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, and a strong policy we’d like to see enacted across the rest of the country.
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
83 solar companies in Massachusetts provide pricing on SolarReviews. Here are the best rated companies near you.
4.86 155 Reviews
Jaap, over 1 month
I shopped around a bit looking for a company to help me understand solar panel installations, and then execute it. In the end I chose MassRenewables because I felt they were very professional in their presentation. It turns out that was the right choice. After signing the initial agreement, they stayed in touch about their timeline and they were very flexible when I had to postpone the installation for a few months. Once the installation got underway, they should up on time and worked very hard. Throughout the process they kept me informed about what they were doing and what was going to happen next. In the end, I now have a great working set of solarpanels on my roof. It was zero hassle, and great overall experience with a very positive result!
Read more
Average cost (5kW system)
$20,000 ($4.00 per watt)
Jaap, over 1 month
I shopped around a bit looking for a company to help me understand solar panel installations, and then execute it. In the end I chose MassRenewables because I felt they were very professional in their presentation. It turns out that was the right choice. After signing the initial agreement, they stayed in touch about their timeline and they were very flexible when I had to postpone the installation for a few months. Once the installation got underway, they should up on time and worked very hard. Throughout the process they kept me informed about what they were doing and what was going to happen next. In the end, I now have a great working set of solarpanels on my roof. It was zero hassle, and great overall experience with a very positive result!
4.83 44 Reviews
Slawomir Jaskot, 2 weeks ago
I interviewed 10 companies when decided to get solar panels for our home. We chose Sunergy Solutions because their sales person Christopher Esposito and engineering team were very professional and punctual. Sunergy Solutions was very responsive, had competitive prices, and performed great work. Highly recommended!
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Slawomir Jaskot, 2 weeks ago
I interviewed 10 companies when decided to get solar panels for our home. We chose Sunergy Solutions because their sales person Christopher Esposito and engineering team were very professional and punctual. Sunergy Solutions was very responsive, had competitive prices, and performed great work. Highly recommended!
4.82 215 Reviews
MickM, over 1 month
I had a good feeling about this company from the very first contact. They were very open and honest about expectations and took the time to explain everything and answer my long list of questions and concerns. As an employee-owned company and a certified B Corp (look it up), I felt I was dealing with local people from my surrounding communities, and not some distant money driven corporation with pushy sales. After the initial visit, I received a full proposal within a day or two and was given the time to process, get additional quotes and do more research, without being hassled for a decision. In the end, the decision was between two proposals and despite ReVision being marginally more expensive and having a longer lead time for installation, I knew they were the right guys for my project. In addition, they had my panel of choice (REC) that the other vendor wasn't able to supply. I was also very fortunate that the initial lead-time was cut by several months meaning that I would be up and running for the peak summer months. The installation crew were a great bunch of guys and were on site for a total of three days. I talked to them often and was given regular updates and when they wrapped up, they told me what I could expect next. The only minor hiccup we had was that I was told that the paperwork for the change to a net meter (by the utility) would be submitted by the next day (after installation) and that the utility would have 10 working days to switch the meter. It actually took a whole week before the utility received the application and I did not receive a response from ReVision when I requested clarification on the submission. Perhaps some miscommunication? Luckily, the following week, I contacted the utility directly, who expedited the meter switchover and PTO, and everything was up and running within the 10 day period. The be fair, had ReVision not set the bar so high from the beginning, I would have normally expected such minor delays in the process from any vendor. All in all, I have been very happy with the whole process and outcome. Watching that meter "spin" backwards so much more than it does forwards gives a warm fuzzy feeling, and let's me know that I'm saving up credit for the winter. My calculations from the first few weeks of operation (sunny and cloudy days) helped validate the system sizing and the meeting of our goal to eliminate our bill completely. I'm confident that we'll even make a little revenue over the year as a whole. Definitely the right choice!
