Restarting Solar for All Could Save U.S. Families More Than $450 Million in Year One

Two federal courts have said the EPA acted unlawfully when it ended Solar for All grants. Rather than leaving households to struggle with higher power costs, the agency should use this moment to help a million families lower their electricity bills.

After recent court defeats for President Donald Trump’s administration and the loss of Republican control in Congress, the Environmental Protection Network released an analysis showing that quickly restoring a federal solar program could save U.S. households hundreds of millions of dollars in its first year.

EPN is a group of former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, including some who helped write the new brief, “Restore Solar for All: EPA Could Help a Million Families Cut Their Electric Bills by 25%.”

Solar for All is a $7 billion grant program created through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund under former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Since returning to office, Trump has moved aggressively against renewable energy, while supporting the fossil fuel industry. His EPA ended the program’s grants, triggering court challenges.

Two federal judges have since ruled against that decision. In Rhode Island, Judge Mary McElroy found the termination violated the Administrative Procedure Act, and in the District of Columbia, Judge Tanya Sue Chutkan issued a similar ruling. Those decisions open the door to restarting the program.

“Families are skipping groceries to keep their lights on, yet restarting Solar for All could ultimately deliver more than $450 million a year in electricity bill savings,” EPN executive director Michelle Roos said in a statement. “Two federal courts have now said EPA broke the law when it terminated Solar for All grants. Instead of keeping families in the dark, EPA should take this opportunity to help a million households cut their electricity bills.”

EPN estimates first-year savings at $458 million, or about $456 per household, with the total likely to grow over time. The report also breaks down the number of families served and the savings expected in each state, along with the locations and average savings for more than 74,000 tribal households reached by the program.

The Trump administration’s appeal deadline is nearing, and the brief warns that if the dispute delays a restart beyond December 31, 2027, it could permanently deny about 410,000 households nearly $500 a year in savings.

“Once the deadline passes, the commercial solar credit is gone for every system not yet operating,” the report says. “Without later action from Congress to restore the tax credit, the grant needed per household rises by about 70%, from about $7,000 to about $11,800.”

“The same $7 billion would then reach about 594,000 households, roughly 410,000 fewer than a prompt restart,” the publication continues. “Total first-year savings fall from about $458 million to about $271 million. The families who do participate still save about 25%, but far fewer families benefit.”

About 1 million households could cut electric bills by 25% if EPA restarts Solar for All, an EPN analysis finds. Two federal courts ruled the termination unlawful. We urge EPA to forgo an appeal and restart the program. Read the full issue brief in the comments.

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— Environmental Protection Network (@enviroprotnet.bsky.social) November 5, 2026 at 9:55 AM

The report also argues that the need for these savings is growing as Trump’s policies, including his so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, support for power-hungry artificial intelligence data centers, and his illegal war on Iran, push electricity bills higher.

Even before Trump began bombing Iran, the average annual U.S. electric bill had already risen by $110, or 6.4%, over the prior year, according to an analysis by Democrats on the congressional Joint Economic Committee.

The report says a recent Consumer Reports survey found that one in five American families are cutting back on groceries to afford power bills, and about 21.5 million U.S. households are behind on their energy payments.

Beyond restarting Solar for All, EPN is urging the EPA to take several related steps, including approving work plan revisions within 30 days, extending a temporary waiver for domestically assembled modules, granting no-cost extensions for time lost, prioritizing shovel-ready projects, and restoring staff to the office that administers the program.

The group also called on the U.S. Department of the Treasury to provide grantees with clarity on tax credits, while encouraging grantees to move quickly on projects and focus bill savings on low- and moderate-income households.

Michelle Moore, CEO of Groundswell, which received a $156 million Solar for All grant, said in EPN’s statement that the organization “stands at the ready to restart our Southeast Rural Power Solar for All program,” and added that she is confident it could reach thousands of families across the Rural South with deep bill savings by the same time next year.