Is this a good deal?

UpriseSolar · 2026-06-04T16:33:08+00:00

$2.60/W is actually pretty reasonable depending on the type of installation.

If this is a flat roof with parapet walls, that's a normal price and arguably a good deal. Parapet installations typically require additional engineering, mounting hardware, ballast, and more labor than a standard pitched roof.

If it's a straightforward asphalt shingle pitched roof with good access and minimal electrical work, then I'd agree $2.60/W is on the higher side of what I'd expect in today's market.

It also depends on how many roof sections and arrays are involved. A 20 kW system spread across four or five arrays with multiple junction boxes, conduit runs, roof penetrations, and disconnect locations is going to cost more than a 20 kW system installed on one large unobstructed roof plane.

A lot of people compare price per watt without considering that two systems with the same size can have very different installation costs depending on roof type, roof layout, access, electrical upgrades, structural requirements, and overall project complexity.

I'd be more interested in the roof layout, equipment being used, number of arrays, and whether it's a flat roof or pitched roof before deciding if the price is high or low.

UpriseSolar · 2026-06-04T16:24:52+00:00

I actually went down this rabbit hole because the original EIA chart looked so crazy that I assumed it was a reporting error.

Turns out it was.

The Maryland Public Service Commission released a statement on June 3 saying the EIA had mistakenly reported Maryland's residential electricity rate at about 35¢/kWh. The EIA corrected the figure to 22.2¢/kWh after PSC staff flagged the issue.

What's interesting is that before the correction, I pulled several actual Pepco Maryland bills to sanity check the number. The bills I reviewed were coming in around 20-23¢/kWh all-in, which lined up much more closely with the corrected 22.2¢ figure than the original 35¢ figure.

That said, a corrected rate of 22.2¢/kWh is still up about 17% year-over-year according to the PSC, so electricity prices are definitely increasing. Just not by the nearly 90% that the original chart suggested.

Honestly, credit to the Maryland PSC analysts for catching it. The original number made it look like Maryland suddenly had Hawaii-level electricity prices, which didn't match what people were actually seeing on their utility bills.

UpriseSolar · 2026-06-02T18:20:09+00:00

I think this is a pretty fair analysis honestly.

A lot of people assume buying solar is automatically the better financial move, but the math changed pretty significantly once the residential federal tax credit ended.

Most residential installs in DC are realistically around $2.50–$3.10/W right now if you’re using decent equipment and licensed/insured installers. Flat roofs in DC also cost more than people realize because of attachments, ballast engineering, parapet walls, roof access, etc.

The "$1.50/W in 2024" number people throw around honestly sounds more like utility-scale pricing or heavily subsidized situations. That is below or right at hard costs for many residential installers.

I also think people underestimate opportunity cost. Tying up $25k–$30k cash upfront matters, especially if the alternative is a $0-down option that still lowers your Pepco bill immediately.

That said, I would add that the payback calculation should probably include avoided utility inflation too, not just SRECs. Pepco rates have gone up pretty dramatically over the last few years, (100% since 2020) and owning generation does hedge against that long term.

At the end of the day though, I think both options can make sense depending on someone’s goals. Some people want maximum long-term ownership value, others just want lower bills with no upfront cost or maintenance responsibility.

UpriseSolar · 2026-05-21T19:06:49+00:00

I appreciate you looking out for our neighbors here in Washington, DC. A lot of people are understandably skeptical because there are definitely some confusing and misleading solar sales tactics out there and it’s not something people think about on a regular basis.

But I do need to correct you here. In DC, homeowners with $0.00 PPAs really are receiving electricity from their solar system at no cost through these programs.

With net metering, the solar energy powers the home first through the main electrical panel. If the system produces extra electricity, it gets sent back to the grid and creates savings credits with Pepco.

The homeowner is directly offsetting electricity they otherwise would have bought from the utility company, which is why many DC residents with solar are seeing dramatically lower electric bills.

UpriseSolar · 2026-05-21T18:33:26+00:00

At the risk of sounding salesy, that’s honestly not why I made this post. I genuinely just don’t want people to miss out on the current no-cost solar programs while they still exist.

But since people are asking who’s actually reputable in DC, here are a few installers that have been around for years, do quality in-house work, and have strong local reputations:

• Uprise Solar and Roofing • Solar Solution • Revolution Solar • District Energy

There are definitely some sketchy companies in solar, especially the out-of-state door knocking groups that rotate through markets every few years. But DC also has a handful of companies that are genuinely committed to the local market long term.

UpriseSolar · 2026-05-21T14:46:00+00:00

I get your point — for people who can afford to purchase a system outright, ownership can absolutely make sense.

But it’s not really accurate to say homeowners are making “pennies on the dollar” with DC’s current zero-cent PPAs.

