Your shading
A single mature tree on the south side can cut production 20–35%. This calculator assumes an unshaded roof, which is optimistic for maybe half of homes.
- Home
- Savings Calculator
Solar savings calculator
A rough model to see whether solar is worth a conversation. Two inputs, four numbers out. Your real proposal uses your roof, your shading and your utility’s actual rate schedule.
Assumes an 86% offset and 3.5% annual utility rate escalation. Illustrative only, not a quote and not a guarantee.
$2,543Estimated year-one savings
$98,900Estimated 25-year savings
7.1 kWTypical system size
135 tonsCO₂ avoided over 25 years
Read this before you trust any calculator
What this tool can’t know
Including ours. Every online solar calculator is a sales tool wearing a lab coat. Here is exactly what we're assuming, so you can judge how wrong we might be.
Your roof geometry
Orientation, pitch, obstructions and usable area change everything. A north-facing roof in Phoenix produces roughly 30% less than the south face next to it.
Your rate schedule
Tiered, time-of-use, demand-billed residential, or a net-billing tariff. Each produces a different answer from identical hardware.
Your export credit
What your utility pays for surplus power ranges from full retail to about a quarter of it. That single variable can move payback by five years.
Rate escalation
We assume 3.5% a year. Historical averages support it, but nobody knows. At 2% your savings are much lower; at 5% much higher.
Your consumption changing
An EV, a pool pump, a heat pump or a new baby all shift the math. Sizing to today's usage can be a mistake if next year looks different.
How we do it properly
What a real Mr. Legit Solar estimate involves
- Twelve months of your actual kWh pulled from your utility, not estimated from square footage
- LIDAR roof model with true hour-by-hour shade analysis across the full year
- Your specific rate schedule modeled at the tariff level, including any solar rider your utility applies
- Module-level production simulation using the exact equipment we'd install
- Degradation, inverter replacement and O&M costs included in the 25-year model. Most competitors leave the inverter replacement out
- A production guarantee that puts our money behind the estimate
Clear, local, no-pressure
Ready for a straight answer about solar?
Tell us your ZIP code, what you want to power and roughly what you pay the utility. We’ll review the project with a local team and explain what makes sense, what does not and what it should cost.
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Ask us a question first
Your project is reviewed by a person, not routed to a lead marketplace.