Riverside | Solar Cash Flow Analyzer

Adjust the assumptions

Solar & utility

System size (kW)

Installed price ($/W)

Annual production (kWh/kW)

Electricity value ($/kWh)

Utility rate increase (%/yr)

Solar degradation (%/yr)

Rebate

Rebate amount ($)

Rebate received (month)

Financed rebate treatment

Financeit

Initial APR (%)

Monthly payment ($)

Promotional term (months)

APR after promotion (%)

Refinance APR (%)

Refinance term (years)

After Financeit promotion

Mortgage transfer amortizes the outstanding balance over the selected refinance term. HELOC transfer pays interest only; the balance remains outstanding until principal is repaid. The chart marks the transfer month.

Mortgage / renovation loan

Interest APR (%)

Amortization (years)

Investment comparison

Investment return (%/yr)

Taxable share of gains (%)

Marginal tax rate (%)

Analysis horizon (years)

After-tax annual return for reinvested cash flows (%)

Investment comparison assumes all gains are realized and taxed only when the investment is liquidated at the selected horizon; it excludes reinvestment of solar savings. Investment tax is a simplified illustrative estimate: taxable share of realized capital gains × marginal tax rate. Not all investments generate capital gains; registered accounts and tax rules differ.

Installed system price—

First-year electricity savings—

Rebate—

Financeit monthly payment—

Month 1 savings minus payment—

Financeit balance at expiry—

Cash purchase: payback and investment comparison

Simple cash payback—

Cash solar net at horizon—

Cash solar NPV at investment return—

Financeit exit at month 48

Balance to transfer—

Monthly payment before—

Monthly payment after—

Your solar cash position

Think of this as a separate bank account tracking only the solar decision: cash spent, rebate received and electricity bills avoided.

Starting cash position—

Position after 5 years—

Position after 20 years / horizon—

Cash-flow break-even—

Cash position is cumulative money in and out, not net worth. It excludes the home's potential resale value, maintenance and future replacement costs. For financed scenarios, outstanding debt is shown separately below; moving a loan to a mortgage or HELOC does not count as a cash inflow or outflow.

Which payment strategy leaves the homeowner better off?

Fair comparison: each option starts with the same investable capital equal to the system price. Every month's solar savings, loan payments and rebates affect that investment account. Remaining solar debt is deducted. The baseline is investing the money and not installing solar.

Best modeled strategy at horizon—

Advantage over no solar—

Assumed after-tax investment return—

Cash purchaseFinanceit → equityMortgage from day one

At selected horizon	Cash	Financeit → equity	Mortgage day one

Modeling caution: These are financial positions relative to not installing solar, not cash in the bank. They exclude the solar system's residual resale value, maintenance, replacement costs, loan fees, and changes to property taxes or insurance. Negative investment-account balances indicate additional household cash is required and are carried at the same assumed return for comparison purposes. This is a simplifying assumption, not an available borrowing rate. No investment return or refinancing is guaranteed.

Cash flow over time

Cash purchaseFinanceitHome equity

Compare the options

Metric	Cash	Financeit	Home equity

Cash flow is measured against not installing solar: electricity savings and rebates are inflows; purchases and loan payments are outflows. The investment-adjusted view subtracts the after-tax investment growth forgone by a cash purchase, without treating that growth as spendable monthly income.

Important client disclosures

Financing does not necessarily make solar cash-flow positive. A 5 kW array at $0.11/kWh saves about $45.83/month in year one, before any rate changes. A $116.20 loan payment produces an initial monthly shortfall of about $70.37, before considering the rebate. The rebate is a one-time inflow, not recurring monthly savings.

Refinancing is not guaranteed. Eligibility, interest rates, closing costs and available home equity can change. The 14% reset scenario assumes the same monthly payment, which can cause negative amortization if the payment is below monthly interest. Confirm Financeit's actual contract terms, payment recalculation and prepayment rules before presenting a quote.

Rebates are conditional. $5,000 and month 2 are adjustable sales assumptions, not a promise of eligibility, approval or payment timing. Utility rates, net-metering credits, consumption, taxes and site production affect realized savings.