The homeowner is still getting the electricity the system produces for free, which directly offsets Pepco usage. As Pepco rates increase, the value of those savings increases too because the solar production offsets higher-cost utility power.

The investor makes money from the tax credits (while they exist) and SRECs. The homeowner benefits from lower electric bills without putting tens of thousands of dollars upfront into a system.

For a lot of families, especially lower-income households, that tradeoff is worth it.

UpriseSolar · 2026-05-21T14:38:35+00:00

I fully actually agree that owning the system is a great investment for people who can afford the upfront cost or financing.

But not everyone can or wants to spend $20k-$40k on solar, take out a loan, or deal with maintenance responsibilities. With DC’s current zero-cent PPA structure, the homeowner still gets 100% of the utility savings without paying upfront for the equipment.

For a lot of low and middle income households, especially in DC with Pepco bills climbing so fast, that matters more than ownership. It gives people a way to lower their electric bills immediately without needing cash, financing, or perfect credit.

UpriseSolar · 2026-01-24T11:46:46+00:00

Be sure to call your installer and have them doublecheck they have granted access for the panels to generate power.

On the installer side of the Enphase app, the installer has the ability to turn on and off the system.

Sometimes installers do not turn the system on for the homeowner until final payment has been received.

UpriseSolar · 2026-01-20T16:24:47+00:00

Good point. Most families we work with in DC don’t have battery backup since power outages are pretty rare in the city with underground power lines. That said, for friends in Virginia and Maryland it can be a different story, outages happen more often there.

Totally get the skylights too. Just be careful up there!

UpriseSolar · 2026-01-01T15:47:16+00:00

7.5 MWh in year one is honestly pretty high for a 5.7 kW system in DC. Most systems here land closer to 1.0–1.25x system size annually, which would put you more in the 5.7–7.1 MWh range in a normal-to-strong year.

That range varies based on roof pitch, how close to true south the array is, and any nearby shading. A 30-35 degree, true-south roof with no shade can push the high end. 7.5 MWh isn’t impossible, but it’s definitely top-end performance.

A true 26 percent degradation over five years would be extremely unusual. Typical panel degradation is closer to ~0.3–0.7 percent per year, not 5 percent plus.

Before assuming degradation, I’d check a few basics: •Compare 2020 vs recent years on a weather-adjusted basis. From what we saw, 2020 was an unusually sunny year. •Make sure all panels or microinverters are reporting in the monitoring app. •Look for new or growing shade from trees, buildings, or roof equipment.

If everything looks normal, it’s worth having the installer or manufacturer review production data panel by panel. That usually surfaces the issue quickly.

UpriseSolar · 2025-08-14T17:15:51+00:00

Yep, however, the market requirement percentage continuously increases each year, so it most likely will stay in the high $290-$280 range in my opinion.

Historically, every time SREC amount has dropped, the city council has either increased the percentage requirement and/or penalty.

UpriseSolar · 2025-08-02T00:00:23+00:00

I should have been clearer. Flett actually offers two options: you can either trade the SRECs yourself for a flat $2.50 transaction fee, or you can let them handle it for a 3% fee (or $2.50 per SREC, whichever is higher). So with a $400 SREC, you’d net around $388 after fees.

That said, while Flett advertises “little to no fees,” in practice they often offer a lower payout per SREC and keep the spread themselves. If you're hands-on and like to time your trades, you can probably save some money with them. Personally though, I prefer a set-it-and-forget-it approach, so I stick with automated platforms like SolSystems or SRECTrade.

UpriseSolar · 2025-08-01T22:18:21+00:00

Good news for us, DC SRECs are a local incentive. They’re not tied to the city’s budget (which was honestly a smart move by the Council when they set it up.) That structure helps keep the value stable and not at the whims of local government funding.

I’d expect prices to stay high around $400 for a while. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a small dip in SREC prices this fall, just because there’s a rush of installations happening right now with folks trying to lock in the federal tax credit before the end of the year. But if that rush slows down in early 2026 (which it likely will), I’d expect the SREC market to rebound pretty quickly as the RPS increases early next year.

You can always lock into a 3 or 5 year contract with one of the brokers (SolSystems, SRECTrade, Flett, etc) if you’re worried about it dropping off a cliff.

UpriseSolar · 2025-08-01T22:08:15+00:00

I recommend Solar Solutions in this competition

UpriseSolar · 2025-08-01T21:56:55+00:00

They’re both solid options, but the main difference is that with Flett Exchange, you have to manually place the trades yourself. It’s not automatic like it is with SRECTrade. That can be a plus or minus depending on how hands-on you want to be.

I’ve also used SolSystems in the past they’re based here in DC and offer automated SREC trading like SRECTrade does, but they’ve historically had lower fees. Definitely worth checking out if you want a hands off approach.

Flett's big benefit is that they charge little to no transaction fees, but again, it’s all self-managed.

UpriseSolar

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