A Massachusetts homeowner shared three years' worth of solar panel data on Reddit — and the results might surprise people who think that going solar only makes sense in sunnier climates.
"Our net savings for three years is $11k, and 52% of our investment has been paid off in these three years. Our risk-free IRR is 19%, and our total projected payoff period is 5.7 years," they noted in the r/solar community. "... Oddly enough, my savings went down year on year because electric rates were lower in 2025 and we used less electricity this year."
Rooftop solar can cut your energy bills considerably, with trusted outfits such as EnergySage providing no-cost comparison tools that deliver installation quotes from vetted local contractors.
The OP's system powered two electric vehicles alongside their standard household needs, with Year 3 production hitting 9.2 megawatt-hours and grid purchases staying minimal at 2.1 MWh.
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Pairing a backup battery with your solar setup can prevent disruptions during outages and enable off-grid capability, and EnergySage's battery comparison tool can help you collect competitive quotes for storage installations.
As for the Reddit community, users were fully onboard with the OP and their savings.
"I now can see what my bill would look like without solar. Wow — that hurts. Makes the solar decision seem that much more correct," one commenter shared.
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"I just calculated a very similar result for my setup in NH. Under 6 years payback period. Cheers," someone else shared.
"I bet your installer would love to get this note. Congrats," another person added.
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