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Average cost (5kW system)
$20,050 ($4.01 per watt)
MickM, over 1 month
I had a good feeling about this company from the very first contact. They were very open and honest about expectations and took the time to explain everything and answer my long list of questions and concerns. As an employee-owned company and a certified B Corp (look it up), I felt I was dealing with local people from my surrounding communities, and not some distant money driven corporation with pushy sales. After the initial visit, I received a full proposal within a day or two and was given the time to process, get additional quotes and do more research, without being hassled for a decision. In the end, the decision was between two proposals and despite ReVision being marginally more expensive and having a longer lead time for installation, I knew they were the right guys for my project. In addition, they had my panel of choice (REC) that the other vendor wasn't able to supply. I was also very fortunate that the initial lead-time was cut by several months meaning that I would be up and running for the peak summer months. The installation crew were a great bunch of guys and were on site for a total of three days. I talked to them often and was given regular updates and when they wrapped up, they told me what I could expect next. The only minor hiccup we had was that I was told that the paperwork for the change to a net meter (by the utility) would be submitted by the next day (after installation) and that the utility would have 10 working days to switch the meter. It actually took a whole week before the utility received the application and I did not receive a response from ReVision when I requested clarification on the submission. Perhaps some miscommunication? Luckily, the following week, I contacted the utility directly, who expedited the meter switchover and PTO, and everything was up and running within the 10 day period. The be fair, had ReVision not set the bar so high from the beginning, I would have normally expected such minor delays in the process from any vendor. All in all, I have been very happy with the whole process and outcome. Watching that meter "spin" backwards so much more than it does forwards gives a warm fuzzy feeling, and let's me know that I'm saving up credit for the winter. My calculations from the first few weeks of operation (sunny and cloudy days) helped validate the system sizing and the meeting of our goal to eliminate our bill completely. I'm confident that we'll even make a little revenue over the year as a whole. Definitely the right choice!
4.82 418 Reviews
Suzanne Breen, 1 week ago
We had a great experience working with All Energy. The entire process was efficient and easy to navigate. Their team is great. Our panels are ground-mounted in an extremely challenging location and there were no issues with the design or installation. Our system is working really well after the first few months of operation.
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Suzanne Breen, 1 week ago
We had a great experience working with All Energy. The entire process was efficient and easy to navigate. Their team is great. Our panels are ground-mounted in an extremely challenging location and there were no issues with the design or installation. Our system is working really well after the first few months of operation.
4.80 49 Reviews
Awk, 1 week ago
The 7kW system NEC installed for us has been operating for 15 months now, flawlessly. Their installation crews were well-organized and very professional. And Artie, our primary contact, was responsive, thoughtful, and knowledgeable - a big part of the reason we chose NEC. (I was actually shocked at how little some of the other solar vendors I contacted new about the systems they were selling. I learned later that this is because some of them are just middlemen - they actually hire companies like NEC to do the installations.) And NEC stuck with us long after the system went live, helping us get through the National Grid paperwork to get our SMART credits activated. Highly recommended!
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Awk, 1 week ago
The 7kW system NEC installed for us has been operating for 15 months now, flawlessly. Their installation crews were well-organized and very professional. And Artie, our primary contact, was responsive, thoughtful, and knowledgeable - a big part of the reason we chose NEC. (I was actually shocked at how little some of the other solar vendors I contacted new about the systems they were selling. I learned later that this is because some of them are just middlemen - they actually hire companies like NEC to do the installations.) And NEC stuck with us long after the system went live, helping us get through the National Grid paperwork to get our SMART credits activated. Highly recommended!
4.77 78 Reviews
JT, 2 weeks ago
We had the pleasure of working Revolusun on the installation of our home solar energy system in 2021. We had a great experience working with Revolusun and with project director Greg Raffa. We found him to be responsive, knowledgeable and thorough. The installation was smooth and efficient. We love how efficient our system is, and how much money it is saving us annually. We are glad to lower our carbon footprint significantly. Thankyou!
