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| Cash | Loan | Lease / PPA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns it | You | You | Solar company |
| Upfront cost | Full price | Little or none | Little or none |
| Lifetime savings | Highest | Medium (interest and fees) | Lowest, sometimes negative |
| Maintenance | Your responsibility | Your responsibility | Usually the company's |
| Selling your home | Simple | Pay off or transfer | Buyer must take over contract |
| Property tax exemption | Applies to systems on your home; ask how it works for leased systems | ||
Loans: watch the dealer fee
Many "low-APR" solar loans hide a dealer fee of 20–30% in the system price. Ask for the cash price and the financed price in writing and compare.
Leases and PPAs: read the escalator
Many leases and power purchase agreements raise the payment 2–3% every year for 20–25 years. Compare year-20 payments, not year-1, to what you'd pay your provider.
Homeowners associations
Texas Property Code §202.010 generally limits an HOA's ability to ban solar, though HOAs may set some placement rules.
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