Tools
Cash, loan, lease or subscription
Four ways to get solar, side by side over 25 years. The winner depends on your credit, your horizon and how much risk you want to carry.
| No solar | Cash purchase | Loan | Lease / PPA | Subscription | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront | — | — | — | — | — |
| Year-1 monthly payment | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total paid over 25 years | — | — | — | — | — |
| System owner | — | You | You (with debt) | Third party | Third party |
| Requires credit | — | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Exit | — | Sell with the system | Pay off or transfer the debt | Transfer or buyout | End of term: renew or free removal |
Subscription is modeled as today’s bill minus the guaranteed savings, renewed each term; beyond the term the figures are illustrative. Lease is modeled with a monthly payment and escalator; cash and loan pay only the utility minimum charge. No column includes maintenance, inverter replacement or usage changes.
Illustrative estimate, not a proposal. Real numbers depend on your roof, your month-by-month usage, your utility and the installer. The diagnosis uses your 12 real bills.
Assumptions and sources
- EIA — Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (Florida residential 15.03 ¢/kWh, Jul 2026)
- PVWatts (NLR, formerly NREL) — Florida production ~1,455-1,568 kWh/kW-yr south-facing; we use a conservative 1,300
- SolarReviews — Solar panel cost Florida ($2.71/W, Oct 2026)
- SolarReviews — Going solar with FPL ($25 minimum bill)
- SolarReviews — Solar financing options (historical rate growth ~2.67%/yr)
Free · No pressure · 15 minutes
What about your home?
We look at the real numbers of your home and tell you what makes sense, and what doesn’t. You leave the conversation knowing what to do, whether you move forward or not.