The honest questions.

No. The Solar Brief is an independent information and matchmaking service. We don't install solar systems, design them, finance them, or warranty the equipment. Vetted, NABCEP-certified solar partners in our network do all of that. We get paid a flat fee per qualified introduction we send to our partner network — same fee regardless of which solar partner ends up doing the work, or whether you go ahead at all.

Yes. Our partner network pays us a flat referral fee per qualified introduction. We don't take a cut of the project, we don't get paid more for steering you to a specific partner, and we don't get paid at all if you don't move forward. That's deliberate — it's the only way we can actually be useful instead of trying to close you on the most expensive option.

Our partner network routes leads only to NABCEP-certified, state-licensed solar installers with multi-year track records and clean consumer-complaint histories. NABCEP is the industry standard certification for installer competence. We don't send leads to brand-new operators, fly-by-night door-knockers, or installers without a verified equipment relationship with at least one tier-1 panel manufacturer.

List price (before incentives) for a typical residential install: $15,000–30,000 for panels-only, $25,000–45,000 with battery, $28,000–50,000 with battery + EV charger. After the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit, those net to roughly $10,500–21,000, $17,500–31,500, and $19,600–35,000. State incentives can lower it further. Wide ranges because system size, equipment tier, and installer overhead vary a lot.

Cash purchase: 6–8 years in NJ and MA, 7–11 years in CA, AZ, NV, FL, TX. Loan financing typically extends payback by 2–4 years (you're paying interest). Lease/PPA never "pays back" in the same sense — you don't own the system; you pay a monthly per-kWh rate that's lower than your utility bill from day one but higher than owning over 25 years.

The federal ITC lets you claim 30% of the system cost as a tax credit on your federal return. It's a credit, not a refund — you need federal income tax liability to claim it. If you owe less in tax than the credit amount, you can carry the unused portion forward up to 5 years. The credit applies to panels, batteries, EV chargers (when bundled with solar), and installation. It does not apply to leased or PPA systems — the leasing company gets the credit, not you. As of 2026, the credit is 30% through 2032, then steps down. Always confirm with a tax professional for your specific situation.

They vary widely. New Jersey: SuSI program pays per-kWh credits for 15 years, sales tax exemption, property tax exemption. Massachusetts: SMART program payments, state income tax credit up to $1,000, sales tax exemption. California: SGIP for batteries (declining), no income tax credit. Arizona: $1,000 state tax credit, sales tax exemption. Texas, Nevada, Florida: no state income tax credit (no state income tax in most of these); local utility rebates and property tax exemptions. The installer's quote should itemize all the credits you qualify for in your specific area.

Tier-1 panels (Q Cells, REC, Panasonic, Silfab, etc.) carry 25-year performance warranties — they guarantee 80–88% of original output at year 25. Real-world degradation is typically 0.4–0.6% per year, so most panels are still producing 75–85% at year 30. The panels physically continue to work past warranty; they just produce slightly less.

Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries — Tesla Powerwall 3, Enphase IQ 5P, FranklinWH — carry 10–15 year warranties and typically retain 70% of original capacity at end of warranty. Useful life is 12–18 years for most installs. If you need backup-power continuity, you'll likely replace the battery once during the panels' lifetime. Batteries are not "free" maintenance — budget for one replacement.

All three are quality LFP batteries with similar real-world performance. Tesla Powerwall 3 integrates with the Tesla app and works well if you have a Tesla EV. Enphase IQ Battery 5P integrates seamlessly with Enphase microinverter solar systems (most common). FranklinWH is the newer entrant — strong reviews, often slightly less expensive, less ecosystem lock-in. Honest answer: at the consumer level the differences are small. Pick the one your installer is most experienced with — installation quality matters more than brand.

Most residential installs in 2026 use microinverters (Enphase) or hybrid string-inverter-with-optimizers (SolarEdge). Microinverters give you panel-level monitoring and tolerate partial shading better; string inverters are slightly cheaper. For most premium-suburb residential installs, microinverters are worth the small premium. If you have any shading at all, definitely microinverters.

Not on the building, no — solar installation requires homeownership for the install itself and to claim the federal tax credit. The two real alternatives if you rent: (1) community solar — you subscribe to a share of an off-site solar farm and get bill credits, available in most of the states we cover; (2) demand response programs from your utility, which pay you to reduce electricity use during peak hours. We can point you to community solar resources for your state if helpful.

Honestly, no. At very low bill levels, the system you'd need is too small to amortize the fixed costs of installation (permitting, interconnection, inverter, racking). The cheaper move is usually weatherization — insulation, air sealing, smart thermostat — which often produces a better return than solar at low bill levels. If you're in a community solar state, subscribing to a community solar farm without installing anything also makes sense.

Probably replace the roof first. Panels last 25–30 years; if your roof needs replacement in 5–10 years, you'll pay $3,000–6,000 to remove and re-install the panels at that point. The cleanest sequencing is: replace the roof, then install solar. Some installers (Boston Roof & Solar in MA, for example) do roof + solar as a combined project — worth asking for a combined quote.

Solar needs unshaded south, west, or southeast exposure for at least 4–6 hours of midday sun. If those conditions aren't there, the production economics typically don't work — you'd pay full system cost for half the production. If there's a chance the trees come down for other reasons, or you have unshaded ground space for a ground-mount system, that's worth flagging. Otherwise community solar is probably the cleaner answer.

From signed installer contract to system turned on: typically 2–4 months. Breakdown: 2–4 weeks for design, 3–8 weeks for permitting and HOA approval (varies wildly by jurisdiction), 1–3 days for the install itself, then 2–6 weeks waiting for utility inspection and interconnection (Permission to Operate, or PTO). The actual install crew is on your roof for less time than you'd expect.

Look for: itemized equipment list (specific panel and battery model numbers), production estimate in kWh/year, written workmanship warranty (10+ years), itemized incentive credits, clear payment schedule tied to milestones (deposit / on installation / on PTO), cancellation clause. Avoid: contracts that "guarantee" specific savings dollar amounts (too many variables), vague equipment specs ("tier-1 panels" instead of a model number), payment due in full upfront, "lifetime" warranties that are actually 5 years, and PPAs with annual escalator clauses above 2.9% — those compound badly.

The equipment manufacturer warranties (panels: 25 years; battery: 10–15 years) are independent of the installer and remain valid. Workmanship warranties usually go away with the installer. You can hire any other licensed installer to do future work. This is one reason we avoid recommending small or new installers without a track record — going-out-of-business risk matters when warranty periods are long.

Owned systems (cash or paid-off loan): yes — Lawrence Berkeley National Lab studies show roughly $4 of added home value per watt installed. A 7 kW system adds approximately $28,000 in market value. Leased systems and active PPAs: usually neutral to slightly negative — the buyer has to assume the lease, and not all buyers want to. If you might sell within 5–7 years, factor this in.

Technically yes, practically no. Removing and re-installing a residential system runs $5,000–10,000, plus potential roof repair on the old home. You'd also need a new roof to install on at the new home. In almost every case, it makes more financial sense to leave the system, transfer manufacturer warranties to the new owner, and capture the value-add in the sale price.