A rough estimator — honest about what it can’t tell you.
A real solar quote depends on your roof, your shading, your panel orientation, and your usage pattern — none of which a calculator can see. But a ballpark for “is this in the right neighborhood” is useful, so we’re building one.
Why we’re taking our time on this.
Most online solar calculators give you a number. We’d rather give you the right number — and that takes a few more inputs than a slider can handle. Here’s what the tool will do when it’s ready, and what it deliberately won’t.
What the calculator will do:
Take your typical monthly power bill, your roof’s general orientation, and your usage shape — and give you a ballpark system size, a rough cost range, and a payback period range.
It’ll be honest about uncertainty. Instead of saying “your system will pay back in 7.3 years,” it’ll say “somewhere between 6 and 10 years, depending on these factors.” Specifics tighten when we do a site visit.
“A calculator’s job is to get you in the right ballpark. A site visit’s job is to put you in the right seat.”
What it deliberately won’t do:
It won’t pretend to know your roof’s actual shading. It won’t pretend to know your roof’s structural condition. It won’t pretend to know what your local utility’s net metering rules will be in three years. Those are real-quote questions, not calculator questions.
If you want the calculator badly enough that it’s blocking your decision — call us. We’ll do the same math by hand in about 15 minutes on a phone call.
A back-of-envelope check.
If you want to do the math yourself before reaching out, here’s the rough version. Numbers below are ballparks — your real numbers will differ.
Your usage
Pull your last 12 power bills. Add up the kWh. Divide by 12. That’s your monthly average.
System size
Divide monthly average by ~120 (rough kWh per kW per month in Louisiana). That’s a starting kW system size.
Cost ballpark
Multiply system kW by a current $/W rate . That’s a rough installed cost before incentives.
Reality check
Then call us, because the actual number depends on your roof, your panel orientation, and a dozen things this paragraph can’t see.
Federal tax credit, Louisiana incentives, and net metering details all materially change the math. A real quote handles those; this rule-of-thumb doesn’t.
Skip the calculator — get a real quote.
A 15-minute phone call gets you a better estimate than any online tool. Free, no commitment, no high-pressure follow-up.