Advertising and affiliate disclosure

How this site makes money

Two ways, and there is no third.

• Display advertising. Ad slots sold by an advertising network. We do not choose the advertisers and they have no say in what we publish.
• Affiliate links. Some links to other companies are affiliate links: if you click one and go on to request a quote or buy something, we may be paid a commission. It costs you nothing and does not change your price.

The bias this creates, stated plainly

Affiliate revenue rewards us when you take an action. That is a real incentive to tell you solar is worth it, and you should read anything on this site — or any site funded this way — with that in mind.

Here is what we do about it. The model's assumptions are published in full on the methodology page, including the ones that make solar look worse: a 5% discount rate on future savings, ongoing maintenance cost, inverter replacement in year 13, and a sober 3% electricity price escalation rather than the 5–6% a sales quote assumes. The calculator will and does return negative results — on our reference case, no way of buying solar in Texas returns its cost, and we say so on the page rather than hiding it. A tool that cannot reach an unprofitable answer is not a tool.

What we will not do

• We do not collect or sell your contact details. There is no phone number field on this site and there never will be. Selling sales leads pays considerably better than what we do and would put us in the business of being called a data broker; we have declined it as a product decision, documented in the repository.
• We do not take payment for placement or for a favourable result. No company can pay to be recommended, to rank higher, or to change a number.
• We do not let a partner see or influence the model. The calculation is identical whether or not an affiliate link appears beside it.
• We are not owned by anyone in the industry. Worth stating because the largest comparison sites are: EnergySage has been owned by Schneider Electric — a manufacturer of home energy hardware — since 2022.

Where you will see disclosure

Affiliate links are labelled at the point of the link, not only here, so you know before you click rather than after. If you would rather not use one, every partner we link to can be found by searching for them directly, and we would rather you did that than felt misled.

Not advice

Everything here is general information and modelled estimates for comparison. It is not tax, legal or financial advice, and we are not licensed to give any of those. Solar economics turn on facts specific to your roof, your utility tariff and your tax position. Confirm your own situation with a qualified professional before signing a contract.