Solar 101
Solar panels pros and cons (the honest version)
7 min read
Most solar pages list pros without cons or stack the cons with strawmen. The honest list is more useful: solar is excellent for a specific set of homeowners and a worse fit for others. Here's both sides without the spin.
Pros — what's genuinely good
- Lock in your energy rate for 25 years — utility rates have climbed steadily over the past several years. Solar locks today's rate via amortization, turning future utility hikes into avoided cost.
- Lower monthly bills from the first cycle — most cash and loan installs deliver a meaningful drop in the utility bill once the system is producing.
- Add resale value — owned solar typically increases home value, and sellers with solar often close faster (Zillow research).
- Energy independence with a battery — Powerwall or IQ Battery 5P keeps essentials running through outages. Especially valuable in Texas after Winter Storm Uri.
- 25-year warranty stack — workmanship + production + manufacturer warranties on every component, all running 25 years on a Kaizen install.
- Quiet, no moving parts, no maintenance — panels sit on the roof for 25+ years without homeowner intervention.
Cons — what's genuinely tricky
- Upfront cost is real — $20-35k for a typical Texas system before incentives. Cash payback is 6-9 years; loans extend it slightly. Below $80/month bills, the math gets tight.
- Roof must be in good shape — installing solar on a 14-year-old roof means paying for two panel removals (one at re-roof, one when the panels age out). Re-roof first.
- Output is intermittent — solar without a battery doesn't help during outages, doesn't produce at night, and drops 70-80% on heavy overcast days.
- Net metering is uneven by utility — Texas utilities vary wildly in how they credit exported solar. Some give full retail rate, most give wholesale or avoided-cost.
- Installer quality matters more than panel quality — most homeowner pain comes from bad workmanship, not bad hardware. The 5-year-warranty installer is the real risk, not the panels themselves.
- Leased / PPA contracts can complicate resale — must be transferable, must be priced into the home sale, must be disclosed. Owned systems avoid this entirely.
When solar makes sense
- Monthly utility bill above $150, sunny roof, staying 5+ years, and your roof has 5+ years of life left.
- You want backup power for grid outages and live in a market with frequent outages (Texas, Florida, California).
- You're buying an EV or heat pump that grows your load — solar payback gets faster.
- Your utility's net-metering trajectory is degrading — earlier interconnection often locks in better rates.
When solar doesn't make sense (yet)
- Monthly bill below $80, you're moving in less than 3 years, or your roof needs replacement within 5 years.
- 60%+ shade across south/east/west pitches.
- You can't pass the credit check for a $0-down loan and don't have cash for an outright purchase.
- Your utility doesn't offer net metering or buy-back, and you don't want a battery (rare combination, but it kills the math).
Common questions
Frequently asked
- What is the biggest downside of solar?
- The single biggest downside is upfront cost ($20-35k for a typical Texas system). The single biggest hidden risk is bad installer workmanship — not bad hardware. Pick installers with 25-year workmanship warranties from financially-stable companies.
- Is solar more pros than cons in 2026?
- For homeowners with a sunny roof, $150+/month bills, and a 5+ year stay horizon, the pros decisively outweigh the cons. For others (low usage, short stay, severe shade) it's not the right tool.
- Will solar work for me?
- The honest way to find out is a free 24-hour Aurora design from us — we model your specific roof in 3D, simulate annual production, and show you the actual numbers. If the math doesn't work, we'll tell you.