The payback period of a solar power system varies widely depending on the initial investment for the system, the size of the system, the usage patterns of the consumer and the price received as a feed in tariff from the energy retailer. For premises that use small amounts of electricity and receive the premium feed in tariff, the payback period can be less than 3 years. For premises that use a lot of electricity and are not eligible for the premium feed in tariff, the payback period will be closer to 7 years.