Does Working From Home Change the Solar Math?

If you work from home, your electricity usage pattern looks meaningfully different than a household that's empty during business hours — and that can shift solar's value in your favor.

Why daytime usage matters for solar

Solar panels produce most of their output during daylight hours, roughly aligned with a typical 9-to-5 workday. A household that's empty during the day exports most of that production to the grid (valued at your net metering rate, which may be less than retail in some states) and then buys back grid power in the evening when the household is active.

The remote-work difference

If you're home and running a computer, HVAC, lighting, and other equipment during the day, you're directly consuming a larger share of your solar production in real time rather than exporting it — which is financially better than exporting in any state where your net metering export rate is lower than the retail rate you'd otherwise pay (i.e., anywhere without full 1:1 retail-rate net metering).

Does this change how you should size your system?

If your household usage has shifted meaningfully toward daytime hours (remote work, a home business, retirees home during the day), tell your installer — the sizing and even the case for or against a battery can shift based on this. In a state with weak export rates, higher daytime self-consumption can reduce the financial case for adding a battery, since you're already capturing more value directly rather than needing storage to shift power to the evening.

Bottom line

It's a modest factor compared to your state's incentive tier and electricity rate, but it's a real, free adjustment worth mentioning to any installer sizing a system for your specific household.