The 2026 Solar Shopper Report

Solar Energy Nerds connects homeowners with solar installers. Every quote request asks a few questions about the home and its electric bill. We added up the answers from 4,575 requests made between January and September 2026, across 38 states. This is who is actually shopping for solar this year, without the guesswork.

Headline finding: the typical solar shopper reports a monthly electric bill of $280, about 1.9 times the average for their own state. 94% pay more than their state's average. People don't shop for solar because the sun is shining. They shop because their bill is high.

Key numbers at a glance

Finding 1: Solar shoppers pay about double the average electric bill

Across the U.S., the average home paid $142.26 a month for electricity in 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The people asking us for solar quotes in 2026 told us their bill was $280 at the median. Half reported between $210 and $380. Nearly a quarter (22.6%) reported $400 or more.

To make a fair comparison, we matched each shopper to the average bill in their own state. The median shopper pays 1.93 times their state's average. Only about 1 in 18 pays less than average.

This fits what our Solar Break-Even Map found from the other direction: your electricity rate predicts solar payback far better than sunshine does. High bills are both why people look at solar and why it pays off for them.

By state

States with at least 50 usable bill answers, sorted by how far shoppers' bills sit above the state average.

Ohio shoppers stand out: a median of $320 against a state average of $135. Michigan's average bill is the lowest in this table at $119, yet its solar shoppers report $260.

Is your bill in this range? If you pay $250 or more a month, you look like the typical solar shopper. See what solar would cost for your home →

Finding 2: Nearly 3 in 10 solar shoppers have a metal roof

Of the shoppers who told us their roof type, 68.8% have asphalt shingles, 29.1% have metal and 2.1% have tile.

In parts of the South and Appalachia, metal is close to half: 45.0% in Louisiana, 44.6% in West Virginia, and 39% in both Virginia and Tennessee. In California it's just 2.2%.

For context, a 2021 Dodge Data & Analytics report put metal at 17% of U.S. residential roofing activity. That measures new roofing work rather than all existing homes, so it isn't a direct comparison, but it suggests metal-roof homeowners are well represented among solar shoppers. That matters: solar mounts differently on metal than on shingles, and standing-seam metal can often be fitted with clamps instead of drilled through.

Finding 3: About 1 in 10 shoppers live in a manufactured home

9.8% of quote requests came from manufactured or mobile homes. The share is highest in Arkansas (18.6%), Tennessee (14.5%), West Virginia (14.2%) and Alabama (12.9%), and lowest in Georgia (1.2%) and California (3.2%).

These homeowners face extra questions an installer has to answer first: whether the roof can carry the weight, how the home is anchored, and what the local permit office requires. If you live in one, ask about this up front.

Roofs and homes by state

States with at least 50 quote requests. A dash means fewer than 50 shoppers in that state answered the question.

Finding 4: Shade is common, but rarely heavy

54.5% of shoppers say their roof has no shade and 35.7% say a little. Only 4.3% report a lot of shade, and 5.5% aren't sure. Light shade usually reduces output rather than ruling solar out. An installer's site survey will tell you how much.

Finding 5: 39% are just researching

One version of our form asks when the homeowner wants to hear from an installer. Of 1,065 answers:

• 38.8%: just researching
• 20.7%: as soon as possible
• 11.8%: within one to three months
• 28.7%: picked a same-day or next-day callback time

A large share of people requesting quotes are still early in their decision. Researching first is sensible: getting two or three quotes and reading the fine print is the best protection against a bad deal. Our solar sales red flags guide covers what to watch for.

What this means if you're considering solar

1. Start with your bill. If you pay well above your state average, you're in the group solar is most likely to help. Check your state's payback on the break-even map.
2. Mention your roof type. Metal roofs and manufactured homes need specific mounting and inspection, so say so when you request quotes.
3. Plan without the federal credit. The 30% residential tax credit ended December 31, 2025. See 2026 solar incentives for what's left in your state.
4. Compare quotes. Use our quote comparison tool to line up offers side by side.

Methodology

• Source. Quote requests submitted to Solar Energy Nerds forms between January 1 and September 29, 2026. Every request in this sample came through our own advertising and website.
• Sample. 4,575 requests that were accepted by an installer and not later returned as invalid. We excluded 2,962 requests that were rejected or errored, 588 duplicates and 180 returns.
• Privacy. Only totals and percentages are published. No names, contact details or addresses were used in the analysis. Any figure based on fewer than 50 answers is suppressed.
• Electric bill. Most requests use a slider from $50 to $600 in $10 steps that starts at $150. 1,480 answers sat exactly on $150, against 12 at $140 and 66 at $160, which is the pattern of people who didn't move the slider. We treat those as unanswered, leaving 2,571 bill answers. $600 means "$600 or more" (4.4% of answers).
• State averages. EIA, 2024 Average Monthly Bill – Residential (Table 5A, forms EIA-861). Each shopper is compared with their own state's average, and we report the median ratio.
• Other questions. Roof type, shade and property type are shown as a share of people who answered. The timing question appears on only one version of our form.

Limitations, stated plainly

• These are people who asked for a quote, not all homeowners. Most found us through Facebook ads, so the results describe solar shoppers reached that way.
• State mix follows our advertising. West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Mississippi and Virginia make up most of the sample. National figures lean toward those states.
• Bills are self-reported and may reflect a recent or peak-season bill rather than a 12-month average. The EIA figures are 2024 annual averages, and rates have risen since. Both push the ratio up, so read 1.9× as "roughly double," not as an exact number.
• The slider adjustment matters, but not to the conclusion. If every $150 answer were real, the median bill would be $240, the median shopper would pay 1.61× their state average, and 86.9% would still be above it.
• Accepted requests only. Installers accept requests from homeowners in areas they serve, so renters and unserved areas are largely filtered out.

Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite or reuse these figures with attribution to Solar Energy Nerds and a link to this page.

Frequently asked questions

Related

Solar Break-Even Map · Solar payback by utility · Is Solar Worth It in 2026 · 2026 solar costs · Net metering by state · All state guides →

Sources: EIA, 2024 Average Monthly Bill – Residential (Table 5A) · Roofing Contractor, Dodge Report on residential metal roofing (2021)