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Electric bill calculator with solar

For homeowners who want to see what the monthly bill looks like after solar, line by line, before signing anything.

Checked . Data as of October 22, 2026. HyreSolar sells and installs nothing.

This electric bill calculator with solar gives an estimate from your own numbers in under a minute, with every assumption listed under the result.

Solar rarely takes a bill to zero: the fixed charge stays, and exported power often earns less than imported power costs.

A home using 900 kWh a month at 18.44¢, with 800 kWh of solar, 40% of it used on site and the rest exported at 5¢, goes from $181 to about $98 a month.

Under full retail net metering the same home would pay about $33.

The calculator splits your solar into two parts. Power you use as it is made never crosses the meter and saves the full rate.

Power you export earns whatever your utility credits for it: the full retail rate under traditional net metering, much less under net billing tariffs such as California’s.

That split is why two homes with the same panels can see very different bills, and why running appliances in daytime or adding a battery raises savings under net billing.

The fixed charge, the monthly customer or connection fee, is paid with or without solar, and credits usually cannot reduce it. Where credits exceed the energy charges, the rest typically rolls forward under rules your utility sets.

The 18.44¢ default is the EIA’s US average residential price (May 2026 data); the $15 fixed charge and 5¢ export credit are examples to replace with your own bill and tariff.

Your bill after solar

A typical month, line by line.

Example values The filled-in numbers are an example, not your home. Type over them with your own.

EIA US average. Use your own.

Example.

Example. Higher with a battery.

Example. Your tariff sets it.

— Bill with solar
— Bill without solar
— Monthly saving
— Credit left over

How this result was worked out

Working it out from the numbers above.

A typical month. Real bills swing with the seasons.

HyreSolar is not a utility and does not sell solar.

What the result means

The new bill is a typical month, not a specific one. Solar makes more in summer and less in winter, so real bills swing around this figure.

Credit left over appears when exports are worth more than the month’s energy charges. Whether it rolls forward, is paid out or expires depends on the tariff.

How to use it

Where each input comes from, so nothing is a guess.

1. Enter monthly usage and rate

kWh per month and the blended rate (bill ÷ kWh, without the fixed charge).

Where to find it: Your bill; average twelve months if you can.

2. Enter the fixed charge

The customer or basic service charge.

Where to find it: Your bill. The fixed charge calculator explains it.

3. Enter solar production

Monthly kWh: annual production ÷ 12.

Where to find it: A proposal’s production estimate.

4. Enter share used on site and the export credit

Without a battery, households commonly self-consume a minority of production; with a battery or daytime use it rises.

Where to find it: Your monitoring data, and your tariff sheet for the export credit.

Assumptions

  1. 1
    Self-consumed solar

    Production × share used on site, capped at usage. Saves the full rate.

  2. 2
    Exports

    The rest of production, credited at the export rate.

  3. 3
    Imports

    Usage minus self-consumed solar, at the full rate.

  4. 4
    Fixed charge floor

    Credits cannot take the bill below the fixed charge; any excess is shown as credit left over.

The formula, in full. Bill = fixed + (usage − self-consumed) × rate − exports × export credit, floored at the fixed charge. Self-consumed = min(production × share, usage). Exports = production − self-consumed.

How the answer moves

One input changed at a time. Every figure is computed by the calculator on this page.

SituationBill beforeBill afterSaving
Base case5¢ export credit, 40% used on site$181 / month$98 / month$83 / month
Full retail net metering$181 / month$33 / month$148 / month
Export credit 2¢$181 / month$112 / month$69 / month
70% used on site (battery or daytime use)$181 / month$66 / month$115 / month
Fixed charge $40$206 / month$123 / month$83 / month
Smaller system, 500 kWh/month$181 / month$129 / month$52 / month

Under net billing, the share used on site moves the bill more than adding panels does.

Next step

See what the panels cost on solar panel installation cost, the export side on the net billing calculator and net metering vs net billing, and the long view on the savings calculator.

To get a production estimate for your roof, send your result to an installer with the form under the calculator.

Embed this calculator

Free to use on any site, including news and installer pages. Paste this where you want the calculator to appear. Keep the credit line: it is the only condition.

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<p><a href="https://hyresolar.com/tools/electric-bill-estimator/">Electric bill calculator with solar</a> by HyreSolar</p>

What this calculator leaves out

The result is a planning estimate. A real proposal accounts for these; this page does not.

  • One average month.

    Seasonal swings are not modeled.

  • Flat rate per kWh.

    Time-of-use and tiered rates change the value of each kWh.

  • Credit rollover and annual true-up rules vary by utility.
  • Taxes and per-kWh riders are inside the blended rate only if you include them.

Questions this calculator answers

What will my electric bill be with solar?
With 900 kWh use, 800 kWh solar, 40% used on site and a 5¢ export credit at 18.44¢, about $98 a month. Enter your own numbers above.
Why is my bill not zero after solar?
The fixed charge stays, and under net billing exported power earns less than imported power costs.
What is self-consumption?
Solar power used in the home as it is produced. It saves the full retail rate because it never passes through the meter.
Does a battery lower my bill?
Under net billing it can, by storing daytime surplus for evening use. Raise the share used on site to see the effect.

Sources and methodology

Figures dated October 22, 2026. Last reviewed by the HyreSolar research desk, which writes and checks every tool on this site.

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Your real numbers come from a proposal drawn for your roof, your usage and your utility. Tell us about your home: a person reads it, and nothing goes to a solar company until you agree.

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