# SolarIQ — Solar Savings Intelligence

SolarIQ helps US homeowners calculate exact solar savings and find every available incentive. Real 2026 data sourced from DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency) and EIA (US Energy Information Administration).

## What This Site Does

- Calculates solar savings by state, monthly bill, and system size
- Indexes all 50 state solar incentive programs plus DC (updated 2026)
- Covers federal 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit (Form 5695)
- Compares incentive programs across neighboring states
- Provides sizing calculators for panels, batteries, and costs
- Includes long-form guides on cost trends, net metering, batteries, and off-grid systems

## Key Calculators

- /calculator — Main solar savings calculator. Inputs: monthly electric bill, US state, optional roof size. Returns: system size, panel count, gross cost, federal/state credit, net cost, payback period, 25-year savings.
- /solar-panel-calculator — Panel count sizing. Inputs: monthly kWh usage, state. Returns: panels needed, system kW, roof sq ft.
- /solar-cost-calculator — Installation cost by state and system size. Returns: gross cost, federal credit, state credit, net cost.
- /solar-battery-calculator — Battery storage sizing. Inputs: monthly bill, electricity rate. Returns: capacity (kWh), cost, after-credit cost.
- /commercial-solar-calculator — Commercial & industrial (C&I) solar + battery ROI calculator. Inputs: monthly bill, state, optional facility type, roof/land area, battery, domestic-content and energy-community bonus toggles. Returns: system kW, Section 48E credit, MACRS depreciation benefit, net cost, payback, 25-year savings.

## Federal Incentives

- Residential (homeowners): Federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (25D), 30% — but this credit ended after 2025. Historical detail page: /federal-tax-credit. Filed on IRS Form 5695.
- Commercial (businesses): Section 48E Clean Electricity Investment Credit — 30% base (prevailing-wage & apprenticeship rules met, or projects under 1 MW), plus stackable +10% domestic content and +10% energy community bonuses, up to 50%. Filed on IRS Form 3468. Stacks with 5-year MACRS depreciation (100% bonus depreciation). Begin-construction deadline of July 4, 2026 for the most favorable treatment. Detail page: /section-48e-tax-credit

## Commercial & Industrial (C&I) Solar

- /commercial — Pillar guide: commercial solar + battery storage ROI in 2026. Covers Section 48E credit, MACRS depreciation, the July 4, 2026 construction deadline, and per-facility economics. Embeds the commercial ROI calculator.
- /section-48e-tax-credit — The commercial solar investment tax credit explained: 30% base rate, the two 10% bonus adders, stacking with depreciation, elective pay / transferability, and the begin-construction deadline.
- Facility-type pages at /commercial/{slug}: warehouses, manufacturing, retail, office, cold-storage, agriculture, hospitality, self-storage. Each covers load profile, system sizing, and the federal incentive stack for that building type.

## Incentive Type Index

- /incentives/net-metering — Retail-rate, modified-rate, and avoided-cost variants explained.
- /incentives/srec — SREC markets and how to monetize solar production.
- /incentives/property-tax-exemption — States that exclude solar's added home value from assessments.
- /incentives/sales-tax-exemption — States that exempt PV equipment from sales tax.
- /incentives/state-tax-credit — States with income tax credits stacking on the federal 30%.
- /incentives/utility-rebates — Cash rebates from electric utilities.

## Find Incentives by Location

- /solar-incentives-near-me — Hub explaining that solar incentives are set by state and utility, not a single national program. Links to all 50 states + DC and highlights the largest state tax credits.
- /free-solar-panels — Fact-check on "free solar" and "no-cost solar program" ads (they are leases/PPAs that claim your 30% federal credit). Compares ownership vs lease/PPA lifetime savings.

## City Pages

Major metros have a city-level page at /states/{state-slug}/{city-slug} covering the local electric utility, that utility's net metering / solar buyback rules, local sun hours and average bill, and what solar costs in that city — e.g. /states/california/los-angeles (LADWP), /states/texas/austin (Austin Energy), /states/arizona/phoenix (APS), /states/colorado/denver (Xcel Energy), /states/new-york/new-york-city (Con Edison), /states/florida/miami (FPL).

## State Pages

Each state has a primary page at /states/{slug}, a net-metering rate page at /states/{slug}/net-metering, and a rebates drilldown at /states/{slug}/rebates.

