{"id":23369,"date":"2025-12-15T16:05:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T16:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/lease-buy-solar-panels\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T22:15:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:15:47","slug":"lease-buy-solar-panels","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/lease-buy-solar-panels\/","title":{"rendered":"To Lease or Buy Solar Panels for My Home? That is the Question."},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.chariot-article {\n  max-width: 800px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n  padding: 40px;\n  font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, \"Segoe UI\", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, sans-serif;\n  font-size: 18px;\n  line-height: 1.8;\n  color: #333;\n}\n.chariot-article h1 {\n  font-size: 2.5em;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  line-height: 1.2;\n  margin: 0 0 30px 0;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n}\n.chariot-article h2 {\n  font-size: 1.8em;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  line-height: 1.3;\n  margin: 50px 0 20px 0;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n  border-bottom: 2px solid #f7931e;\n  padding-bottom: 10px;\n}\n.chariot-article h3 {\n  font-size: 1.4em;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  line-height: 1.4;\n  margin: 40px 0 15px 0;\n  color: #333;\n}\n.chariot-article h4 {\n  font-size: 1.2em;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  margin: 30px 0 10px 0;\n  color: #444;\n}\n.chariot-article p {\n  margin: 0 0 20px 0;\n}\n.chariot-article img {\n  max-width: 100%;\n  height: auto;\n  border-radius: 8px;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n  display: block;\n}\n.chariot-article figure {\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n.chariot-article figcaption {\n  font-size: 0.9em;\n  color: #666;\n  text-align: center;\n  margin-top: 10px;\n  font-style: italic;\n}\n.chariot-article ul, .chariot-article ol {\n  margin: 20px 0 20px 30px;\n  padding: 0;\n}\n.chariot-article li {\n  margin-bottom: 12px;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n}\n.chariot-article a {\n  color: #f7931e;\n  text-decoration: none;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;\n  transition: border-color 0.2s;\n}\n.chariot-article a:hover {\n  border-bottom-color: #f7931e;\n}\n.chariot-article blockquote {\n  border-left: 4px solid #f7931e;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n  padding: 20px 30px;\n  background: #f9f9f9;\n  font-style: italic;\n  color: #555;\n}\n.chariot-article strong {\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n}\n.chariot-article em {\n  font-style: italic;\n}\n.chariot-article hr {\n  border: none;\n  border-top: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\n  margin: 40px 0;\n}\n.chariot-article table {\n  width: 100%;\n  border-collapse: collapse;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n.chariot-article th, .chariot-article td {\n  padding: 12px 15px;\n  text-align: left;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\n}\n.chariot-article th {\n  background: #f5f5f5;\n  font-weight: 600;\n}\n@media (max-width: 768px) {\n  .chariot-article {\n    padding: 20px;\n    font-size: 16px;\n  }\n  .chariot-article h1 { font-size: 2em; }\n  .chariot-article h2 { font-size: 1.5em; }\n  .chariot-article h3 { font-size: 1.25em; }\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"chariot-article\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" alt=\"Photovoltaic or solar panels on roof at sunset.\" class=\"wp-image-1783\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" height=\"1170\" src=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/solar-panels-on-roof-1.jpg\" width=\"1920\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>Solar energy has never been more popular in the United States. This truth of this claim is backed by the growing number of people who work in the solar industry, the amount of electricity generated from solar, the number of rooftop solar panel installations, and more. Let\u2019s take a look at some statistics:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>10.6 Gigawatts (GW) of solar was installed in 2018.\u00b9<\/li>\n<li>Solar has been either #1 or #2 since 2013 in terms of capacity added to the U.S. grid.\u00b2<\/li>\n<li>242,000 people work in the solar industry, which is double the amount in 2012.\u00b3<\/li>\n<li>Over 700 Megawatts (MW) of solar energy was installed in Q3 of 2019 alone.\u2074<\/li>\n<li>The average cost of solar panels has been nearly halved since 2014.\u2075<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s a lot of people falling in love with energy from the sun, and according to market trends, you\u2019re probably one of them! But even after some initial research into powering your home with solar energy, you still have some questions. At the top of that list lies the big one:<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>\u201cShould I lease or buy solar panels for my house?