Here are real numbers, not a sales pitch. We ran an 800 W system through the government's PVWatts tool for three cities. Then we multiplied by July 2026 electricity prices. Every figure below is an upper bound, because it assumes you use all of the power at home.
How do you work out balcony solar savings?
Use this: yearly savings = kWh made per year x share you use at home x price per kWh. If your fridge, router and lights soak up everything, the share is 100%. Power you push to the grid may earn nothing. EcoFlow even advises against buying if your utility has no net metering. Our numbers use 100%, so treat them as the best case.
How much power does an 800 W kit make?
We used PVWatts v8 from NREL, now called NLR. Settings: 0.8 kW, 14% losses, south-facing, run 21 October 2026. At a 30 degree tilt (ground or garden mount), Los Angeles makes 1,368 kWh a year, Houston 1,142 and New York City 1,054. Hung vertical on a railing, it falls to 796, 637 and 670. A flat-on railing loses a lot.
What does power cost?
EIA's residential average for July 2026 was 18.31 cents per kWh for the US, 33.61 for California, 15.88 for Texas and 29.90 for New York. These are July monthly figures, not yearly averages. Your own bill is the better number to use. Check your rate on it.
What do the worked examples say?
At a 30 degree tilt: Los Angeles 1,368 x $0.3361 = $460 a year. Houston 1,142 x $0.1588 = $181. New York City 1,054 x $0.2990 = $315. On a vertical balcony railing: Los Angeles $267, Houston $101, New York City $200. If you only use 70% of the power, multiply by 0.7. That 70% is our illustration, not a measured number.
How long until a kit pays for itself?
Payback is kit price divided by yearly savings. Take CraftStrom's 800 W kit at $2,031 (checked October 2026). At the 30 degree figures, that is about 4.4 years in Los Angeles, 6.4 in New York City and 11.2 in Houston. On a vertical railing it is about 7.6, 10.2 and 20.1 years. A cheaper kit pays back faster. For the APsystems EZ1 ($325 for the microinverter alone) you add panels, and we did not find a sourced panel price, so we will not guess.
Is it worth buying?
In sunny, high-price places, with a good mount, yes, it can be. In low-price states or on a shaded, vertical balcony, a 20-year payback is not worth it. Sunny will not pretend otherwise. See kits you can buy, and check whether your state allows it. There is also no federal tax credit to help.
The quick version
- At most, an 800 W kit saves about $101 to $460 a year in these three cities.
- Tilt matters. A vertical railing mount makes about 56% to 64% as much as a 30 degree tilt in these cities.
- Payback is kit price divided by yearly savings, and it can top 20 years.
- These are upper bounds. They assume you use all the power at home.