Zero down solar: your options
Three ways to pay nothing up front. None of them is free.
Written by HyreSolar Research Desk Primary-source research; not legal or financial advice
The short answer
Zero down solar comes in three forms: a $0-down loan, where you own the system and pay the lender; a lease, where you pay a fixed monthly amount to use a system someone else owns; or a PPA, where you pay per kWh produced.
None is free. The CFPB found $0-down loans often carry dealer fees that “typically range from between 10 to 30 percent of the cash price but can exceed 50 percent”, added to what you borrow.
The Bureau’s example: a $30,000 system with a $9,000 fee becomes a $39,000 loan. Ask every seller for the cash price.
Your options compared
| $0-down loan | Lease | PPA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns it | You | The provider | The provider |
| You pay | Loan payments, including any dealer fee | A fixed monthly payment, often with an escalator | A rate per kWh, often with an escalator |
| Maintenance | You | Usually the provider | Usually the provider |
| Counts in appraisal | Yes, if it cannot be repossessed | No | No |
| Main thing to check | Cash price vs loan amount; month-19 re-amortization | Escalator and transfer terms | Escalator and production estimate |
Check your contract first
- Cash price vs amount financed
The difference is the fee. The dealer fee calculator works it out.
- Re-amortization
A low payment that assumes a 30% prepayment you have no tax credit to fund.
- Escalator
On leases and PPAs: see escalator clauses.
- A tax-credit promise
No 30% federal credit applies to a system a homeowner buys after 2025: Section 25D ended for expenditures after December 31, 2025.
Step by step
- 1Ask for the cash price in writing
- 2Get the same system quoted for cash by another installer
Compare on cost per watt.
- 3Read the loan’s amount financed and APR
- 4Model each option over its full term
Use the lease vs buy calculator.
- 5Sign only after reading the whole contract
And remember the cooling-off window if you sign at home.
When to get help
If you have already signed and the loan amount is well above the cash price you were told, raise it with the lender and file with the CFPB. See refinancing a solar loan for exits.
When you are ready
Ready to explore solar for your home?
If you have done your research and want to speak with a solar professional, HyreSolar can help you explore available options.
Free, with no obligation: a person at HyreSolar reads your request and gets back to you about it. Matching with solar professionals is not live yet, so this is not a quote, and nothing is shared with anyone until you agree.
Keep learningQuestions
Is zero down solar a good deal?
What is a dealer fee?
Are free solar panels real?
Sources and retrieval dates
- CFPB, Issue Spotlight: Solar Financing , published 7 August 2024: dealer fees, re-amortization at month 19, PPA escalators of 1 to 5% Retrieved 22 October 2026.
- CFPB consumer advisory on solar loans Retrieved 22 October 2026.
- FTC consumer alert, How to avoid getting burned by solar or clean energy scams , 7 August 2024 Retrieved 22 October 2026.
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B2-3-04, properties with solar panels , lease value excluded; senior fixture filing must be subordinated Retrieved 22 October 2026.
This page explains how solar contracts and consumer rules usually work and links the documents it relies on.
It is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice; your own contract and your state’s law decide your case.
For a dispute, speak to a lawyer licensed in your state or your state attorney general’s consumer office. HyreSolar does not install, finance, lease or sell solar.