Your solar payback depends more on your electric utility's tariff sheet than on the brand of panels on your roof. Explore our primary-source tariff audits for America's largest investor-owned utilities.
Inside PG&E’s E-ELEC rate schedule and CPUC Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC) export credits: why midday solar exports pay 3–5¢/kWh while 4–9 PM peak power costs 62¢/kWh, and how a 14.3kWh LFP battery slashes payback to 4.5 years.
Why '1-to-1 Texas solar buyback plans' in Oncor territory still charge ~5.1¢/kWh in non-bypassable TDU delivery fees, how Real-Time Wholesale (RTW) caps work, and how pairing a battery with Free Nights or RTW plans maximizes ROI.
FPL still honors true 1-to-1 retail net metering—but crossing the 10 kW AC (~11.7 kW DC) Tier 1 boundary triggers a mandatory $1,000,000 personal liability insurance requirement and $400 Tier 2 application fee.
Turnkey solar salespeople routinely charge $3.60–$4.80/W by bundling 30% loan dealer fees and $12,000+ battery margins. Buying Tier-1 UL9540 hardware directly—either DIY or hiring a local licensed electrician ($1,500–$2,500)—cuts total cost by 50–65%.
The gold-standard UL9540 all-in-one hybrid system. Pair an 18kW PV input hybrid inverter (200A pass-through) with an indoor/outdoor IP65 14.3kWh LiFePO4 WallMount battery—saving $12,000+ vs turnkey quotes.
Skip the $30,000 contractor quote and 6-month utility interconnection wait. Delivers 7.2kW–21.6kW continuous 120V/240V split-phase output and 5.6kW Solar Input right out of the box—expandable up to 90kWh.
Complete modular 48V architecture combining high-efficiency N-type bifacial panels, a 48V 3,500W–5,000W MPPT inverter-charger, and smart modular LiFePO4 storage at ~$1.15/W hardware cost.
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Holding a proposal from a local utility solar rep? Check your exact $/W markup, hidden 30% dealer fees, and NREL yield in 10 seconds.