- /states/alabama — Alabama solar incentives (no state credit, no statewide net metering, ~$28K avg 25-yr savings)
- /states/alaska — Alaska solar incentives (modified net metering, low sun hours)
- /states/arizona — Arizona solar incentives (25% state credit up to $1,000, modified net metering, property + sales tax exemptions, ~$53K avg 25-yr savings)
- /states/arkansas — Arkansas solar incentives (retail-rate net metering)
- /states/california — California solar incentives (NEM 3.0 modified net metering, property tax exemption, ~$59K avg 25-yr savings)
- /states/colorado — Colorado solar incentives (retail net metering, property + sales tax exemptions)
- /states/connecticut — Connecticut solar incentives (modified net metering, active SREC market, exemptions)
- /states/delaware — Delaware solar incentives (retail net metering, SREC market, property exemption)
- /states/district-of-columbia — DC solar incentives (retail net metering, SREC market, exemptions)
- /states/florida — Florida solar incentives (retail net metering, property + sales tax exemptions)
- /states/georgia — Georgia solar incentives (no state credit, no net metering)
- /states/hawaii — Hawaii solar incentives (35% state credit up to $5K, modified net metering, fastest payback in US)
- /states/idaho — Idaho solar incentives (avoided-cost net metering)
- /states/illinois — Illinois solar incentives (retail net metering, SREC market, property exemption)
- /states/indiana — Indiana solar incentives (no state credit, no net metering)
- /states/iowa — Iowa solar incentives (15% state credit up to $5K, retail net metering, property exemption)
- /states/kansas — Kansas solar incentives (modified net metering)
- /states/kentucky — Kentucky solar incentives (retail net metering)
- /states/louisiana — Louisiana solar incentives (retail net metering)
- /states/maine — Maine solar incentives (modified net metering, property exemption)
- /states/maryland — Maryland solar incentives (state credit, retail net metering, SREC market, property + sales exemptions)
- /states/massachusetts — Massachusetts solar incentives (15% state credit up to $1K, modified net metering, SREC market, exemptions)
- /states/michigan — Michigan solar incentives (modified net metering)
- /states/minnesota — Minnesota solar incentives (retail net metering, property + sales exemptions)
- /states/mississippi — Mississippi solar incentives (no state credit, no net metering)
- /states/missouri — Missouri solar incentives (retail net metering)
- /states/montana — Montana solar incentives (retail net metering, property exemption up to $500)
- /states/nebraska — Nebraska solar incentives (retail net metering)
- /states/nevada — Nevada solar incentives (modified net metering)
- /states/new-hampshire — New Hampshire solar incentives (modified net metering, property exemption)
- /states/new-jersey — New Jersey solar incentives (modified net metering, active SREC market, exemptions, ~$55K avg 25-yr savings)
- /states/new-mexico — New Mexico solar incentives (10% state credit up to $6K, retail net metering, property exemption)
- /states/new-york — New York solar incentives (25% state credit up to $5K, modified net metering, property + sales exemptions, ~$50K avg 25-yr savings)
- /states/north-carolina — North Carolina solar incentives (retail net metering, property exemption)
- /states/north-dakota — North Dakota solar incentives (avoided-cost net metering, property exemption)
- /states/ohio — Ohio solar incentives (retail net metering, SREC market)
- /states/oklahoma — Oklahoma solar incentives (avoided-cost net metering)
- /states/oregon — Oregon solar incentives (retail net metering)
- /states/pennsylvania — Pennsylvania solar incentives (retail net metering, SREC market)
- /states/rhode-island — Rhode Island solar incentives (retail net metering, property + sales exemptions)
- /states/south-carolina — South Carolina solar incentives (25% state credit up to $3.5K, retail net metering)
- /states/south-dakota — South Dakota solar incentives (avoided-cost net metering, property exemption)
- /states/tennessee — Tennessee solar incentives (no state credit, no net metering, TVA territory)
- /states/texas — Texas solar incentives (no state credit, no net metering, property exemption, ~$39K avg 25-yr savings)
- /states/utah — Utah solar incentives (25% state credit up to $400, modified net metering)
- /states/vermont — Vermont solar incentives (modified net metering, property exemption)
- /states/virginia — Virginia solar incentives (retail net metering, property exemption)
- /states/washington — Washington solar incentives (retail net metering, sales exemption)
- /states/west-virginia — West Virginia solar incentives (avoided-cost net metering)
- /states/wisconsin — Wisconsin solar incentives (retail net metering, property + sales exemptions)
- /states/wyoming — Wyoming solar incentives (avoided-cost net metering)

## Compare Pages

Side-by-side comparisons of neighboring states. Examples:
- /compare/california-vs-nevada
- /compare/california-vs-arizona
- /compare/texas-vs-louisiana
- /compare/florida-vs-georgia
- /compare/new-york-vs-new-jersey
- /compare/massachusetts-vs-connecticut
- /compare/north-carolina-vs-south-carolina

Full set covers every adjacent state pair with significant solar adoption.

## Blog (Long-Form Guides)

- /blog/solar-panel-cost-2026 — Complete 2026 installed pricing guide with state-by-state spreads
- /blog/how-does-federal-solar-tax-credit-work — Form 5695 walkthrough in plain English
- /blog/net-metering-explained — Retail rate vs avoided cost, rollover rules, time-of-use interaction
- /blog/solar-battery-worth-it — State-by-state battery economics, where they pay back, where they don't
- /blog/off-grid-solar-power-systems — Sizing arrays, battery banks, generators for full off-grid living

## Data Sources

- DSIRE (dsireusa.org) — Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency
- EIA (eia.gov) — US Energy Information Administration
- Updated: 2026-06-01

## Calculation Methodology

- Electricity rate baseline: $0.14/kWh national average (2026)
- Panel wattage: 400W (standard residential)
- Derate factor: 0.80 (industry standard for inverter, wiring, soiling, temperature)
- Electricity inflation: 3% annual
- Panel degradation: 0.5% annual
- 25-year horizon, no future battery retrofit assumed
- Federal credit: 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit applied to gross system cost
- State credits: applied per state with caps where applicable