Blog

Guides and explainers on free solar and home-energy savings estimators.

• Is Home Battery Storage Worth It?August 26, 2026What a home battery does, the three cases where it can pay for itself, why poor net metering changed the economics, and the numbers to run before buying.
• Heat Pumps 101August 19, 2026How a heat pump heats and cools with the same box, what COP and SCOP mean, how running costs compare to gas and electric resistance, and whether one works in a cold climate.
• EV vs Gas: The Real Cost ComparisonAugust 12, 2026Fuel, maintenance, depreciation, and charging infrastructure compared — where an EV saves money, where it doesn't, and how home charging and solar change the picture.
• Solar Payback Period GuideAugust 5, 2026How the payback period is calculated, what a good number looks like in 2026 without the federal credit, the factors that stretch or shrink it, and the subtleties calculators simplify.
• Net Metering ExplainedJuly 29, 2026What happens to the solar power you don't use immediately, why the export rate matters more than the panels, how policies like California's NEM 3.0 changed the math, and what to check before you buy.
• How Solar Panels Are PricedJuly 22, 2026Where your money goes in a solar quote, why 'dollars per watt' is the number to compare, how equipment tiers change the price, and how financing quietly inflates the total.
• Is Solar Worth It? An Honest BreakdownJuly 15, 2026The four factors that decide whether home solar pays off in 2026 — now that the 30% federal tax credit is gone — plus the clear yes cases, the clear no cases, and the mistakes that wreck the math.
• What Happened to the 30% Federal Solar Tax CreditJuly 8, 2026The federal residential solar tax credit (IRC §25D) ended for costs paid after December 31, 2025. What changed, why, who is grandfathered, and what incentives still exist.