Rooftop Solar Owners Want You To Know What They’ve Learned

---

Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

---

Over the last year, we here at CleanTechnica have been compiling survey data about rooftop solar installations. The analysis stage of our project is just beginning, but it’s clear from the get-go that rooftop solar owners want to share their experiences — to help others, but also to affirm that solar is a viable, reliable, and powerful source of energy for homes and businesses.

As we start to digest the responses, one question is at the forefront of our minds: what makes people want to buy and install rooftop solar? What broad themes emerged from our survey about consumer motivation to install rooftop solar?

Each household has its own particular primary goal as they investigate becoming rooftop solar owners. Take our friends, Ted and Nancy, who have 8 solar panels on the roof of their 1200-square-foot lake house in New Jersey, where they spend about 5 months of the year. Their rooftop solar motivation arose from the need to add electricity to their off-grid home, which is quite distinct from many consumers who have gone the solar route. For these NJ homeowners, the cost of installation wasn’t as important as the end results of electrical access.

In our CleanTechnica survey responses, financial savings and energy independence were two of the top reasons to invest in rooftop solar.

Savings On Electricity, Month After Month, From Rooftop Solar

Understanding the capitalization of solar installations into home values is especially interesting because adding a solar system is one of the most expensive changes homeowners can make. But that’s not the only cost that consumers take into account when considering rooftop solar for their home or business. The ability to save money was one of the primary reasons why our survey respondents said they had installed rooftop solar. Solar’s return on investment and drop in monthly bills was a strong motivator.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the average US electric bill is $132.17, based on data collected from 2023. Connecticut has the second highest electrical costs; only Hawai’i is higher. Perhaps that is why Connecticut stands out for the state’s early effort to broaden access to rooftop solar, specifically to low- and moderate-income residents, through incentive projects under their Residential Solar Investment Program (RSIP). After implementation of the RSIP, participation in rooftop solar opened up to new communities, and that the median observed growth rate in rooftop solar adoption doubled throughout the state.

Rooftop solar can reduce energy costs and, therefore, reduce energy burden. More and more homeowners are turning to solar power to reduce their carbon footprint and save on monthly electricity bills. But how much can you actually expect to save on electricity bills after installing solar panels?

The average savings from solar panels varies, based on state electricity rates and other factors like average sun hours, usage, local incentives, location, system size, and electricity consumption. Data from EcoFlow points to an average residential solar array with a power output of 7.15 kW. Assuming an average of 4.5 peak sun hours per day, this system would have a daily production of 32.2 kWh and a monthly output of around 965 kWh. Considering the US average monthly electricity usage of 886 kWh, a 7.15 kW solar array would produce more than this and could save the average homeowner the pre-solar cost for electricity.

The average US household can expect to save around $1,500 on their electricity bills annually. This estimate indicates that solar panels can provide significant long-term savings for homeowners.

There’s another caveat that isn’t widely discussed. Solar power costs are stable for years, but utility prices frequently rise. Rooftop solar owners have confidence knowing that the cost to power their homes or businesses will not soar due to factors beyond their control.

Consumers Gain Energy Independence With Solar

In our CleanTechnica survey, respondents shared how important rooftop solar was for energy independence and self-sufficiency. Energy self-sufficiency is the capability to satisfy energy needs without depending on others. Most consumers yearn to attain a certain degree of self-sufficiency for energy security, and rooftop solar has been widely identified as being critical to achieving such goals.

Achieving complete energy independence through solar power is a powerful financial decision that transforms a home into a self-sustaining entity. Contemporary solar technology, coupled with advanced battery storage systems, now makes it possible for home and business owners to generate, store, and manage their own electricity year-round. This shift away from traditional utility dependence offers more than just lower monthly bill; it provides protection against rising energy costs, power outages, and grid instability, while increasing property value.

The ease of integration of this technology in the residential sector is a real advantage of this technology. So, too, is its high economic return compared to the level of risk: its profitability is directly proportional to the cost of electricity. As a result, these rooftop solar installations have become extremely interesting to consumers, as their profitability increases when the cost of electricity rises.

Indeed (excepting the US with the current anti-renewables Trump administration) the implications of strategic PV deployment for regional self-sufficiency by 2050 are gaining traction.

Solar Power Appeal Continues To Expand

Solar power is the fastest way and least expensive way to add more electricity to the nation’s electricity grid. The US solar industry added 8.6 gigawatts (GW) of new solar module manufacturing capacity in Q1 2025, marking the third-largest quarter for new manufacturing capacity on record.

The development of complementary energy technologies such as vehicle-to-grid capability, smart homes, and battery energy storage systems has stimulated consumer awareness of the combined benefits of rooftop solar and other technologies. Some households adopt multiple sustainable energy technologies as part of a larger equation as they add rooftop solar, such as plug-in electric vehicles, battery energy storage systems, smart appliances, smart thermostats, and more. Most of these additions are phased in rather than installed concurrently.

In the past 15 years, residential rooftop solar has gone from a niche curiosity to a common sight in many neighborhoods around the US. For example, in the US states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, nearly 9% of all homes have solar. This is important because it means that residential solar now has the potential to influence housing markets.

---

We’ll continue to explore the results of our CleanTechnica survey over the next few weeks. Respondents offered a good deal of interesting information and commentary that we’ll share periodically. Stay tuned.