Inspiration
As a homeowner frustrated by opaque solar pricing, I wanted to create a tool that demystifies solar savings for everyday US homeowners. Watching friends struggle to compare solar costs vs. grid electricity sparked the idea to build an intuitive, visual calculator that makes financial projections clear and actionable.
What it does
SolarSavings Calc lets US homeowners input their address and monthly electric bill to get clear estimates of solar installation costs, tax incentives (including 30% federal tax credits), monthly/annual savings, payback periods (6-12 years), and 25-year cumulative savings. It also matches users with local solar installers and lets them adjust inputs for real-time recalculations.
How we built it
We started with core financial logic to map bill inputs to savings projections, then built a React frontend with TailwindCSS for responsive, card-based UI. We integrated Chart.js for interactive savings charts, added custom animations for counters/progress bars, and structured the app into a homepage (inputs) and results dashboard with modular sections for roof analysis, cost breakdowns, and installer matching.
Challenges we ran into
Balancing smooth animations with performance on mobile devices was tough – we had to optimize animation timings (0.3-0.8s) and add graceful degradation for low-performance devices. Ensuring real-time recalculations didn’t cause UI jank also required careful state management and transition tuning.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We created a visually striking, intuitive interface that makes complex financial data accessible – no technical jargon, just clear charts and animations. The real-time recalculation feature lets users experiment with inputs instantly, and the responsive design works flawlessly across desktop and mobile.
What we learned
We mastered balancing form and function – making animations enhance (not distract from) data clarity. We also learned how to translate complex financial rules into simple, visual UI elements, and gained insights into US solar incentive structures and homeowner pain points around solar adoption.
What's next for this project
We plan to integrate real utility rate data to refine savings projections, add a financing calculator for solar loans/leases, and connect to actual local installer APIs (replacing simulated matches). We’ll also add a comparison tool for different solar panel models and expand support for more US states’ incentive programs.
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