Federal ITC 30% (tax credit)
State tax credit: Yes ($1,000)
Net metering (by utility)
There can be solar tax credits and incentives available at the federal, state and local levels. The calculator above will show you the value of all incentives your home is eligible for.
Massachusetts legislators have made the state one of the best places in the country to install home solar panels. Because of all the great solar incentives here, you can expect a solar payback in as little as 6 years. That rate of return significantly outpaces other investments relative to the low level of risk associated with the sun rising every morning.
Learn what solar incentives are available to Massachusetts homeowners
See what Massachusetts solar incentives you qualify for based on your utility company and city
Find out how much these incentives and/or Massachusetts solar tax credits will reduce your cost to go solar and add batteries
The federal solar investment tax credit will have the biggest impact on the cost you will face to go solar in Massachusetts
If you install your photovoltaic system before the end of 2032, the federal tax credit is 30% of the cost of your solar panel system. This is 30% off the entire cost of the system including equipment, labor, and permitting.
Example: If your solar energy system costs $20,000, your federal solar tax credit would be $20,000 x 30% = $6,000.
The federal tax credit falls to 26% starting in 2033.
With net metering in some states, you get full retail rate credit for the amount of electricity you send back into the grid with your solar panels.
Net Metering requires your utility to monitor how much energy your solar power system produces and how much energy you actually consume, and make sure you get credit for the surplus. Massachusetts has recently reaffirmed its commitment to net metering for residential solar systems, so you can rest easier knowing the state has your back.
For Massachusetts residents under Class I residential net metering rules for solar, any extra energy your panels produce is credited to your bill and carried over indefinitely.
Net metering in Massachusetts is a huge boon for you as a solar owner, especially with electricity prices reaching over $0.30 per kilowatt-hour in Boston.
Massachusetts used to have a nice, simple statewide rebate program called "The Commonwealth Solar II Rebate Program". Sadly, the program has now closed, because it was so effective that funding ran out. Luckily, some local municipal utilities have stepped in to take the place. Unfortunately, these small companies serve only a fraction of the state's population.
Massachusetts has devised an ingenious progressive solar incentive system which favors low-income, small scale, and community solar energy projects. It’s called the SMART program. At the program’s core is a formula which includes a base compensation rate which decreases as your system gets larger.
For every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of solar energy you produce with your solar panel system as long as it’s 25 kW or less (that’s about an 80 panel installation, way more than enough electricity for a very large household’s needs), you get paid a 230% multiple of the base compensation rate. Special compensation rate adders are available for community shared solar projects, low-income properties, and/or both!
The SMART Program requires the 3 main Electric Distribution Companies (EDCs)—Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil—to make incentive payments directly to homeowners who install solar systems within their territory. The incentive is calculated based on a "block" system, where each block represents about 200 MW of solar energy generation capacity.
Each time a block is filled (i.e. 200 MW of solar are installed), the incentive amount decreases slightly. So people who install systems in the earlier blocks get higher incentive payments than those who wait to install later.
At the current level (2021), people who install solar on their homes are eligible for a net incentive payment of about $.08/kWh for 10 years. Considering the average Massachusetts home solar system generates around 7,900 kWh per year, that's over $630 in incentive payments per year.
Low income households enrolled in the program can expect an additional incentive of between 3 to 5 cents per kWh. That increases average SMART incentive payments to near $950 every year.
The definition of low income for the program is decided by each individual utility, but in general those with a maximum income 80% below the state’s median income will likely meet such requirements, though this is not guaranteed.
Learn more: Read our post about the SMART Solar Program here.
Massachusetts offers a 15% tax credit off the net costs of your solar system, but only up to a maximum of $1,000 (net costs, meaning cost minus the federal 30% tax credit).
Basically, for most systems, count on $1,000 off next year's state income tax bill, on top of the big savings from the Feds.
When the Massachusetts property tax man or woman cometh to assess your new solar home, they can’t assess you another dime for 20 years -- despite the fact that you’ll be adding roughly 20 times your annual electricity bill savings to your property value. In an example 5kW solar system, that adds up to about $19,890 (20 times your annual electricity savings of $995).
In addition to the property tax exemption, you don’t pay sales tax on your system either, so the installed price is the installed price.
Showing data for:
Prices based on a 8.5kW system, after 30% federal tax credit
78 solar companies in Massachusetts provide pricing on SolarReviews. Here are the best rated companies near you.
4.91 104 Reviews
Gene, 17 hours ago
After reading the reviews and doing research, we decided to go with Sunergy. Before we signed a contract with them, we had multiple phone conversations with Brandon our sales rep. He answered every question and was quick to respond. The software they use to determine your cost is amazing. So far, so good.
