Solar Self-Consumption Calculator 2026 — Use vs Export
Estimate how much solar you use at home vs export in 2026, the bill savings from each, and payback at your retail and export rates. No federal credit included.
Estimate scope & data quality
- SEO Quick Estimate Uses the inputs available in this calculator.
- Personalized Estimate Use your own bill and location information where this calculator supports it.
- Detailed Solar Economics NOT_COMPUTABLE here without a verified tariff, system design, quote, and eligibility record.
- Data quality
- NOT_AVAILABLE
- Result limitation
- Calculator output is not a source-complete customer result.
A tariff credit is distinct from annual savings. If a result is NOT_COMPUTABLE or CONFLICT, it must not be replaced with an estimate or treated as canonical.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your solar system size in kW and your retail electricity rate ($/kWh).
- Set peak sun hours for your location (the site average is 4.5).
- Set your self-consumption rate — the share of solar output you use directly (25–40% is typical without a battery).
- Enter the credit your utility pays for exported kWh (equal to your retail rate under full net metering, lower under net billing).
- Adjust installed price per watt and any rebates to see annual savings, payback and 25-year net savings. No federal credit is applied for 2026 installs.
Understanding your results
Short answer: A 7 kW system at 4.5 peak sun hours produces about 9,428 kWh a year. If you use 35% of it directly (saving the US-average 18.19¢/kWh, EIA, July 2026 year-to-date) and export the rest for a 10¢ credit, it saves about $1,213 a year; at $3.00/W ($21,000 installed, no federal credit in 2026) payback is about 17.3 years and 25-year net savings about $20,400.
What self-consumption rate means: It is the percentage of your solar production used directly in your home rather than exported to the grid. Each self-consumed kWh saves your full retail rate; each exported kWh earns whatever export credit your utility pays. When export credits are lower than retail rates, a higher self-consumption rate means more savings from the same panels.
How this calculator works: Annual production = kW × peak sun hours × 365 × 0.82 (system losses). Savings = self-consumed kWh × retail rate + exported kWh × export credit. Installed cost = kW × 1,000 × price per watt − rebates, with no federal credit subtracted for 2026 purchases. Payback = installed cost ÷ year-1 savings. The 25-year net savings assume 3%/yr rate escalation and 0.5%/yr panel degradation (about 34.1 × year-1 savings) minus installed cost. It assumes you use less solar than you need in total; if production far exceeds your usage, exports may earn even less.
Why it matters more in 2026: The 30% federal residential credit (§25D) ended for systems installed after Dec 31, 2025, so owned systems now carry their full price and every kWh of value counts. Many states have moved from full retail net metering to net billing or low-export credits (for example California’s NEM 3.0), which widens the gap between retail and export value. Check your state’s net-metering rules on DSIRE or your utility’s tariff.
Typical rates: Households with 9-to-5 occupancy typically self-consume about 25–35% of solar production. Work-from-home households often reach 35–55%. Households that shift EV charging, water heating or heat pump use to midday, or add a battery, can reach roughly 60–90%.
Optimization strategies: Running dishwashers, laundry, EV charging and water heating during peak solar hours (about 10am–2pm) is the cheapest way to raise self-consumption without a battery. Smart plugs, timers and EV charging schedules make this automatic.
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers for US homeowners.
Related guides
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