Education · Ownership models
It's the most important question in solar, and the one most sales pitches skip. Panels on your home can be yours — or they can belong to a solar company that sells you the power. Both are legitimate. They behave very differently. Here's the honest version.
The three ways to go solar
You own the system. Finance it through EnFin by Qcells with $0 down (subject to credit approval) and pay it off over 10–25 years. Every kilowatt-hour it makes is yours, every state incentive flows to you, and after payoff the power is essentially free.
The solar company owns the system. You pay a fixed monthly amount to host it and use its power — typically for 20–25 years, often with a small annual price escalator. Maintenance, monitoring, and repairs are the company's job, not yours.
The solar company owns the system. Instead of fixed rent, you pay a set rate for each kilowatt-hour the panels actually produce — priced below your utility. Produce nothing, pay nothing. Same company-owned mechanics as a lease otherwise.
Side by side
| You own it (cash/loan) | Lease | PPA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns the panels | You | The solar company | The solar company |
| Upfront cost | $0-down loans available* | $0 | $0 |
| Federal tax credit | None — ended Dec 31, 2025 | Company claims it → lower payments (through 2027) | Company claims it → lower rate (through 2027) |
| What you pay | Fixed loan payment, then $0 | Fixed monthly, often +0.99–2.99%/yr escalator | Per-kWh produced, often with escalator |
| Maintenance & repairs | Yours (equipment warranties apply) | Company's responsibility | Company's responsibility |
| State & utility incentives | Flow to you | Generally to the company | Generally to the company |
| Home value | Owned solar adds ~4% | No added value; contract attached to home | No added value; contract attached to home |
| Selling your home | Transfers with the house | Buyer assumes contract or seller buys out | Buyer assumes contract or seller buys out |
| End of term | It's yours — free power | Renew, buy out, or removal | Renew, buy out, or removal |
| 25-year math | Highest total savings | Lower lifetime savings, zero hassle | Lower lifetime savings, pay only for production |
Scroll the table sideways to compare all three →
*Subject to credit approval. Escalator and term figures are industry-typical ranges; your actual contract terms are itemized in your quote before you sign.
Why this matters now
For years the standard advice was simple: always buy, because owners pocketed the 30% federal credit. The One Big Beautiful Bill ended that credit for purchases on December 31, 2025 — but company-owned systems can still claim it through 2027 and pass it through as lower payments. For the first time in over a decade, company-owned solar can win on year-one economics — while ownership still usually wins the 25-year race.
That's not a sales angle in either direction. It's exactly why we show you both sets of numbers. Read the full incentives guide →
The Power of One, either way
Here's what most homeowners don't know: EnFin by Qcells isn't just a lender. It finances both ownership models — so whichever path fits your home, the manufacturer, the money, and the service stay under one roof.
Self-owned — EnFin loans
Solar loans from 10 to 25 years with $0-down options, a single-page application with a soft credit pull, and no prepayment penalty. Reviewers report flexible underwriting with minimum credit scores around 600; rates are quote-based. Bonus worth asking about: financing Qcells panels through EnFin has been reported to extend the panel performance warranty from 25 to 30 years — we'll confirm current terms on your quote.
Company-owned — EnFin lease & PPA
Since 2024, EnFin also offers leases (fixed monthly) and PPAs (pay per kWh) with $0 upfront — the company owns and maintains the system, claims the remaining federal credit through 2027, and prices your payment below the utility. For company-owned at national scale, Trio's ecosystem also reaches Sunrun, the largest third-party solar owner in America.
EnFin closed over $575M in asset-backed financings in 2024 — institutional-grade money behind both products. Loan/lease/PPA availability varies by state and credit profile.
The honest answer
You plan to stay in the home long-term, you want the highest 25-year savings and the ~4% home-value bump, you want state incentives flowing to you, and you're comfortable owning equipment that carries a 25-year panel warranty. Ownership is still the strongest long-game in solar.
You want $0 out of pocket and the lowest payment right now, you want the remaining federal credit working for you before the 2027 window closes, you'd rather never think about maintenance or repairs, or a loan doesn't fit your credit picture today. Just go in with open eyes on escalators and home-sale transfers — we put both in writing before you sign.
Ownership questions
The solar company does. Your roof hosts the system; you pay a fixed monthly amount (lease) or a per-kWh rate for the power it produces (PPA). The company handles maintenance, monitoring, and repairs — and claims the incentives.
Long-term, owning usually wins: after the loan is paid off, the power is essentially free, and owned systems typically add around 4% to home value. But since the homeowner federal credit ended in 2025, company-owned systems can win on year-one economics through 2027 because the company still claims the federal credit and passes it through as lower payments.
The contract has to move: the buyer assumes it (usually with a credit check) or the seller buys out the remaining term. Owned systems simply transfer with the house. We put the transfer and buyout terms in front of you before you sign anything.
An annual price increase written into the contract — typically 0.99% to 2.99% per year. A higher escalator usually buys a lower starting payment but costs more over the full term. Zero-escalator contracts exist and are often the better long-term deal.
Many company-owned contracts include buyout windows at set points in the term, and most offer an end-of-term purchase option. Terms vary by contract — we show you the buyout schedule before you sign, not after.
This page is education, not financial advice. Loan, lease, and PPA terms vary by state, credit profile, and provider. EnFin product details marked "reported" come from independent reviewer coverage; we confirm exact current terms on every quote. Sources: SolarReviews, BestCompany, Qcells/EnFin announcements — reviewed July 2026.
Own it or let the company own it — your quote shows the real math for each, side by side, with every term in writing. Free, in 48 hours.
Get my free quote