About PVFig

PVFig exists because "is solar worth it?" is a question that cannot be answered with a national average. A 6 kW system pays back in roughly 7–8 years in Massachusetts and 18+ years in Idaho — a 2.4× difference driven entirely by where you live.

Generic answers from AI chatbots or national calculators ignore three things that decide your actual payback:

• Your electricity rate — the #1 variable, ranging from 12¢/kWh (Idaho) to 45¢/kWh (Hawaii).
• Your net metering policy — full retail 1:1 vs net billing (NEM 3.0) vs avoided cost changes the math dramatically.
• Your state incentives — tax credits, rebates, and SREC markets that the federal credit's expiration (Dec 31, 2025) made more important than ever.

What we do

• Compile real, dated, sourced data for all 50 states: EIA electricity rates, NREL PVWatts production, DSIRE incentives, and current net metering policy.
• Turn that data into interactive tools: payback calculators, a state comparison matrix, a reverse calculator that works backwards from your target payback, and an honest go/no-go quiz.
• Make the underlying numbers transparent and verifiable — every figure is dated and linked to its source.

How we make money

PVFig is supported by advertising. We do not collect leads, sell your information, or require sign-ups. That means we can be straight with you: when solar is a bad deal in your state, we say so.

Data & corrections

Incentives, SREC prices, and net metering rules change. We update regularly and date every figure. If you spot an error or an outdated figure, contact us and we will correct it with the source.