Utilities · Solar in Massachusetts

Eversource (Massachusetts): how it credits the solar power you send to the grid

Retail-rate net metering credits plus SMART incentive payments, as for National Grid customers.

Checked November 12, 2026. Utilities change these rules; check the current tariff before you sign.

How it works

Exported power earns the full retail price, kWh for kWh.

Eversource serves Boston, Cambridge, Cape Cod and western Massachusetts.

The SMART incentive is paid per kWh produced for a set number of years; the rate depends on when you apply.

With retail credits and high prices, Massachusetts has some of the shortest paybacks in the country.

Eversource also runs the grid in Connecticut and New Hampshire, where the solar rules are different.

What it means for a typical Massachusetts home

With full credit, a typical 5 kW system in Massachusetts (about $12,850 at the 2026 median price) pays for itself in about 7 years and saves about $47,835 over 25 years after its price, paid in cash with no federal credit. It doesn't matter much whether you use the power as it's made or send it out, so a battery adds backup, not savings. Payback by system size in Massachusetts.

Also in Massachusetts: National Grid (Massachusetts) (full retail credit).

All 55 utilities · Solar in Massachusetts · Lease and PPA terms by company

Sources: SolarReviews: Net metering in 2026; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), final 2025 data: Annual State Historical Spreadsheets (Form EIA-861, released October 7, 2026) and Electric Power Annual (October 21, 2026); EnergySage: median quoted price, first half of 2026.