Balcony Solar vs Rooftop Solar: Payback Calculator
The question every balcony solar buyer actually asks: why not just get real solar? Here is the trade-off in your own numbers.
| Balcony kit | Rooftop (7 kW) | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront costrooftop is after the 30% federal credit | $699 | $14,700 |
| Generates per year | 751 kWh | 8,585 kWh |
| Saves per year | $113 | $1,296 |
| Pays for itself in | 6.2 yrs | 11.3 yrs |
The honest read
Rooftop saves about $1,183 more every year — it is simply a bigger system. The balcony kit wins on the things rooftop cannot do: it pays for itself in 6.2 yrs instead of 11.3 yrs, it costs $14,001 less to start, and it comes with you when you move. If you own the roof and plan to stay, rooftop is the better investment. If you rent, it is not an option at all.
Which balcony kit fits me? →An 800W kit in six states
Same $699 kit, same 751 kWh a year. The only thing that changes is what a kilowatt-hour costs where you live — which is why payback swings by years across the country.
| State | ¢/kWh | Saves / year | Pays back in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 42.8 | $321 | 2.2 yrs |
| California | 31.8 | $239 | 2.9 yrs |
| Massachusetts | 30.2 | $227 | 3.1 yrs |
| Texas | 15.1 | $113 | 6.2 yrs |
| Utah | 11.3 | $85 | 8.2 yrs |
| Washington | 11.4 | $86 | 8.2 yrs |
How this is worked out
The balcony figures assume a south-facing, unshaded railing mount and 751 kWh a year from an 800W kit. Change the orientation or add shade and the number drops fast — the output estimator shows by how much.
The rooftop column is a 7 kW system at $3 per watt installed, less the 30% federal residential clean energy credit. Quotes vary widely by region and installer, and the credit depends on your tax situation — treat this as the shape of the comparison, not a quote.
Neither column assumes net metering credits, price inflation on electricity, or panel degradation. In practice rising rates shorten both paybacks and degradation lengthens them slightly.