Interactive Solar Economics

Utility Tariff & Solar Savings Calculator

Not all utilities credit solar the same way. Select your utility export rules below to see your real electric bill savings, self-consumption percentage, and equipment payback timeline.

Calculation Parameters

1. How does your utility treat solar export?

1-to-1 Net Metering (Default) 100% of solar generation is credited at your full retail electricity rate ($/kWh). Common in traditional solar states.

Self-Consumption Only (Zero-Export) Only solar consumed in your home offsets bills (70% daytime baseline or 95% with battery). Surplus export receives $0 credit.

Net Billing (Avoided-Cost Surplus) Self-consumed solar offsets full retail price; surplus sent to grid receives wholesale / avoided-cost credit (typically 4-6 cents/kWh).

2. Location & Utility Rates

State Auto-sets rate

Retail Rate ($/kWh) Home price

3. Solar System Sizing Kit Capacity Rated DC Watts

Watts (W)

Daily Sun Hours Peak exposure

Hardware Cost ($) Total equipment

Add 1.5-2kWh Home Battery Storage (+$800) Stores midday surplus to power evening baseline. Boosts self-consumption from 70% to 95%.

Estimated Savings & ROI

Estimated Annual Savings

$139.71

Direct utility bill offset

Monthly Savings

$11.64 / mo

Estimated average

Simple Payback

5.7 yrs

Hardware break-even

Monthly Solar Yield

93.1 kWh

Average monthly harvest

Self-Consumed

65.2 kWh (70%)

Powering your home

Home Use (Self-Consumed) 27.9 kWh (30%) Exported

Under 1-to-1 Net Metering in Colorado, your 93.1 kWh/mo solar system delivers estimated annual bill savings of $139.71 ($11.64/mo) with a simple payback period of 5.7 years (68.7 months).

10-Year Cumulative Cash Flow

Timeline	Annual Savings	Cumulative Net

Understanding Utility Solar Billing in the United States

1-to-1 Retail Net Metering (NEM 1.0 / 2.0): The electric meter spins backward at the same rate you pay for power. Every kilowatt-hour exported offsets a full retail kilowatt-hour. This gives the fastest payback but is being phased out in states like California (NEM 3.0).
Self-Consumption Only (Zero-Export): For plug-in solar devices operating without a formal interconnection export agreement, power consumed immediately inside the home offsets retail utility bills. Any excess electricity sent out through the meter receives zero compensation (and on digital smart meters, unapproved backfeed may register as normal consumption).
Net Billing & Avoided-Cost Export: Energy consumed in real time avoids your retail rate (e.g. 25-35 cents/kWh), while excess solar pushed to the grid is credited at the wholesale avoided-cost price (typically 3-6 cents/kWh). Adding an affordable 1.5-2kWh battery captures that surplus for evening use, dramatically boosting return on investment.