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What Are the Real Savings from Solar Panels? Figures by Profile
“Halve your electricity bill”: you have probably already seen the promise. The reality is more interesting than the slogan — it depends on three factors, can be calculated, and ranges from €350 to more than €1,900 per year depending on your profile. Here are the transparent figures, with the calculation shown, so you can assess your home even before requesting a quote.
Where Do the Savings Come From? The Mechanism in 30 Seconds
Every kWh your panels produce and your home consumes is a kWh you do not buy from the grid at €0.1940 (Tarif Bleu, first half of 2026). Every kWh produced but not consumed is fed into the grid and earns you €0.011. Annual savings therefore come down to a single multiplication:
Savings ≈ self-consumed kWh × €0.1940 (+ a few cents for the surplus). Everything else — the region, the battery, your schedule — only determines the number of self-consumed kWh. ×18
The Three Factors That Determine Your Figure
1. Your production, which depends on the installed power and the region: from 950 kWh/year per kWp in the North to 1 450 in the South — our guide how many panels for your home explains this calculation in detail. 2. Your self-consumption rate: 40–50% without a battery for a household away during the day, 70–80% with a correctly sized energy storage system. 3. The price of the avoided kWh, which follows the Tarif Bleu — and which, historically, rises more often than it falls: every future increase mechanically raises your savings.
Figures by Profile (Southern France, Calculation Shown)
| Profile | Production/year | Self-consumed | Savings/year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kWp without a battery · couple, moderate consumption | ~4 200 kWh | 45% (1 890 kWh) | ≈ €390 |
| 6 kWp without a battery · family | ~8 400 kWh | 45% (3 780 kWh) | ≈ €784 |
| 6 kWp + 10 kWh battery · family | ~8 400 kWh | 75% (6 300 kWh) | ≈ €1 245 |
| 10 kWp + 15 kWh battery · large home, EV | ~14 000 kWh | 70% (9 800 kWh) | ≈ €1 950 |
The calculation behind each line is the same: self-consumed kWh × €0.1940 + surplus × €0.011. For central and western France, subtract approximately 10 to 15%; for the North and East, 20 to 30%. And one point is immediately clear: between lines 2 and 3, the battery adds €460 per year without a single additional panel — this has been the number-one lever since the reform, and our guide which battery capacity should you choose helps you size it correctly.
What Makes Your Figure Change (In Both Directions)
Upward: being at home during the day (working from home, retirement), which naturally increases self-consumption; managing major consumers (water heater, washing machine scheduled during production hours — 10 to 15 percentage points gained, free of charge); an electric vehicle charged at home, which absorbs the surplus instead of selling it off cheaply. Downward: a home empty from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. without a battery; partial north-facing orientation; oversizing that produces surplus at 1 cent. None of these factors is inevitable — they are exactly what a serious assessment examines before recommending a system size.
And Over 20 Years? The Perspective That Changes the Picture
Annual savings are a snapshot; the full picture lasts 20 to 30 years. A family saving €1 245 per year accumulates approximately €25 000 over 20 years — with the Tarif Bleu remaining constant, which is the cautious assumption: every increase in electricity prices raises the savings. With an investment of €11 990 for this configuration, the payback period is around 10 years, after which the system produces at zero cost for the following decade. The complete analysis, including the reform, is in our 2026 solar profitability guide.
The Anti-Slogan Test
When an advertisement promises to “halve your electricity bill”, ask the only question that matters: “Based on what consumption, what self-consumption rate and what kWh price?” If the salesperson cannot show the multiplication, the figure is just a slogan. Ours are in the table above, with the calculation visible — and can be checked with a calculator.
Your exact figure, calculated from your electricity bill
30 minutes with an expert: your actual consumption, your region, your schedule — and the resulting savings figure, with the calculation shown. If the result does not justify the investment, we will tell you that too.
Choose my time slot → Or call our experts directly: 04 49 42 00 98Frequently Asked Questions
Can you really halve your electricity bill?
It is possible — but only with a correctly sized system, a battery and usage adapted to production hours. This is not the general case, and above all: it is not the right objective. The right objective is the best return per euro invested, which sometimes means targeting 40% of the bill with a small, highly profitable installation.
Are the savings guaranteed?
Production is highly predictable (sunlight varies little from one year to the next); it is the proportion you self-consume that makes the difference, and this depends on your habits. This is why a serious assessment starts with your actual consumption curve — not a national average.
What happens to the savings if electricity prices fall?
Your gain per self-consumed kWh would follow the decrease — but the history of the Tarif Bleu over twenty years tells the opposite story: an upward trend, with step increases. The cautious calculation (constant tariff) presented here is therefore more of a floor than a ceiling.
Does surplus injection still matter?
Barely: at 1.1 cents per kWh, the surplus from a residential installation earns €20 to €50 per year — less than one month of subscription. This is the major shift brought about by the 2026 reform: value has moved entirely from surplus injection to self-consumption.
Is a small installation worthwhile?
Often yes, and this is counterintuitive: a 3 kWp system correctly sized for a household with moderate consumption delivers one of the best returns per euro invested, because almost all its production is used in the home. Starting small and expanding later is a perfectly valid strategy.
Calculations: EDF Tarif Bleu, Base option, 6 kVA, first half of 2026 (€0.1940/kWh incl. VAT); surplus €0.011/kWh (order applicable on 5 June 2026); PVGIS production for southern France, south-facing orientation. Cumulative total over 20 years at a constant tariff, excluding inflation. Your actual figures depend on your profile — this is the subject of the free assessment. Article updated in July 2026.
