2025 market research comparing thousands of recent home sales.
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
Step 1
The premium only applies to owned systems, so leased or PPA-financed solar is flagged separately rather than getting a value estimate that doesn't apply. See the savings per kW calculator if you need to work out your system's value first.
Step 2
Choose from the researched range to see your estimated added value, or compare against the resale payback recapture calculator for how this factors into your overall return.
A 2025 SolarReviews study comparing over 400 recently sold homes found solar homes sold for about 6.9% more than comparable non-solar homes, up from the 4.1% figure Zillow reported in 2019. For a $416,900 median-valued home, that works out to nearly $29,000 in added value, though other studies have found premiums ranging as high as 10% in strong solar markets like California. The US Department of Energy's homeowner's guide to going solar walks through the same decision step by step.
This premium applies to owned systems only, whether purchased with cash or a loan. Research has consistently found that leased or PPA-financed solar does not reliably increase resale value, since buyers may be wary of taking over an existing lease or power purchase agreement rather than owning the equipment outright, unlike the straightforward math in the ROI percentage calculator. If your production estimate feels uncertain, the shading loss estimator gives you a second check on annual output.
The same 2025 study found the premium varied widely across the 36 states studied, with four states seeing less than a 2% bump and one state actually seeing solar homes sell for less than comparable non-solar homes. Local electricity rates, solar adoption levels, and buyer demand all shape how much of a premium your specific market will actually support. For background on how solar power is generated, the solar explainer from the US Energy Information Administration is a solid starting point.
Many appraisers rely on comparable sales and may assign little or no additional value if they can't find a similar solar-equipped home nearby that sold recently. Providing production history and the original installation contract directly to the appraiser can help support a more complete valuation, alongside documentation of your payback period and the resale recapture figure if you're selling before full payback. The system size for a 1,500 sq ft home is the quickest way to check whether the system size behind this estimate fits your roof and usage.
Questions
A 2025 SolarReviews study comparing over 400 recently sold homes found solar homes sold for about 6.9% more than comparable non-solar homes, up from 4.1% in Zillow's 2019 study. For a $416,900 median-valued home, that works out to nearly $29,000 in added value.
No, this premium applies to owned systems only. Research has found that leased or PPA-financed solar does not consistently increase resale value, since buyers may be wary of taking over an existing contract rather than owning the equipment outright.
Yes, significantly. The same 2025 study found the premium ranged widely across the 36 states studied, with four states seeing less than a 2% bump and one state actually seeing solar homes sell for less. Local electricity rates and market demand for solar both play a role.
Not always. Many appraisers rely on comparable sales and may assign little or no value if they can't find a similar solar-equipped home nearby that sold recently. Providing production history and the original installation contract to the appraiser can help support a fuller valuation.
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