Home Solar Done Right: Tax Credits, Financing Math and Red Flags Before You Sign Anything
The reader evaluates rooftop solar like a spreadsheet, not a sales pitch: which federal incentives survive in 2026, how cash, loan, lease and PPA offers differ in ownership and true cost, whether production estimates match the roof, what the utility pays for exported power, which contract clauses signal trouble, and how an honest payback period comes out — with or without batteries.
Free preview: 4 of 25 steps
Work through them in the real run view, exactly as a buyer does. No account, no payment, nothing saved.
3 free unlocks per month — yours to keep forever
No account needed — nothing is saved.
Included with every copy
- Your own copy — keep it forever
- Gets better over time — free updates included
- Run it on web and mobile
- Invite a partner to go through it with you — you share the same progress
- Make it your own — a private copy you can edit to fit your situation
- The playbook's community — ask questions, get additions, and see how other buyers improve it, right on the step
Who it's for
US homeowners weighing a rooftop solar offer — especially anyone receiving door-to-door visits, mailers or calls — and homeowners who signed recently and want to know their cancellation rights before the window closes.
About this playbook
A lookup guide for homeowners facing a rooftop solar pitch: what remains of the federal tax credit after its December 2025 termination, how cash, loan, lease and PPA offers differ in true cost, whether promised production matches the actual roof, what the utility really pays for exported power, and which contract clauses separate a fair deal from a predatory one. Entries stand alone — open the section matching the question at hand, run the check, and write down the result. Every calculation is designed to be redone with the reader’s own bills, tariff and quotes instead of the numbers printed in a sales proposal. The guide stops at the sign-or-walk decision; it does not cover DIY installation, off-grid systems, or preparing tax returns beyond pointing at the right form.
What you'll do, step by stepFree preview
Only a sample is open: 4 of 25 steps can be read in full. The rest unlock when you buy.
Phase 1: Which Federal Incentives Still Exist
5 stepsPhase 2: Compare Cash, Loan, Lease and PPA Offers
4 stepsPhase 3: Verify Production Claims Against Your Roof
4 stepsPhase 4: Net Metering and Export Rates at Your Utility
4 stepsPhase 5: Contract Red Flags and Door-to-Door Tactics
4 stepsPhase 6: Payoff Math and the Battery Question
4 steps
Details
What you need first
A utility account showing twelve months of usage, any written proposal or contract already received, knowledge of whether the home is owned, and the utility's name and current rate plan.
