Where should LA homeowners invest their next $10,000?
LA still has full-retail net metering, not NEM 3.0. All 50 homes out-returned the S&P 500 (17–23%, tax-free). A battery still doesn’t pay.
17–23%Annual return
~5 yrsPayback
50/50Beat market
SIA Blog · Independent solar research
Is solar actually worth it for your home?
In 4 easy steps and within 30 seconds, find whether you should add solar to your home. Powered by one of the most advanced and detailed free solar calculators on the internet. Made by an ex-solar energy scientist.
Check your home freeno account · no email
▶
The $10,000 investment series
What $10k of rooftop solar actually returns versus the stock market, modelled on real homes under each utility’s own 2026 rates.
Where should PG&E homeowners invest their next $10,000?
PG&E is the one CA utility where going smaller earns more. 47 of 56 beat the S&P 500; a right-sized ~$6k system returns the most.
9–14%Annual return
~9 yrsPayback
47/56Beat market
Where should SCE homeowners invest their next $10,000?
SCE’s ~40¢ evening power makes self-use gold. All 67 homes beat the S&P 500, even under NEM 3.0, with ~5-yr payback.
~23%Annual return
~5 yrsPayback
67/67Beat market
Is solar worth it where you live?
Every roof measured individually from satellite — nothing hand-picked. Find your state.
Is solar worth it in Massachusetts? 62 real homes
Full retail net metering, SMART, a state credit, and high power prices. 61 of 62 come out ahead, the typical one at a 15% tax-free return.
7.0 yrsMedian payback
14.7%Median return
55/62Rated good
Is solar worth it in SCE territory? 67 real homes
Every one of 67 came out ahead. SCE’s TOU-D-PRIME pays back in ~5 years at a 21% return, close to the old NEM 2.0 everyone says was killed.
5.0 yrsMedian payback
21.4%Median return
67/67Rated good
Is solar worth it in PG&E territory? 56 real homes
Every one of 56 roofs came out ahead even after NEM 3.0, and 24 cleared our good-investment bar. The installer’s price can add 2.5 years.
10.4 yrsMedian payback
9.3%Median return
24/56Rated good
Is solar worth it in Illinois? 46 real homes
Every house outside the most-shaded quarter came out ahead. Illinois Shines carries the result, and leases now leave the typical household worse off.
10.1 yrsMedian payback
8.6%Median return
20/46Rated good
If you can’t pay cash
What a lease or PPA is really worth on lower-income homes — and the price line that decides whether it’s a good deal.
Solar when you can’t pay cash: lease or PPA in PG&E territory
Being on CARE cuts solar’s value 45%. There’s a price line for a lease or PPA — and the deal most people are offered sits on the wrong side of it.
−47%Value on CARE
10.7¢PPA worth signing
28/29Work at that price
Solar when you can’t pay cash: lease or PPA in SCE territory
Does PG&E’s price line travel to SCE? No. SCE households can afford more and still win — but are offered a worse markup than PG&E customers.
−43%Value on CARE
11.5¢PPA worth signing
2.4×What you’re offered
How SIA works
Independent, free, and built to not sell you anything.
How many solar quotes should you get? The $12,000 question
The same roof gets wildly different prices, and with the federal credit gone in 2026 the price you negotiate is the whole game. What shopping is worth, and how we bring you three competing vetted quotes — free, with our read on each.
Read why →White-glove solar: you send one email, we do the rest
Send your address and we handle the whole thing: a full, independent analysis of your roof, a straight verdict, three competing vetted quotes if the numbers work with our read on each, and up to $500 back. No phone number, no sales calls.
See how it works →Your free analysis, and how installer matching works
A detailed analysis of your home, free, within one business day. Then, only if the numbers are good and you ask, up to three competing vetted installers — licence, insurance, own crews, no predatory financing — and up to $500 back.
How it works →A solar calculator that never asks for your phone number
A full estimate for your address with no phone number, no account, and no details sold to installers. We are not a lead generator, and this explains what that changes.
Read why →What a 2.9% escalator really costs you
Most solar leases and PPAs raise your payment every year. On a typical 8 kW contract that clause costs $15,453 over 25 years — and can overtake the grid price it was sold to beat by year 13.
Read the breakdown →How the model works — full methodology
Every equation, default and data source behind the calculator, with citations — including the nine defects we found in our own arithmetic and fixed in public.
Read the methodology →Run the same model on your own roof
Everything published here comes out of the free calculator. It measures your actual roof from satellite imagery — no phone number, no account, no sales call.
Model your roof ↗