With the 30% tax credit expiring at the end of 2025, you might be wondering if it’s still worth it to go solar. While we understand that the absence of the tax credit takes away a large incentive, there are still plenty of other reasons why you should consider solar in the upcoming year. From zeroing your utility bills to making an environmental impact, solar is still the way to go.
Why You Should Still Consider Solar
Several benefits of going solar have often been overshadowed by the federal tax credit – but now, they take center stage.
- Long-Term Savings
Despite the credit not being available, you will have a net utility bill. Your solar net utility meter will provide consistent monthly savings as your solar production offsets your home or business consumption. The only difference is that now this investment will take slightly longer to pay off than before, without the credit. However, if you adopt a more long-term mindset and remember that everything will still zero out, then this is a major incentive to go solar.
Furthermore, electric bills are only going to increase over the coming years. In fact, nationally, they have consistently been rising by an average of around 2.89% per year over the past 10 years. The northeast region has been pacing around double that annual increase. That adds up a lot over time. Ultimately, you would be saving way more money than what you’d think.
- Energy Independence
By investing in solar, you will also have the benefits of being able to generate your own power and being less dependent on the grid. Again, this is significant because, not only are you able to feel a sense of self-reliance, but you are also able to protect yourself from your utility company’s rate increasing.
Additionally, if you also consider battery storage, you will be even more independent from the grid. This could be helpful in this time of uncertain weather conditions/climate that are yielding more power outages. In a time of climate chaos, a combination of solar and battery storage becomes a form of resistance.
- Home Value Boost
In Massachusetts, for instance, homes with solar property sell for an average of around 4.1% higher than homes without. This is partly because people are attracted to homes with solar since it’s environmentally beneficial. However, people are also attracted to these homes when the system is already paid off by the previous owner, because then the buyers get to reap the benefit of a net utility bill immediately.
So, if you are considering selling your home in future years, solar is still the way to go, as it has a good chance of boosting your home’s market value and selling more quickly.
Here at Solaris, we are equipped to fully help you handle a homeowner transition, as we have protocols to ensure that the solar system is taken care of during the ownership switch.
- Environmental Impact
It’s important to remember one of the primary moral reasons for why solar is essential – it is a form of clean energy, which is so much better for the environment than oil or natural gas. Since solar harnesses energy directly from the sun, there is no input of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which are the largest contributors towards our current climate crisis. Going solar makes an environmental impact and increases your sense of climate awareness, which is powerful in this time of uncertainty.
- Mindfulness
With the help of your solar and home energy monitoring apps, when you still choose to go solar, you can better understand your home’s energy consumption. Not only is this a cool aspect to analyze, but it also makes you way more conscious of things in your house that don’t always need to be on or are wasting energy. This is great for the environment, of course, but also increases your overall mindfulness regarding your energy habits.
- Low Maintenance And High Reliability
Solar panels that require little maintenance are durable for at least a 25-year period, guaranteed. Investing in them now would mean, despite the tax credit not being readily available, you would have a solar system in place that would last you nearly three decades. Just think of all the money you would save and the environmental impact you would have for around 30 years.
Ways To Financially Navigate Solar Moving Forward
No federal tax credit means that homeowners are not directly eligible for a 30% tax deduction if they buy their solar property themselves. However, that does not mean that there are no other ways to save money when going solar.
Third-Party Ownership
Through PPAs and leases, you can still obtain net metering savings when going solar. These methods of third-party-ownership allow you to enter an agreement with a finance company to realize the tax credits in the form of a discounted monthly solar payment. Essentially, that company will buy your solar panels on your behalf. You won’t technically own them, so the company will be eligible for the tax credit and can then pass on some of those savings to you. This is a great route to lean towards if you are wanting to find a loophole to still receive a tax credit.
Other Incentives Still Exist
It’s important to remember that, despite this elimination of the federal tax credit, there are still state tax credits for solar in Massachusetts – where we serve our customers here at Solaris Renewables. Yes, these credits are smaller than the federal credit, but they still count for something.
Net metering credits also still exist, meaning that you will get paid a certain amount of money for extra energy that you pass back to the grid from your solar system.
Lastly, the REC program is still in place, which is another way that solar homeowners can earn cash payments for the clean energy that they are producing. All of these are more underappreciated incentives that are important to not forget about.
Net Utility Bills
As previously mentioned, if you trust your ROI and take on a more long-term mindset, your solar system will still completely pay off eventually, resulting in a net utility bill and, ultimately, steady savings. This provides you with a sense of security and predictability in regards to your electricity bills, especially when it’s known that monthly utility rates will continue to rise year after year.
Other Solar Financing Options
In addition to third-party ownership, there are also companies all over the United States whose sole purpose is to provide aspiring solar owners with loans for their systems. These companies can be extremely helpful and innovative in the current landscape to provide savings as they continue to thrive in the absence of the federal tax credit.
Invest In Solar Today
Clearly, there are still many reasons to go solar and many ways to financially benefit from it even despite this recent removal of the federal tax credit. It’s important to keep all of these alternative options in mind before you rule solar out because there are still so many benefits to becoming a solar owner.
If you like what you’ve heard and you’re still interested in going solar in 2026, then we are here for you at Solaris Renewables. We can not install your system until the new year, but please contact us as soon as possible so we can get you a quote, talk over savings options, and come up with a course of action for your future solar system.