Read more
Average cost (5kW system)
$18,600 ($3.72 per watt)
JT, 2 weeks ago
We had the pleasure of working Revolusun on the installation of our home solar energy system in 2021. We had a great experience working with Revolusun and with project director Greg Raffa. We found him to be responsive, knowledgeable and thorough. The installation was smooth and efficient. We love how efficient our system is, and how much money it is saving us annually. We are glad to lower our carbon footprint significantly. Thankyou!
4.73 292 Reviews
Chris B, over 1 month
Had all my questions answered by Todd, and smoothly moved into the phases of installing and becoming operational. The wait between inspections and "turn-on" was longer than I had hoped, but NECE had warned me of the possible delay due to local inspections and Electric Co. delays. Finally turned on and very happy with the project. Thank you Todd and NECE for providing me with a great system for my home.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$21,450 ($4.29 per watt)
Chris B, over 1 month
Had all my questions answered by Todd, and smoothly moved into the phases of installing and becoming operational. The wait between inspections and "turn-on" was longer than I had hoped, but NECE had warned me of the possible delay due to local inspections and Electric Co. delays. Finally turned on and very happy with the project. Thank you Todd and NECE for providing me with a great system for my home.
4.71 283 Reviews
Steve T., 3 weeks ago
Boston Solar was able to successfully implement the solar panel system on my house. The project and all the inspection went well and they even went a step further with making rooftop conduit looking nice.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$19,100 ($3.82 per watt)
Steve T., 3 weeks ago
Boston Solar was able to successfully implement the solar panel system on my house. The project and all the inspection went well and they even went a step further with making rooftop conduit looking nice.
4.67 22 Reviews
Anonymous, over 1 month
Great overall experience! Mike and Sarah walked us through every step of the way. Mike made sure that we stayed informed and made us feel like we were a friend of the family. Also, Install team was awesome. During each stage of our experience, it was clear that Bay State Solar Solutions places a high emphasis of customer satisfaction and they certainly exceeded our expectations.
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Average cost (5kW system)
$20,800 ($4.16 per watt)
Anonymous, over 1 month
Great overall experience! Mike and Sarah walked us through every step of the way. Mike made sure that we stayed informed and made us feel like we were a friend of the family. Also, Install team was awesome. During each stage of our experience, it was clear that Bay State Solar Solutions places a high emphasis of customer satisfaction and they certainly exceeded our expectations.
4.66 20 Reviews
Noreen D, over 1 month
In looking at all the ways to stabilize our finances, I knew I wanted to get solar panels. I intensely researched 3 different vendors and finally decided on Premier Improvements. They answered every question I had, didn’t try to pressure me, offered the highest quality panels that can last 35-40 years and their prices were competitive. Both leasing and purchasing are good options, but I went with purchasing because the interest rate was les than 1%, and I get an up to $7500 tax rebate. Installation went smoothly. I now pay zero for my electric bill with Eversource, and get about $150 mailed to be each month by Eversource so the extra electricity I send to the grid (even after using all the electricity I need for the house and charging an electric car.). I use the $150 to pay the $150 monthly charge to pay off the panels. Once I pay off the panels, I should get 100% no cost electricity for 10-15 years. So glad we went solar.
Read more
Noreen D, over 1 month
In looking at all the ways to stabilize our finances, I knew I wanted to get solar panels. I intensely researched 3 different vendors and finally decided on Premier Improvements. They answered every question I had, didn’t try to pressure me, offered the highest quality panels that can last 35-40 years and their prices were competitive. Both leasing and purchasing are good options, but I went with purchasing because the interest rate was les than 1%, and I get an up to $7500 tax rebate. Installation went smoothly. I now pay zero for my electric bill with Eversource, and get about $150 mailed to be each month by Eversource so the extra electricity I send to the grid (even after using all the electricity I need for the house and charging an electric car.). I use the $150 to pay the $150 monthly charge to pay off the panels. Once I pay off the panels, I should get 100% no cost electricity for 10-15 years. So glad we went solar.
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