A city where most people own the roof
Single-detached houses make up 80.6 percent of Flint's 43,028 housing units. That is the highest share in this state's dataset and it simplifies the first question almost everywhere in the city: the roof is yours, the electrical service is yours, and the decision does not need a board, a landlord or a building manager.
The remainder is small. Buildings of 20 or more apartments hold 5.0 percent of units, single-attached row houses 4.5 percent and mobile homes 1.3 percent. Each has its own answer. In the apartment buildings the owner decides and the array typically offsets a building account. In an attached house the roof plane and the fire separation need establishing on site. On a mobile home the structure, the ground and the park rules come before the electrical design.
For the large majority, the sequence is short: survey the roof, get production modelled per plane, apply to Consumers Energy under its distributed generation program, install and get inspected.
About 1,198 kWh a year for every kW
The planning estimate for Flint is roughly 1,198 kWh a year per kW installed, derived from satellite irradiance with a standard performance ratio applied rather than measured from local systems. Use it to decide whether to pursue quotes, and treat the site survey as the number that matters.
Older housing is worth a specific thought here. Roof age and structure decide whether an array can go up at all and whether it should go up now, because putting panels on a roof with a few years left in it means paying to remove and refit them later. Ask for the roof condition to be assessed as part of the survey rather than assumed, and ask what the installer charges to remove and reinstall an array if the roof is replaced during the system's life.
Beyond that, the usual factors apply: orientation sets the daily shape of production, pitch affects output and snow clearance, shading decides how much of the theoretical yield you keep, and usable area shrinks once vents, stacks and setbacks come out of the total.
How Consumers Energy credits what you send back
Michigan does not have one-for-one net metering. Consumers runs its own distributed generation program under Michigan Public Service Commission oversight, taking systems up to 550 kW and sizing them to no more than 110 percent of a customer's historical 12-month usage.
Excess generation is credited at the power supply rate including transmission. Since 27 February 2024 those credits apply to all electric charges on a participant's bill, where before that date they applied only to the power supply portion, which is a meaningful improvement and one that older advice will not reflect.
The rate structure still means an exported kilowatt-hour is worth less than one you use as you generate it. That is the argument for shifting flexible loads into daylight hours where you can, and for pricing storage rather than dismissing it, since stored power displaces electricity at the retail rate instead of earning the narrower export credit.
Sizing: your bills decide, not your roof
Michigan's 2023 Public Act 235 set both the 550 kW project ceiling and the 110 percent customer sizing cap. On a house in Flint, only the second one is ever in play, and it is a limit rather than a goal.
A roof with room for more panels is not a reason to install them. Because export earns less than self-consumption saves, capacity beyond your own usage is the least productive part of the system, and on a modest bill the difference between a right-sized array and an oversized one is money that never comes back.
Bring twelve months of bills and ask the installer to size against them. If the proposal is larger than your history supports, ask what the extra capacity is expected to earn and whether that assumes exporting or self-consumption. A clear answer to that question is a good indicator of how carefully the rest of the quote was built.
Cost and financing in 2026
The 30 percent federal residential tax credit under Section 25D applied through December 31, 2025 and is not available for a purchased home system placed in service after that date. A 2026 purchase in Flint cannot claim it, so any payback figure built on it is wrong by a wide margin and should be recalculated before you compare quotes.
If you take a lease or a power purchase agreement rather than buying, the provider may claim the business version of the credit under Section 48E and pass part of the value through in the rate. Ask the provider directly what they claim and what reaches you, and confirm with a tax advisor rather than with a brochure.
For a purchase, Michigan Saves connects homeowners with participating credit unions offering below-market financing for qualifying improvements including solar photovoltaic systems, battery storage and EV chargers. Rates start at 5.99 percent APR with terms up to 180 months, you must use an authorized contractor and you apply through the Michigan Saves portal. Check the authorized contractor list before you choose an installer, since eligibility depends on it.