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p> Addressing the costs of solar energy for your home is the right question to ask. We think everyone should start using energy from 100% <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/renewable-energy-sources\/\">renewable energy sources<\/a>, so that means we should figure out how to help everyone get solar. In fact, Chariot Energy give you access to electricity from 100% solar power without you needing to add solar panels to your roof. <\/p>\n<p>But if you do want to use the direct power of the sun in your home, it\u2019s important you understand all the details so that you make the right choice for you. Thus, we want to explain the difference between buying and leasing solar panels, complete with some essential pros and cons. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> What is a Solar Lease? <\/h2>\n<p>The<br \/>\nshort answer? It\u2019s just like anything else you lease \u2014 a home, a car, some land<br \/>\n\u2014 except that it\u2019s specific to rooftop solar panels. You receive all the<br \/>\nbenefits of powering your home with solar energy without having to worry about<br \/>\nthe upfront costs or long-term maintenance. Let\u2019s examine this a bit further:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You can lease solar panels and pay NO upfront costs.<\/li>\n<li>You don\u2019t have to pay to fix or repair the solar panels.<\/li>\n<li>You support renewable energy.<\/li>\n<li>The lease is typically 15-20 years.<\/li>\n<li>You can choose to buy your panels at any time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You<br \/>\nalso have two different ways to obtain these solar panels for your roof: a<br \/>\nsolar lease and a solar Purchase Plan Agreement (PPA).<sup>6<\/sup> <\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> Solar Lease <\/h3>\n<p>Like any lease, you\u2019re renting the materials for a specific amount of time, and you contractually pay a certain amount every month. That price is typically determined by the average amount of energy the panels on your roof generate each month. And that means it could go up each month at the whim of the solar leasing company.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> Solar Purchase Plan Agreement (PPA) <\/h3>\n<p>In<br \/>\nthis situation, you\u2019re paying for the electricity being generated rather<br \/>\nthan\u00a0 paying for the panels. This makes it more akin to signing up for a<br \/>\ngreen energy plan from your local retail electric provider, but with this<br \/>\nmethod, you\u2019re actually using solar energy instead of buying <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/renewable-energy-credits\/\">Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Both<br \/>\nof them involve having a third-party company owning the panels while you get to<br \/>\nparticipate in the renewable energy revolution. Leasing remains the perfect<br \/>\noption for people who want to use solar power but don\u2019t want the responsibility<br \/>\nof owning the actual solar panels or have the finances to make an outright<br \/>\npurchase.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> How Can I Buy Solar Panels? <\/h2>\n<p>There are two key reasons for the rise in solar panel installations over the past decade: the cost of the materials has decreased as panel efficiency has increased, and the U.S. government created the Solar Investment Tax Credit (SITC) to encourage people to purchase solar panels.<sup>7 <\/sup>Thus, for everyone who wants to own their solar panels outright instead of leasing them, you have two choices:<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> Cash Purchase <\/h3>\n<p>By cash, we mean you have the ability to pay for everything at once, so you can definitely use your credit card or obtain a cashier\u2019s check from the bank instead of plunking down a stack of bills. This method puts you in complete ownership of your entire rooftop solar system from Day 1, including all of the savings.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> Solar Loan <\/h3>\n<p>Think<br \/>\nof it like making any other sizable purchase in life: if you don\u2019t have the<br \/>\nfunds to pay for your solar panels all at once, you can take out a loan. This<br \/>\nprocess assumes you have good enough credit to get a loan with a good interest<br \/>\nrate from a bank, credit union, or solar installer. If the interest rate is too<br \/>\nhigh, you won\u2019t experience the true depth of savings from your solar panels.