Leaf & Watt is an independent, plain-English guide to home solar panels and batteries in the United States. We cover what systems cost, whether they pay back now that the federal homeowner tax credit has ended, how to size panels and batteries, how rates, net metering and state programs work, how leases, loans and cash compare, and what owning a system involves once it is on the roof.
What we do
We show the math. Cost pages put named published estimates side by side and build the price up from parts you can check. Payback pages and calculators run on your own bill, rate and export credit, and every payback figure leaves out the 25D credit, which ended for systems installed after 31 December 2025. Rules pages quote the statute, the tariff or the program page and say when we read it. Our how we estimate page explains the method in full.
Our pages are written for readers in the United States and checked against sources such as the tax code and the IRS, state utility commissions, utility tariffs, state program pages, the Energy Information Administration, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the National Laboratory of the Rockies (formerly NREL), the Bureau of Labor Statistics and makers’ datasheets and warranties. Pages are published under the Leaf & Watt name.
What we are not
Leaf & Watt is not an installer, a utility, a lender, a lease company, a quote service, an installer directory or a government agency. We sell and install nothing. We have not seen your roof, your bill or your quote, and we do not claim to have installed, tested or owned the equipment we describe. Product details come from the makers’ own datasheets, and we say so on the page.
How we are funded
Leaf & Watt is funded by display advertising. Ads may not appear yet while the site is new. Once they run, some may come from companies in the solar, battery or energy business. An ad is not an endorsement, and advertisers have no say over what we publish.
How we stay independent
- No affiliate links. We earn nothing if you buy panels, a battery or a generator after reading a page.
- No paid placements. Nobody can pay for coverage, a mention or a better position.
- No sold leads. We have no quote form, and we do not pass your details to installers, lenders or lease companies.
- No installer referrals or quotes. We do not recommend, list or rank installers, and no installer pays us.
- No product rankings. We compare batteries and panels on their own spec sheets and name no winner.
- Nothing for sale. We do not sell or install equipment, and we do not finance it.
That is why our pages can say things a seller might not: that solar may not pay back on your rate and export credit, that a battery’s own payback can run past its warranty, or that a lease escalator adds up to more than a loan over the term.
How pages are checked
Every page gets a fact-check against its sources, separate from the writing, and the sources are linked at the claims they support. Each page ends with the date its sources were checked. Our editorial policy explains each step.
Use our numbers as a starting point
An estimate can’t see your house. What a system costs and saves depends on your roof, shade, electrical panel, rate plan, export credit, state rules and the contract you sign. Your utility’s tariff sets your rates and credits, the state or the program sets any incentive, a tax professional decides what applies to your taxes, and a licensed installer or electrician prices and designs the real job.
Mistakes and questions
Our corrections page logs what we have fixed, and our contact page says how to reach us. Please read our disclaimer too: everything here is general information, not professional, tax or legal advice.
