Tools
Cash, loan, lease or subscription
Four ways to get solar, side by side over 25 years. The winner depends on your credit, your horizon and how much risk you want to carry.
| No solar | Cash purchase | Loan | Lease / PPA | Subscription | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront | — | — | — | — | — |
| Year-1 monthly payment | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total paid over 25 years | — | — | — | — | — |
| System owner | — | You | You (with debt) | Third party | Third party |
| Requires credit | — | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Exit | — | Sell with the system | Pay off or transfer the debt | Transfer or buyout | End of term: renew or free removal |
Subscription is modeled as today’s bill minus the guaranteed savings, renewed each term; beyond the term the figures are illustrative. Lease is modeled with a monthly payment and escalator; cash and loan pay only the utility minimum charge. No column includes maintenance, inverter replacement or usage changes.
Illustrative estimate, not a proposal. Real numbers depend on your roof, your month-by-month usage, your utility and the installer. Your real review uses your 12 real bills.
Assumptions and sources
- EnergySage — Electricity cost in Florida (16 ¢/kWh, Sep 2026)
- EnergySage — Solar panel cost in Florida ($2.12/W, 14.53 kW system, 93% offset)
- SolarReviews — Solar panel cost Florida ($2.71/W, Sep 2026)
- SolarReviews — Going solar with FPL ($25 minimum bill)
- SolarReviews — Solar financing options (historical rate growth ~2.67%/yr)
2 minutes · No pressure · Spanish or English
Your Central Florida home could start saving this year.
Tell us about your home in 2 minutes. We review your real bill and tell you how much you would save with the subscription. If it doesn’t make sense for you, we say so.