<\/p>\n<p>Again, the point of buying your solar panels outright is to give you the maximum amount of savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Pros and Cons of Leasing Solar Panels<\/h2>\n<p>Hopefully,<br \/>\nwe\u2019ve given you have a better idea of how you can obtain <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/solar-panels-for-home\/\">solar panels for your home<\/a>. Now, we want to compare and contrast these methods so you<br \/>\ncan make the right choice for your life. What works for your neighbor won\u2019t<br \/>\nnecessarily work for you, so it\u2019s important you have all the details and<br \/>\nnuances involved with this decision.<sup>8<\/sup><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> The Pros of Leasing <\/h3>\n<p>If<br \/>\nyou want to lease your solar panels, it\u2019s typically because you don\u2019t want to<br \/>\nbear the large upfront cost of buying them. This is especially true since solar<br \/>\nloans aren\u2019t available in every area. Thus, you can expect to enjoy the<br \/>\nfollowing perks:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Zero money down<\/li>\n<li>No maintenance costs<\/li>\n<li>Solar energy for your home<\/li>\n<li>No need to navigate the tax credit red tape<\/li>\n<li>The satisfaction of supporting renewable energy generation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Cons of Leasing<\/h3>\n<p>Then<br \/>\nagain, leasing does mean you\u2019re missing out on a few of the benefits offered by<br \/>\nfull ownership.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Maintenance depends upon the solar panel company<\/li>\n<li>Reduced savings from solar panels<\/li>\n<li>Reduced savings by not earning tax credit<\/li>\n<li>Reduced savings by not having access to <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/solar-buyback\/\">solar buybacks<\/a><\/li>\n<li>The solar panel company can remove the panels anytime<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Another<br \/>\nnegative about leasing involves moving to a new home before you finish the<br \/>\nterms of your lease. Since the lease is tied to the actual house, it can be<br \/>\ndifficult to sell your home because the buyer might not want to take over the<br \/>\nrest of that lease. While some solar companies let you pay to remove them as a<br \/>\nway to break your lease, that can be cost-prohibitive for some people.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Pros and Cons of Buying Solar Panels <\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re truly interested in buying your solar panels, the following discussion will definitely put the entire situation into sharp relief. Even with the SITC, this will be a major purchase, so you and your family need to have a serious conversation with all the possible information on-hand.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Pros of Buying<\/h3>\n<p>Is<br \/>\nit a large up-front price? Yes. But will the savings be worth it? Absolutely.<br \/>\nFull ownership of your own solar system provides several excellent benefits.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Increased home value<\/li>\n<li>Increased savings (even compared to renting)<\/li>\n<li>The chance to sell your solar energy generation to the<br \/>\nelectricity grid<\/li>\n<li>All the electricity is yours<\/li>\n<li>All the tax credits are yours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The<br \/>\nsavings are so substantial with owning your own solar panels that the industry<br \/>\naverage for paying yourself back from the initial purchase price is five to<br \/>\nseven years. That means, since the average solar panel lasts 20-25 years, you<br \/>\ncould enjoy up to 20 years of free solar power after you pay back your<br \/>\ninvestment!<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Cons of Buying<\/h3>\n<p>Both<br \/>\nresearch and anecdotal evidence tells us that the one thing holding people back<br \/>\nfrom installing solar panels is the large upfront cost. This is especially true<br \/>\nsince loans and leasing aren\u2019t available nationwide \u2014 typically only in areas<br \/>\nwhere solar installers can make the maximum return on their investment. Simply<br \/>\nput, solar panels are expensive.<\/p>\n<p>Even<br \/>\nmore, leasing advocates will tell you that solar panel ownership means you\u2019ll<br \/>\nhave to pay for maintenance. While that\u2019s true, solar panels are designed to<br \/>\nwithstand terrible weather \u2014 including hurricanes \u2014 and they also come with<br \/>\nsubstantial warranties, insurance, and other protections. Hence, owning solar<br \/>\npanels really isn\u2019t the onerous maintenance problem some might believe.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Recommendation? Install Solar Panels on Your Home <\/h2>\n<p>Here<br \/>\nwe are: leasing vs. buying. Both give you the \u201cwarm fuzzies\u201d of knowing you\u2019re<br \/>\nhelping the planet by using renewable energy from solar power in your home.