You're already spending this money. The question is where it goes.
Every month, your power bill goes to PG&E and disappears. If you redirect that same spend toward your mortgage instead, you can pay your home off years earlier. Same monthly outlay. Different destination.
Five years ago, that same usage cost you about $376 a month. PG&E's residential rates have climbed roughly 86% since then. Same home. The rate did the rest.
Today, you pay $700 a month, or about $8,400 a year, to PG&E.
With solar, you'd pay an energy company about $560 a month instead. Typically around 20% less, locked in for 25 years. No upfront cost.
That's $140 a month no longer going to PG&E.
If you redirect that $140/month to extra principal on your mortgage…
Your total monthly outlay stays the same as today. The difference: that $140 now builds your equity instead of going to the utility.
Assumes a typical NorCal mortgage of $650,000 at 6.5% with 25 years remaining. Your actual numbers depend on your loan, your home, and your usage. The five-years-ago bill assumes your usage has stayed flat. The rate climb is doing all the work.
What if my mortgage is different? ↓
Edit the assumptions to match your loan and your home.
Change any of these and the story above updates live. Solar savings defaults to 20% of your bill but can be edited directly if you have a more specific estimate.
What these numbers don't tell you.
Solar savings vary by home.
20% is a typical estimate. Your actual savings depend on your roof, usage pattern, and the specific energy company on your agreement. We'll model your real numbers on a discovery call.
Some homes don't qualify.
Heavy shade, complex roofs, electrical-panel limitations. Some homes don't pencil out. We tell those homeowners no, and we'd rather you hear that from us.
The redirect requires discipline.
The math only works if you actually add the savings to your mortgage payment each month. Many homeowners absorb the savings into other spending. Both are valid, but they produce different outcomes.
Mortgage payoff isn't always optimal.
Depending on your rate vs. market returns, paying down your mortgage faster may not be the highest-return use of the savings. Talk to your financial advisor. This is one option, not a recommendation.
Want the math for your home and mortgage?
Peter will run real numbers with you: actual solar savings on your home, your specific bill, your specific loan. 15 minutes, no follow-up sequence.
Book a 15-minute call →