Is solar worth it in 2026?
For most of the US, yes — but not everywhere, and not for the reason people think. Across the 209 cities we measured, solar pays for itself in under 10 years in 106 of them and takes more than 15 in 24. Your electricity rate matters more than how sunny it is.
The honest version
Solar is a prepayment on 25 years of electricity. Whether that is a good deal depends on three things, in this order: what you currently pay per kWh, what your utility pays for exported power, and how much sun your roof actually gets after shading. Panel brand and efficiency barely register.
Where it pays fastest
| City | Sun hrs/yr | Rate | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu, HI | 1,787 | 42.1¢ | 3.1 yrs |
| Hilo, HI | 1,510 | 42.1¢ | 3.8 yrs |
| Boston, MA | 1,446 | 30.1¢ | 5.4 yrs |
| New Haven, CT | 1,472 | 29.2¢ | 5.5 yrs |
| Worcester, MA | 1,443 | 30.1¢ | 5.6 yrs |
| Cambridge, MA | 1,404 | 30.1¢ | 5.6 yrs |
Notice how many of these are not the sunniest places. They are the expensive-electricity places. Every kWh your panels make is a kWh you do not buy at that high rate.
Where it pays slowest
| City | Sun hrs/yr | Rate | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gatineau, QC | 1,291 | 7.9¢ | 33.3 yrs |
| Laval, QC | 1,385 | 7.9¢ | 30.7 yrs |
| Montreal, QC | 1,384 | 7.9¢ | 30.7 yrs |
| Quebec City, QC | 1,408 | 7.9¢ | 30.6 yrs |
| Winnipeg, MB | 1,389 | 10.1¢ | 24 yrs |
| Surrey, BC | 1,169 | 12.4¢ | 23.7 yrs |
When solar is genuinely NOT worth it
- Your roof needs replacing within 10 years. Do the roof first, or pay $2,000–5,000 later to remove and refit the array.
- Heavy shading you cannot remove. Shade costs more output than any other factor.
- You are moving within about 5 years. Solar generally adds value, but rarely all of what you paid, and not quickly.
- Cheap electricity and poor export rates together. The worst combination — low savings per kWh and little for what you export.
- You cannot use the tax credit. It offsets tax owed. Low tax liability means the effective discount is smaller than advertised. How the credit works →
The middle case, which is most people
A typical result is our median city, Tallahassee, at a 10-year payback. That means roughly 15 years of near-free electricity afterwards. It is a decent, unspectacular return — closer to a bond than a windfall, and considerably better than the same money in a savings account over the same period.
What changes the answer in your favour
- Get three quotes. The spread on identical systems is routinely 30–40%. This is the single biggest lever you control. What to ask →
- Size to your usage, not your roof. Oversized systems have markedly worse payback.
- Check your net metering tariff before signing. Why it dominates the maths →
- Shift usage into daylight hours. Free, and it directly increases what your panels are worth.
Check your own roof rather than trusting an average →
What this looks like in real cities
Measured rooftop data, spanning the range from fastest to slowest payback we have found:
| City | Sun hrs/yr | Rate | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu, HI | 1,787 | 42.1¢ | 3.1 yrs |
| Aurora, CO | 1,821 | 14.8¢ | 8.9 yrs |
| Atlanta, GA | 1,545 | 14.1¢ | 10.9 yrs |
| Lincoln, NE | 1,582 | 11.2¢ | 13.7 yrs |
| Gatineau, QC | 1,291 | 7.9¢ | 33.3 yrs |
Frequently asked
Is solar still worth it without the tax credit?
It roughly adds 3-5 years to payback. In expensive-electricity markets it can still work; in cheap-electricity ones it usually does not.
Does solar increase home value?
Owned systems generally do, though rarely by the full purchase price. Leased systems can complicate a sale because the buyer must assume the contract.
Is it better to wait for cheaper panels?
Panels are already the cheapest part of the system - roughly a quarter of the cost. Waiting saves little while you keep paying full price for electricity in the meantime.
Related guides
General information, updated 2026-08-22. Not financial, tax or engineering advice.