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Gene, 17 hours ago
After reading the reviews and doing research, we decided to go with Sunergy. Before we signed a contract with them, we had multiple phone conversations with Brandon our sales rep. He answered every question and was quick to respond. The software they use to determine your cost is amazing. So far, so good.
4.86 163 Reviews
Steven Dube, 1 week ago
The team at Mass Renewables was a pleasure to work with. From the early estimating and vetting process, through panel layouts, permitting, scheduling of the work, and everything else, the team did an exceptional job communicating and answering all of my questions. The quality, price, and timeliness of the work was great and I am happy with my system. Almost 2 years after the original install, my system has been underperforming a bit and the team is still working with me to troubleshoot an issue with two panels and potentially add an additional panel to help. All in all, I am impressed with Mass Renewables and would recommend them for your solar needs.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$20,000 ($4.00 per watt)
Steven Dube, 1 week ago
The team at Mass Renewables was a pleasure to work with. From the early estimating and vetting process, through panel layouts, permitting, scheduling of the work, and everything else, the team did an exceptional job communicating and answering all of my questions. The quality, price, and timeliness of the work was great and I am happy with my system. Almost 2 years after the original install, my system has been underperforming a bit and the team is still working with me to troubleshoot an issue with two panels and potentially add an additional panel to help. All in all, I am impressed with Mass Renewables and would recommend them for your solar needs.
4.84 480 Reviews
Isaac, 1 day ago
I recently had a photovoltaic solar energy system installed on my roof by All Energy Solar, and overall, I am very pleased with the experience. From the start, the company's sales team made a great impression by being personable, professional, and thorough in answering all my questions. Once I signed the contract, I was assigned a dedicated customer service representative, Carlo Maloni, who kept me updated throughout the approval and installation process. His communication was excellent, and he made sure to keep me informed at each step. The interconnection approval and installation process went smoothly, despite some challenges due to the complex setup in my duplex home. The team encountered obstacles related to my neighbor's pre-existing solar array on their side of the roof, and the installation team had to develop creative solutions to work around the neighbor's equipment. Despite these hurdles, the installation team was thorough, resourceful, and respectful of my neighbor's space. While there were some minor delays due to these complexities, the team handled everything professionally and kept me informed about their progress. The timeline from "signed contract" to "first watts produced" was just under 6 months. After the installation was completed, the company continued to provide excellent follow-up service. They helped me set up the Enphase Enlighten app for real-time monitoring of my system's energy production and guided me through the process of participating in the residential energy credit (REC) market. I experienced a minor issue with the system's monitoring, but the company resolved it within hours of my call, which I greatly appreciated. In conclusion, I am very happy with the service provided by All Energy Solar. Their team was professional, knowledgeable, and attentive throughout the process. I highly recommend them for anyone considering a solar energy system installation in Boston, MA or the surrounding area.
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Isaac, 1 day ago
I recently had a photovoltaic solar energy system installed on my roof by All Energy Solar, and overall, I am very pleased with the experience. From the start, the company's sales team made a great impression by being personable, professional, and thorough in answering all my questions. Once I signed the contract, I was assigned a dedicated customer service representative, Carlo Maloni, who kept me updated throughout the approval and installation process. His communication was excellent, and he made sure to keep me informed at each step. The interconnection approval and installation process went smoothly, despite some challenges due to the complex setup in my duplex home. The team encountered obstacles related to my neighbor's pre-existing solar array on their side of the roof, and the installation team had to develop creative solutions to work around the neighbor's equipment. Despite these hurdles, the installation team was thorough, resourceful, and respectful of my neighbor's space. While there were some minor delays due to these complexities, the team handled everything professionally and kept me informed about their progress. The timeline from "signed contract" to "first watts produced" was just under 6 months. After the installation was completed, the company continued to provide excellent follow-up service. They helped me set up the Enphase Enlighten app for real-time monitoring of my system's energy production and guided me through the process of participating in the residential energy credit (REC) market. I experienced a minor issue with the system's monitoring, but the company resolved it within hours of my call, which I greatly appreciated. In conclusion, I am very happy with the service provided by All Energy Solar. Their team was professional, knowledgeable, and attentive throughout the process. I highly recommend them for anyone considering a solar energy system installation in Boston, MA or the surrounding area.
4.84 216 Reviews
Stephen, 3 weeks ago
Great information from the designers showing us how it all will work for us. Great people to work with very knowledgeable in there field. The installation went great with the crew very good information again very professional.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$20,050 ($4.01 per watt)
Stephen, 3 weeks ago
Great information from the designers showing us how it all will work for us. Great people to work with very knowledgeable in there field. The installation went great with the crew very good information again very professional.
