Effective 4 November 2026.
General information only
Everything on Leaf & Watt (leafandwatt.com) is general information, published to help readers understand home solar panels, batteries, electricity rates and the rules around them. It is not professional, engineering, electrical, financial, tax or legal advice, and it does not take your own home, utility, contract or circumstances into account. For decisions that matter, please speak to a qualified professional.
Rules vary by state and utility
Net metering, net billing, export credits, time-of-use plans, interconnection, permits, plug-in solar laws, rebates and battery programs differ from state to state and from one utility to the next, and they change. Where we describe a rule, we name the state or utility whose documents we read and the date we read them. A rule that applies in one place may not apply in yours.
Your utility, your state or the program decides your rates, credits, eligibility and payments, and a tax professional decides what applies to your taxes. Check with them before you sign anything or rely on a figure.
Estimates only
Every cost, saving, production figure and payback on this site is an estimate. It is not a quote, a bid, a guarantee of savings, a system design or a judgment on whether any price or contract is right. Our figures come from public data, makers’ datasheets and stated assumptions, as our how we estimate page explains. Your real results depend on your roof, shade, weather, electricity use, rate plan, export credit, equipment and contract.
Tax credits
Notes on federal or state tax credits are general information, not tax advice. We cite the statute and IRS guidance, but how a rule applies to you depends on your own facts. A tax professional decides what you can claim.
Leases, loans and other contracts
Notes on leases, power purchase agreements, loans, warranties and home sales are general. They are not legal or financial advice. Your own contract decides your rights and costs, so read it, and ask a lawyer or your lender if a term is unclear.
We sell and install nothing
Leaf & Watt does not sell, install, finance or lease equipment, and gives no installer referrals or quotes. We have not seen your home, your bill or your quote. Prices, rates, specifications and published estimates we cite come from others, and we cannot verify them ourselves.
Safety
Solar, battery and generator wiring can be dangerous. Nothing on this site is an instruction to do electrical work or roof work yourself. Wiring for panels, batteries, inverters, transfer switches and standby generators is for a licensed electrician, with the permits and inspections your local building department requires, and connection to the grid goes through your utility. Never backfeed a house through an outlet.
If a home battery is unusually hot or makes strange noises, the Woodland, California, fire department advises you to “turn off the system and contact a professional immediately” and not to try to fix it yourself (City of Woodland). Follow your battery maker’s manual too. In a fire or any emergency, call 911.
Generators make carbon monoxide. CPSC says they “should always be used outside well away from windows, doors, vents, or any other opening”, never indoors, “even in a garage with the door open”, and that you should “always have a working CO alarm in your house” (CPSC).
Accuracy
Pages are checked against the sources they cite, but no check catches everything. Rates, export credits, programs, tax rules, prices and specifications change, sometimes quickly, so a figure may be out of date by the time you read it. Each page shows the date its sources were checked. Check important details with the original source before you rely on them.
Calculators
Calculators give estimates based on what you enter and on the figures and assumptions they show. They are not quotes, guarantees of savings, or design, sizing, code, safety or eligibility sign-offs. They print numbers only, so read the notes on the page around them.
How our content is made
Every page is fact-checked against its sources before it is published. Pages appear under the Leaf & Watt name. Our editorial policy explains the process.
Advertising and independence
Leaf & Watt is funded by display advertising. Advertisers have no say over what we publish, and an ad on a page is not an endorsement. We use no affiliate links, accept no paid placements, sell no leads and make no installer referrals. Names of companies, products, utilities, publishers and agencies are used only to identify them, and we are not affiliated with them.
External links
We link to sources and other websites so you can check what we say. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content.
Questions and corrections
If you think something is wrong, email contact@leafandwatt.com with the page address and a source, and we will look at it. See also our corrections page and terms of use.