Cash and financing both have legitimate uses. The right answer depends on your capital, your tax situation and the actual terms you are offered.
Cash purchase
The lowest total cost, because there is no interest and no finance fee embedded in the price. It requires the full amount up front and ties up capital you might use elsewhere.
Financing
Preserves cash and spreads cost over time. The important detail is the difference between the cash price and the financed price — that gap is the real cost of the money, and it deserves as much scrutiny as the interest rate.
We work with local and regional lenders as well as national programs so we can show more than one structure rather than defaulting to whichever one pays the most.
Solar production, bill offset and payment comparisons vary by home, usage, roof, shading, utility rate schedule and financing terms. Nothing on this site is a guarantee of savings. Pricing comparisons depend on system size, equipment, financing structure and contract terms. Any comparison is only meaningful between comparable systems and comparable financing.