4.83 71 Reviews
John Doe, over 1 month
Couldn't be happier with the results. We chose to install panels and the solar battery and its been great. The NEC Solar staff were friendly and polite when installing and seem to have done a great job. We have had some rough storms and everything has been fine. The support after installation has also been great. I had to reach out to them earlier this year (over a year after installation) as I had a leak through the roof and was instructed to contact the solar company as they may have damaged the roof. The team came out within a day and went onto the roof and confirmed everything looked fine (and that it was actually the area around the chimney which looked like the culprit). A roof company came and repaired the chimney which had nothing to do with the installation from NEC Solar. We didn't have the panels installed until fall of 2022 so we didn't see much of a result (which was expected). In 2023, my electric bill was 0 from April-November. My entire house runs on electricity and I work from home and am using lots of electricity. The solar battery also works very well. There was a storm earlier this year knocked out the power lines and we had no power for almost a whole day and we didn't experience any effects in our house as the battery system immediately kicked in. Lastly, I love that I can view the solar production and manage the battery through the website/app. Very convenient. Whatever your reasons--be it environmental or to save a ton of money (my reasons) or some other reason, go with a local company like NEC Solar--I highly recommend!
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John Doe, over 1 month
Couldn't be happier with the results. We chose to install panels and the solar battery and its been great. The NEC Solar staff were friendly and polite when installing and seem to have done a great job. We have had some rough storms and everything has been fine. The support after installation has also been great. I had to reach out to them earlier this year (over a year after installation) as I had a leak through the roof and was instructed to contact the solar company as they may have damaged the roof. The team came out within a day and went onto the roof and confirmed everything looked fine (and that it was actually the area around the chimney which looked like the culprit). A roof company came and repaired the chimney which had nothing to do with the installation from NEC Solar. We didn't have the panels installed until fall of 2022 so we didn't see much of a result (which was expected). In 2023, my electric bill was 0 from April-November. My entire house runs on electricity and I work from home and am using lots of electricity. The solar battery also works very well. There was a storm earlier this year knocked out the power lines and we had no power for almost a whole day and we didn't experience any effects in our house as the battery system immediately kicked in. Lastly, I love that I can view the solar production and manage the battery through the website/app. Very convenient. Whatever your reasons--be it environmental or to save a ton of money (my reasons) or some other reason, go with a local company like NEC Solar--I highly recommend!
4.79 79 Reviews
Janet W, over 1 month
My family and I have wanted to install solar on our home for years, but unfortunately were never able to do so until our recent move. Our new home is perfectly situated for solar, so I started searching for a solar company in the tail end of December 2023. I wound up with two options, one of which was SavKat Solar, and made appointments with both companies. Jay from SavKat came out to our house on 12/26/2023 and spent several hours explaining EVERYTHING to me in great detail. He reviewed whether or not my house was a good fit for solar and why, then went over the different system sizes that are available and the warranties that go with each one. He explained the entire installation process from start to finish, including how long each of the steps in the process usually takes, and worked with me to figure out how many panels my family and I would need, as well as what the best location for each panel would be. He was open and honest about pricing and repayment options, and thoroughly answered and addressed each and every one of my questions and concerns. And when my daughter came home from work, he even spent extra time explaining everything to her! Neither one of us felt rushed or pressured into making a decision. He made us both feel extremely comfortable about asking him questions, and made sure that we understood everything. He told us to reach out to him with any questions we thought of after he left, and even e-mailed us all of the information that he spoke with us about so that we could review it and make a decision in our own time. Talk about service! I can't say the same about the other company. Jay also invited us to take a tour of the SavKat facilities, which I did on 1/3/2024. While there, I met multiple employees - including the owner - who were not only kind, but also quick to answer all of the questions that I had as well. After talking things over with my family, we decided to request an additional 3 panels so that we could be sure that we had enough wattage, and both Jay and the employees at SavKat were more than willing to accommodate our request. We signed a contract with them that day. Each and every step of the entire project happened faster than Jay had led us to expect, part of which might have been due to the fact that not a lot of people install solar in the beginning of the year. When the solar panels themselves were installed, every one of the employees were nice, quick, and efficient, and everything was explained to my family and I after it was done. Our new electric meters were installed today, so I'm hoping that we'll get permission to operate tomorrow. I can't say enough wonderful things about everyone at SavKat, especially Jay. Every time I've reached out to Jay, even when he was on a business trip, he has been extremely responsive, no matter how small my question might seem, and I was never once spoken down to or made to feel like I should know something that I didn't. If I could work with SavKat forever, I would. I wish more companies were as amazing as they are!
