Solar Investment Analysis Tool

Owning residential solar is a long-term capital decision. BlueLine Advisors helps individuals and families across Exeter, Portsmouth, and nationwide quantify the return on solar ownership — including internal rate of return, net present value, and the year your savings recover your upfront cost. Adjust the assumptions and see results in real time.

Quantify the return on solar ownership

Enter your net system cost and expected annual savings, then refine the financial assumptions to see your estimated IRR, NPV, and breakeven points in nominal and inflation-adjusted dollars. Results are illustrative only.

⚡ Updates in real time 📈 IRR & breakeven analysis 🔒 No sign-up required
System & Cost
Net system cost (after incentives) From your installer quote, after tax credits
Year 1 annual savings ($) From your installer quote or utility bill
Panel degradation (%/yr) Baseline: 0.5% — industry standard warranty
Annual maintenance ($) Baseline: $200 — inverter, cleaning, monitoring
Roof cost at Yr 15 (today $) Baseline: $5,000 — incremental solar cost
Financial Assumptions
Utility rate inflation (%/yr) Baseline: 2.5% — NH/New England historical avg
General inflation / CPI (%/yr) Baseline: 3.0% — above Fed 2% target, recent avg
Hurdle / discount rate (%) Baseline: 7.0% — conservative equity return
Analysis period (years) Baseline: 30 yrs — typical panel warranty life
Toggle to model loan payments & their effect on IRR
Down payment ($) 
Interest rate (%)Baseline: 6.0% — solar loan avg
Loan term (years)Baseline: 10 yrs — typical solar loan
Down payment ($) 
Monthly payment ($)From your lender quote
Loan term (years)Baseline: 10 yrs — typical solar loan
Monthly payment
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Total interest paid
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True cost (principal + interest)
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Adjust inputs to see your result.

Cumulative Cash Flow — Nominal vs. Real

Blue = nominal dollars. Green dashed = inflation-adjusted (real) dollars. Both lines cross zero at their respective breakeven points.
Nominal cumulative CF Real cumulative CF (CPI-adjusted) Break-even
Cumulative cash flow over time

Returns & Nominal Breakeven

Real Breakeven (Purchasing-Power)

Want to understand what these numbers mean for you?

This tool provides a general overview and is not a substitute for personalised financial advice. A BlueLine Advisors consultation can help you interpret your situation and explore options that may be appropriate for your goals.

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IRR is the discount rate at which the net present value of all cash flows equals zero, solved via Newton's method on the full series beginning with the negative net upfront cost. Annual savings grow each year at the utility inflation rate net of panel degradation. Roof cost is inflated from today's estimate at the utility inflation rate. Nominal breakeven is the year cumulative savings recover the upfront cost in current dollars; real breakeven deflates each year's savings by the CPI assumption and always arrives later. When financing is enabled, annual loan payments are added as a cash outflow through the loan term, and IRR is computed on the down payment as the Year 0 outlay. This tool is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Results are illustrative and based solely on the figures entered. For guidance suited to your circumstances, please speak with a licensed BlueLine Advisors representative.