US Energy Map (2026): Rates, Solar, EV & Heating by State

Updated September 2026 · Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · next EIA update ~Oct 23

Energy math is intensely local, and nothing shows it faster than color. The map below carries four layers — solar payback, the electricity rate itself, what the median EV costs per 100 miles, and what electric resistance heat costs per million Btu — every one computed from each state’s average EIA residential rate (July 2026), with the expired federal credit correctly at $0 on the solar layer. Toggle a layer, hover any state for all four numbers at once, or pick two states below the map to compare them side by side.

Read the colors, not the map shape

The striking thing is what the greens and reds don’t line up with. The fast-payback green tiles cluster in the Northeast and on the coasts — not the sunniest places in the country — while sun-drenched states in the Southwest and South glow amber and red. That’s the whole lesson of 2026 solar economics in one picture: a high electricity rate shortens payback far more than extra sun hours do, because every kilowatt-hour you offset is simply worth more where power is expensive.

• Green (under 10 years): New York leads at 8.0 years, with Hawaii right behind at 8.1, followed by the rest of the high-rate Northeast corridor and California.
• Light green (10–14 years): solid but slower — states like Maryland and Pennsylvania (both around 10.2 years) and Florida (10.5), where decent rates or cheap installs keep the math workable.
• Amber (14–18 years): moderate-rate states where the decision hinges on state incentives and net metering.
• Red (18+ years): cheap-power states across the Plains, Mountain West, and Deep South, where a cash purchase is hard to justify without a strong incentive or a lease.

Go deeper

The map is the quick view; the numbers behind it are in the full 50-state payback ranking , and each state tile links to its own cost and payback page . To see where your home lands rather than your state’s average, run your bill and rate through the 2026 savings calculator , and check which state incentives still apply now that the federal credit is gone.

Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity rates · DSIRE incentive records · public IRS/OBBBA guidance. Figures are modeled estimates, not quotes or tax advice. See our methodology.

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