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Janet W, over 1 month
My family and I have wanted to install solar on our home for years, but unfortunately were never able to do so until our recent move. Our new home is perfectly situated for solar, so I started searching for a solar company in the tail end of December 2023. I wound up with two options, one of which was SavKat Solar, and made appointments with both companies. Jay from SavKat came out to our house on 12/26/2023 and spent several hours explaining EVERYTHING to me in great detail. He reviewed whether or not my house was a good fit for solar and why, then went over the different system sizes that are available and the warranties that go with each one. He explained the entire installation process from start to finish, including how long each of the steps in the process usually takes, and worked with me to figure out how many panels my family and I would need, as well as what the best location for each panel would be. He was open and honest about pricing and repayment options, and thoroughly answered and addressed each and every one of my questions and concerns. And when my daughter came home from work, he even spent extra time explaining everything to her! Neither one of us felt rushed or pressured into making a decision. He made us both feel extremely comfortable about asking him questions, and made sure that we understood everything. He told us to reach out to him with any questions we thought of after he left, and even e-mailed us all of the information that he spoke with us about so that we could review it and make a decision in our own time. Talk about service! I can't say the same about the other company. Jay also invited us to take a tour of the SavKat facilities, which I did on 1/3/2024. While there, I met multiple employees - including the owner - who were not only kind, but also quick to answer all of the questions that I had as well. After talking things over with my family, we decided to request an additional 3 panels so that we could be sure that we had enough wattage, and both Jay and the employees at SavKat were more than willing to accommodate our request. We signed a contract with them that day. Each and every step of the entire project happened faster than Jay had led us to expect, part of which might have been due to the fact that not a lot of people install solar in the beginning of the year. When the solar panels themselves were installed, every one of the employees were nice, quick, and efficient, and everything was explained to my family and I after it was done. Our new electric meters were installed today, so I'm hoping that we'll get permission to operate tomorrow. I can't say enough wonderful things about everyone at SavKat, especially Jay. Every time I've reached out to Jay, even when he was on a business trip, he has been extremely responsive, no matter how small my question might seem, and I was never once spoken down to or made to feel like I should know something that I didn't. If I could work with SavKat forever, I would. I wish more companies were as amazing as they are!
4.77 81 Reviews
Janet H., over 1 month
From start to finish this was an exceptional process. It was a throwback to a time when customer service was all about the customer. We were kept informed every step of the way, called if there was a delay for any reason, work was done timely, staff were more than competent and I was completely comfortable having them in and on my home. The work area was always cleaned before they left for the day. It was so refreshing to work with a company that does quality work, with quality products and cares about the client experience from start to finish.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$18,600 ($3.72 per watt)
Janet H., over 1 month
From start to finish this was an exceptional process. It was a throwback to a time when customer service was all about the customer. We were kept informed every step of the way, called if there was a delay for any reason, work was done timely, staff were more than competent and I was completely comfortable having them in and on my home. The work area was always cleaned before they left for the day. It was so refreshing to work with a company that does quality work, with quality products and cares about the client experience from start to finish.
4.76 307 Reviews
Very Happy Customer, 4 weeks ago
New England Clean Energy Clean, courteous, hard working and meticulous are only a few ways to describe installation crew that professionally installed my families PV solar system on our home. My wife and I were hesitant to make such a drastic change and investment to our home but New England Clean Energy made it a pressure free experience and we have been ecstatic with our decision. We met with over a dozen solar companies and many proved they would not be able to meet our high standards. From Mark in sales to the site supervisor JJ, New England Clean Energy proved they were right choice and delivered as promised!
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Average cost (5kW system)
$21,450 ($4.29 per watt)
Very Happy Customer, 4 weeks ago
New England Clean Energy Clean, courteous, hard working and meticulous are only a few ways to describe installation crew that professionally installed my families PV solar system on our home. My wife and I were hesitant to make such a drastic change and investment to our home but New England Clean Energy made it a pressure free experience and we have been ecstatic with our decision. We met with over a dozen solar companies and many proved they would not be able to meet our high standards. From Mark in sales to the site supervisor JJ, New England Clean Energy proved they were right choice and delivered as promised!
4.75 63 Reviews
Brian D, 1 day ago
They came very quickly, did the install and answered any questions I had. We had switched from gas heat to heatpumps and needed an addition done and they were very helpful at figuring out how much more energy we needed to add.
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Brian D, 1 day ago
They came very quickly, did the install and answered any questions I had. We had switched from gas heat to heatpumps and needed an addition done and they were very helpful at figuring out how much more energy we needed to add.
4.73 583 Reviews
Klensi, 1 day ago
I’m happy with the service and everything going good till now
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Klensi, 1 day ago
I’m happy with the service and everything going good till now
For more information about going solar near where you live, check out the following resources:
Massachusetts Solar Loan Program - Low interest public funds at fixed rates for solar loans