- Privacy position
- Solar Payback Map does not collect homeowner quote leads for resale to installers.
- Advertising model
- AdSense Auto Ads may run only when configured, and no manual ad slots are inserted into articles.
- Estimate status
- Solar payback estimates are general screening information, not financial, tax, legal, or engineering advice.
- Data attribution
- Public electricity, cost, production, and policy sources are named for reader verification.
Legal sections
Privacy
Solar Payback Map does not collect homeowner contact information for resale to installers. Basic analytics and advertising scripts may run only when configured through environment variables.
Advertising and cookies
Solar Payback Map may use Google AdSense Auto Ads when an advertising client ID is configured. Advertising and analytics providers may use cookies or similar storage to measure visits, limit fraud, and personalize or contextualize ads according to their own policies. Solar Payback Map does not place manual ad slots inside articles.
Disclaimer
Solar Payback Map publishes general information, not financial, tax, legal, or engineering advice. Estimates are screening tools and should be checked against actual quotes and current local rules.
Data attribution
Source labels include NREL PVWatts, U.S. EIA electricity data, LBNL Tracking the Sun, and DSIRE policy references. Solar Payback Map is independent and is not endorsed by those organizations.
How to interpret a page
State rankings, the calculator, and editorial pages are built for early-stage comparison. A score, rate, cost assumption, or payback band is a compact way to expose the inputs used by the site; it is not a quote for a particular roof. The state row may use an average or representative value, while a household's utility, roof, usage pattern, financing, and equipment will be different. Read the assumptions and the source date before comparing two pages.
The calculator is deliberately limited. It does not collect a homeowner's contact details for an installer marketplace, and it does not promise production, approval, savings, tax treatment, or a particular export-credit outcome. A displayed result should be checked against a utility tariff, an installer's production model, financing terms, and any current program rules that apply to the property. The public source links below are provided so a reader can perform that check independently.
Policy labels such as net metering, net billing, or a named program are context for the model, not a substitute for the current utility document. Rules can depend on utility territory, application date, system size, interconnection status, and whether a battery or other equipment is included. When a page says to verify a current tariff, that is a real boundary of the data rather than a guarantee that the source will produce the same result as the site.
Source review and corrections
The editorial workflow keeps source roles separate: NREL is used for generation modeling, the U.S. Energy Information Administration for electricity-rate context, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for installed-cost context, and DSIRE for state incentive and policy references. A source label describes the role it plays in the model; it does not mean that the source reviewed or approved Solar Payback Map. The site remains independent from the organizations named in its attribution.
Source values are snapshots. If a public table changes, a utility publishes a new tariff, or a policy page moves, the displayed estimate may need a later review. Readers can report a broken link, an outdated label, or a calculation explanation through the contact page. Include the page URL and the source that should be checked so the correction can be reproduced. Editorial updates should preserve the original boundary of the page and should not turn a general estimate into individualized advice.
- NREL PVWatts v8 — Solar generation modeling.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Residential electricity rates (2024).
- LBNL Tracking the Sun — Installed cost by state (2024).
- DSIRE — State incentive and net metering policy.
External services and reader choices
Analytics and advertising scripts are optional configuration points in the application. When enabled, a provider may set cookies or similar storage under its own policies. Solar Payback Map does not manually insert ad slots into articles and does not sell homeowner quote leads to installers. Readers who do not want to rely on an advertising or analytics explanation should review the relevant provider documentation and use the site only as general public information.
Links to public sources and other websites take the reader outside Solar Payback Map. Check the destination address, publication date, and local applicability there. The presence of an external link is not a recommendation, partnership, or promise that the linked site will remain available. Questions about privacy, corrections, or the site's editorial boundary can be sent through the contact route listed above.
Reader checklist
- Read the page's assumptions and source date.
- Compare the displayed rate and export-credit treatment with the current utility material.
- Test conservative production, cost, and financing scenarios rather than relying on one output.
- Ask a qualified installer, utility, tax professional, or other appropriate professional for property-specific questions.
- Report a broken source or factual correction with the page URL and supporting reference.