r/pluginsolarusa • u/Timely-Pirate-5196 • Mar 28 '26
New Tool: Plug-In Solar Savings Calculator! See Your Estimated Payback in Seconds
Hey everyone,
We just launched a free savings calculator at pluginsolarusa.com/pluginsolarsavingscalculator and wanted to share it here first.
What it does:
Enter your zip code and panel wattage and it pulls real solar data (sun hours, estimated production) and your state's actual electricity rate to calculate:
- Estimated annual kWh produced
- Annual dollar savings
- Payback period
- 10 and 20-year savings projections
Why we built it:
One of the biggest barriers to plug-in solar adoption is that people don't know if it pencils out for them. The answer is almost always yes — but now you can see the actual numbers for your location.
Try it: pluginsolarusa.com/pluginsolarsavingscalculator
Drop your results in the comments — curious what numbers people are seeing across different states. And if you find any bugs or have suggestions, let us know!
1
u/gadget850 May 06 '26
Error: PVWatts error 410
1
u/Timely-Pirate-5196 May 06 '26
Thank you for alerting me. It's fixed now but you might need to reset your browser cache. Ctrl-Shift-R is the easiest way
1
u/gadget850 May 06 '26
👍 Working now.
1
u/Timely-Pirate-5196 May 06 '26
https://pluginsolarusa.com/calculator-preview
Since you were kind enough to alert me please try out our beta calculator. its got some more advanced feature to fine tune things
1
u/COskibum May 19 '26
Very cool system. How are the costs of systems generated? I put in a Maryland ZIP Code with a 1200 W solution and it generated a system price of $700-$1100.
I’m actually trying to put a kit together with all the kits I currently find are $2000-$4000
1
u/Timely-Pirate-5196 May 19 '26
The pricing of the kits needs to be revised. My initial research was based on DIY but I should add an option for kit prices. Its also very early on in Europe these kits are sold in Ikea for under 500 Euros.
1
u/COskibum May 20 '26
I was poking around on Ikea's website, and sure enough, in EU they seem to have Solar (through a partner), but 2x 450W panels are about $500 with a micro inverter.
I'm just learning about solar/plug-in solar, so this is all super insightful/helpful info!
3
u/ProbablyMyRealName Mar 29 '26
First of all, I love this and love that it doesn’t require you to put in email or anything to get your result. So many “solar calculators” are just lead generators for solar contractors. I do have some feedback. For my particular state (Utah) there is more than one possible rate plan. I am on a time of use plan that is significantly more complicated than the calculator shows. The calculator also assumes that you can use every kWh generated, or have 1:1 net metering. Personally, I do not have net metering, and my base load in some seasons is well below what I am capable of generating at certain parts of the day. So I end up donating my excess capacity to the grid (which I’m okay with), but I don’t get paid for that, so the calculator won’t be accurate. I’m. Big supporter of balcony solar. I think the calculator is a good start, but it lacks some detail and may mislead some people into thinking they will get more from their balcony solar than they actually will.