SolarEnergyPrices

Battery calculator

Two questions, two tools: how long will a battery run my essentials? and does a battery earn its keep financially? The second answer is often “no” on energy savings alone — the tool says so plainly, then lets you weigh backup value separately.

Federal battery credit for owned residential systems: $0 in 2026 (§25D expired 12/31/2025). Typical installed cost: ~$1,000–$2,000/kWh.

Wall-mounted home battery storage unit with inverter in a residential garage.
A residential battery and inverter — the hardware behind the backup and savings math below.

Backup duration estimator

How long could this battery run your essentials?

Solar-only vs solar + battery economics

Batteries rarely pay for themselves on energy savings alone — see the honest math.

Why batteries rarely “pay for themselves”

A battery lets you shift a few kWh a day from cheap daytime export to expensive evening use. At typical rate spreads and $1,000–$2,000/kWh installed, that arbitrage rarely covers the cost within its warranty life. Batteries usually make sense for outage resilience, TOU/demand-charge savings where tariffs reward it, or net-billing markets where export value is low. Model yours — don’t trust a sales pitch. Read the battery economics guide.