<br \/>\nLeasing offers you solar panels with limited upfront costs, but lower lifetime<br \/>\nsavings, while buying asks you for a large initial investment, while promising<br \/>\nrelatively prompt payback and higher lifetime savings. <\/p>\n<p>To<br \/>\nput it another way, check out this 2016 chart from Consumer Reports.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1779\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"602\" src=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Picture1-1024x802-1.png\" width=\"768\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>To summarize:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Lease or PPA = about $25,000 savings in 20 years<\/li>\n<li>A Loan = about $40,000 savings in 20 years<\/li>\n<li>Cash = about $60,000 savings in 20 years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And<br \/>\nwhen you factor in paying yourself back, you\u2019re making close to $90,000 in<br \/>\nsavings over 20 years. That\u2019s a huge argument in favor of full ownership.<\/p>\n<p>In<br \/>\nfact, most solar industry experts recommend ownership over leasing because of<br \/>\nthose greater financial benefits. You\u2019re able to use all of your solar<br \/>\nenergy,\u00a0instead of ceding your tax credits and solar buyback potential to<br \/>\na third-party solar installer.<\/p>\n<p>Most<br \/>\nof them also recognize that not everyone can afford outright ownership. And<br \/>\nwhen combined with statistics showing that over 75% of Americans simply can\u2019t<br \/>\nuse rooftop solar, it\u2019s obvious the industry has a long way to go before it<br \/>\nreaches full-scale adoption.<sup>9<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>This<br \/>\nis why it\u2019s important that people have access to affordable electricity plans<br \/>\nlike those offered by Chariot Energy. By creating excellent renewable energy<br \/>\nplans from 100% solar energy, we give Texas residents the ability to show their<br \/>\nlove of the environment without needing any solar panels on your roof. The<br \/>\nworld needs to reduce its dependence upon electricity from fossil fuels, and<br \/>\nyou can do your part by signing up for electricity from Chariot Energy today!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n<p><strong>Sources<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>1.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seia.org\/news\/us-solar-market-adds-106-gw-pv-2018-residential-market-rebounds\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.seia.org\/news\/us-solar-market-adds-106-gw-pv-2018-residential-market-rebounds<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seia.org\/solar-industry-research-data\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.seia.org\/solar-industry-research-data<\/a><\/p>\n<p>4.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seia.org\/us-solar-market-insight\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.seia.org\/us-solar-market-insight<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>5. <a data-id=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/eere\/solar\/solar-energy-united-states\" data-type=\"URL\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/eere\/solar\/solar-energy-united-states\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/eere\/solarpoweringamerica\/solar-energy-united-states<\/a><\/p>\n<p>6.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energysage.com\/solar\/financing\/should-you-buy-or-lease-your-solar-panel-system\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.energysage.com\/solar\/financing\/should-you-buy-or-lease-your-solar-panel-system\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>7.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seia.org\/initiatives\/solar-investment-tax-credit-itc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.seia.org\/initiatives\/solar-investment-tax-credit-itc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>8.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2015\/02\/10\/384958332\/the-great-solar-panel-debate-to-lease-or-to-buy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2015\/02\/10\/384958332\/the-great-solar-panel-debate-to-lease-or-to-buy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>9.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/solstice.us\/solstice-blog\/why-americans-cant-access-rooftop-solar\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/solstice.us\/solstice-blog\/why-americans-cant-access-rooftop-solar\/<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you want to use solar power in your home, it\u2019s important you understand whether you want to lease or buy solar panels for your roof.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23610,"parent":627,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23369","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23369\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}