Compare · X vs Y
Solar + battery vs solar-only sizing
Decisions built from Solar only and Solar + battery — editorial analysis; each figure sourced or labeled in review.
Side ASolar only
Side BSolar + battery
FrameBuyer-side · no sales stake
Your utility's export-credit rules — retail 'net metering' vs net billing at ~$0.05/kWh — decide whether a battery pays. In retail states the meter banks for free; in net-billing states a battery brings you the night shift.
At a glance: Solar only vs Solar + battery
| Solar only | Solar + battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Export price | Retail-rate credits buy the power from you | Net-billing rates on export |
| Evening | Buy back at retail | Use stored kWh |
| Outages | No | Some hours (model dependant) |
| Cost | Lower upfront, faster pay | Adds battery cost (in review per size) |
When Solar only wins
- Retail net-metering states (e.g. FL, TX market rules per your chip): the meter IS the battery — your daily import/export rolls.
- You want the fastest payback and the simplest math.
When Solar + battery wins
- Net-billing states (CA NEM3-style ~$0.05 export, CO, and wherever the grid export drops): the battery's evening kWh is worth the retail-wholesale margin to you.
- Outages in retail states too: when your ZIP’s outages last hours, the battery bridges the dark.
The honest verdict
Get the export rate first (your state page chip), then run the estimator twice. In retail states a battery usually dies on payback; in net states it can be the difference between solar that pays and solar that's architecture.
Where these figures come from
Source review: 2026-09-21. These sources support financing risks and tax distinctions, not a price or savings guarantee.
Questions homeowners ask
How much battery does a house need?
Start from your evening kWh between sunset and the post-sun hours — not the battery's brochure. 10-15 kWh covers many homes' base load; a heat pump always needs the 15+ class. Installers quote storage differently — compare $ per usable kWh (in review).