Solar Guides for Homeowners and Renters
Work out whether solar fits your home, compare proposals, and understand the costs of owning a system. Start with your next question, or explore the rules and options in your state.
Start here
Explore solar in your state for local costs, incentives and installer options.
Is solar right for my home?
Where can I install solar panels?
Compare roof, ground, carport and community solar, see how much an east, west or north roof gives up in a modeled example, and find the right guide if you rent, own a condo or live in a manufactured home.
Solar for renters
Sort renter options by who has to say yes: community-solar subscriptions with real bill math, portable panels, plug-in balcony rules, and when to ask the landlord.
Solar for apartments and condos
Renters usually go solar through a community-solar subscription; condo owners need roof rights or an association project. Compare subscription terms, shared-roof credits and where plug-in balcony systems are allowed.
Solar for mobile and manufactured homes
Land control decides the setup: park residents need written approval, owners can compare ground, carport or an engineer-checked roof. See the HUD roof-load zones, title and financing checks, and how to size from your bills.
Solar panels and HOAs
What an HOA can and cannot require in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona and North Carolina, why condo roof ownership changes the answer, and how to file an application a board can approve.
Solar panels on a metal roof
Standing-seam clamps vs sealed brackets for corrugated and ribbed roofs, the gauge, structure and roof-warranty checks to make, and when to reroof before adding solar.
Balcony solar: state laws and output
Six states have plug-in solar laws in effect and four more start in 2027. See each law’s size limit, utility notice and renter rules, and what an 800-watt system can realistically produce.
Costs, savings and support
Best states for solar in 2026
See why D.C., New Jersey and Massachusetts lead EcoGen’s 2026 ranking, with each state’s incentive, power price and example payback, plus where solar is hardest.
Electricity burden calculator
Work out what share of your income goes to electricity, then add gas or heating oil to compare with the 6% and 10% affordability lines and find bill help.
Low-income solar programs
No program installs free panels nationwide. Find state rooftop programs, community solar set-asides and bill help, and check where federal Solar for All stands after the 2026 court rulings.
Solar panel payback period
Work out payback from a proposal’s price, tariff and export credit. EcoGen’s current best cases run from about 9 years in New Jersey to about 14 in Wyoming, and low export credits can push a home past 25.
Federal solar tax credit after 2025
There is no homeowner federal credit for a system installed in 2026. See how 2025 owners still claim or amend, carry unused credit forward, and why lease and PPA credits belong to the equipment owner.
Why electric rates are going up
See how much U.S. and state electricity prices have risen, what is driving them, and how to tell whether your own bill rose because of the rate, your usage or the billing period.
Compare quotes and choose an installer
How to read and compare solar quotes
Find the five lines that make proposals comparable, convert cash, loan, lease and PPA quotes to the right number, and catch loan fees and 2026 tax-credit errors before you sign.
25 questions to ask a solar installer
Ask every bidder the same 25 questions, know what a good or walk-away answer sounds like, and verify the contractor license on your state’s lookup before you sign.
How to buy solar panels, step by step
Nine steps from 12 months of electricity use to permission to operate, with what cash, loan, lease and PPA mean for ownership and a home sale, and why 2026 quotes should not subtract a 30% homeowner credit.
Solar scams and red flags
Spot fake free-panel and government-program pitches, the false 30% credit on 2026 systems and hidden loan terms, and learn exactly how the three-day cancellation rule works if you already signed.
Preparing a proposal? Research solar companies, then use the quote and installer-question guides to compare written answers.
Equipment and installation
Home solar equipment, component by component
What each part of a home solar system does, from panels and inverters to rapid shutdown, the meter and an optional battery, and the question to ask about each before you sign.
Top-rated solar panels
Named rooftop models with dated manufacturer specs and warranty conditions, kept separate from 2026 independent lab results, plus how to check the exact panel in your quote.
Best solar inverters
String, microinverter, optimizer or hybrid: match the type to your roof and battery plan, then compare Enphase, SolarEdge and Tesla warranty fine print and the rapid-shutdown method.
Monocrystalline vs polycrystalline
Why new U.S. home quotes are almost all monocrystalline, how much roof the efficiency gap takes, and what to do if you already own poly panels.
Solar permits and inspections
The permits, inspection and utility permission to operate a home system needs, what you versus your installer handle, and published timelines for each step.
Owning, maintaining or leaving solar
Solar panel repair costs
Dated repair prices for inverters, panels and wiring, who to call first under your warranty or lease, and safe checks before you book a service visit.
Solar panel cleaning costs
Dated cleaning prices, a simple break-even test for whether a cleaning pays for itself, and which DIY methods your panel warranty excludes.
Does home insurance cover solar panels?
Which part of your policy covers roof and ground-mounted panels, the 10% other-structures limit, wind and hail deductibles, and who insures leased systems.
Removing and reinstalling panels for a roof job
Published per-panel reset prices by region, what the quote should include, who must pull the permits, and how to keep panel warranties intact.
How to get out of a solar lease
Find your exits in the contract (transfer, prepayment, buyout, moving the system or early termination), check the remaining-payment math, and handle the UCC filing when you sell the home.
Disposing of or recycling old panels
Reuse, recycling or landfill under current EPA and state rules, what recycling costs per panel, and who to call before old panels leave your property.
Choose the next step that fits your situation
If you are planning a new rooftop system, begin with your state guide and an itemized proposal. If you already have solar or rent your home, use the ownership and renter guides above before buying equipment or signing a contract.
Read each guide’s sources and author information, and check current utility or program terms before acting. Our editorial standards explain how EcoGen handles research and corrections.