Savings and payback
See every year from 1 through 25, with both rising utility rates and gradual panel degradation combined into one complete, realistic table.
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
Use the result from the solar savings calculator as your starting point.
Step 2
The tool builds a complete table with both factors applied together for every single year, matching the same math behind the 25 year lifetime savings calculator's summary figures.
Rate inflation and panel degradation are the two real forces acting on your savings every year, one pushing up and one pulling down. Showing both combined, year by year, gives the most complete and realistic picture of what to actually expect, rather than looking at either effect in isolation. For the official overview, the US Department of Energy's homeowner's guide to going solar covers buying, leasing, and system sizing.
Starting at $1,800 in year one, with 3% rate inflation and 0.5% degradation, annual savings climb to $3,244 by year 25, and the cumulative 25 year total reaches $61,365, matching the summary figure from the 25 year lifetime savings calculator exactly. This table shows every year that adds up to that total. The production figure behind this estimate comes from the panel orientation output comparison tool, which models output for your location and roof.
The rate inflation projection tool isolates rate growth alone with no degradation applied, useful for seeing that one effect clearly on its own. This tool combines both factors for the most complete year-by-year figure, matching what a full lifetime savings calculation would actually produce. If you have not sized the system yet, start with the panel wattage vs count tradeoff tool and bring its kilowatt figure back here.
The cumulative savings graph generator renders similar year-by-year data as a visual curve, though that tool isolates rate inflation only rather than combining it with degradation. This table format remains the most complete combined view available. The US Energy Information Administration's electricity data show how retail rates have moved, which is the starting point for any savings estimate.
Questions
These are the two real forces acting on your savings every year: rate inflation pushes them up while degradation pulls them down slightly. Showing both combined, year by year, gives the most complete and realistic picture of what to actually expect.
Starting at $1,800 in year one, with 3% rate inflation and 0.5% degradation, savings climb to $3,244 by year 25, and the cumulative 25 year total reaches $61,365, matching the summary figure from the 25 year lifetime savings calculator exactly.
The rate inflation projection tool isolates rate growth alone with no degradation applied, useful for seeing that one effect clearly. This tool combines both factors together for the most complete year-by-year figure, matching what a full lifetime savings calculation would produce.
The cumulative savings graph generator renders similar year-by-year data visually, though that tool isolates rate inflation only rather than combining it with degradation. This table format is the most complete combined view available.
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