Key takeaways
- No Montana program installs free panels today. Montana’s federal Solar for All award has no application route (checked October 5, 2026).
- We found no company selling home solar leases or PPAs in Montana. Zero-down here means a loan, and the market grew 42.9% in a year anyway.
- The state’s own loan asks for no down payment: 3.5% fixed, up to $40,000 over 10 years, applied for in quarterly windows before you install.
- One form choice decides how much power you keep: the month your unused kWh credits reset to zero.
- No state income tax credit (repealed in 2021) and no federal home credit for systems installed after December 31, 2025. A 10 years property tax exemption remains.
About this review
We read every Montana statute, utility page and program page listed in the sources between September 29 and October 5, 2026. This page explains programs and contracts. It is not tax, legal or financial advice.
How we choose sources and correct errors: editorial process and content standards.
Montana grew its home solar capacity 42.9% in one year, to 68.0 MW at the end of 2024, by a 2025 pv magazine count of federal data. It did that with no leasing companies, no state rebate and no state tax credit. Every system was bought, with cash or a loan.
So the free-solar answer is short. Nobody gives panels away here, and the no-money-down lease companies of other states do not sell in Montana. What Montana has is a 1-for-1 kWh credit, a state loan with no down payment, and one date on a utility form that decides how much summer power you keep.
What happened to Solar for All in Montana
In April 2024, EPA picked the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a nonprofit, to receive $43.7 million to bring solar to low-income and Tribal homes in Montana. Status: No application route. EPA ended the grants in August 2025; federal courts ruled that unlawful in September 2026, and EPA was weighing an appeal as of October 1. The foundation’s Solar for All page now redirects to its home page. Checked October 5, 2026. If anyone says you qualify for “the Montana solar program”, ask for its name in writing.
Zero-Down Solar in Montana: A Loan or Nothing
Elsewhere, zero-down solar means a loan, a lease or a PPA (power purchase agreement: you pay a company for each kWh its panels on your roof make). In Montana only the loans are on offer, and the one most homeowners never hear about is the state’s.
The state loan: Montana’s closest thing to low-cost solar
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) lends for solar on your own home with no down payment, no application fee and no early-payment penalty. You apply to DEQ before any work starts.
DEQ Alternative Energy Revolving Loan ProgramRun by the DEQ Energy Bureau. Checked October 5, 2026.
- Rate
- 3.5% fixed (4.023% APR), up to $40,000 over 10 years
- Closing costs
- An origination fee of $250 or 2% of the loan, whichever is greater, plus about $200 in other fees
- Who decides
- DEQ ranks applications, because demand has beaten the money every quarter since April 2023
- Status
- Open: October 1 to October 30, 2026 (mailed applications postmarked by October 27). Funding planned for December 1, 2026. Next window: January 1 to January 29, 2027.
| Route | Available in Montana? | When you must act | Who owns the panels |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEQ state loan | Yes, statewide, while the quarter’s money lasts | In a window, before installation | You |
Pros and cons in Montana: DEQ loanPros
Cons
Can fit if: you can wait one funding round and want the lowest fixed rate on offer in the state. | |||
| Installer or bank solar loan | Yes, from installers, banks and credit unions | Any time | You |
Pros and cons in Montana: private loanPros
Cons
Can fit if: the cash price is near the Montana typical price and the financed total is in writing. | |||
| Lease or PPA | We found no company offering one to Montana homes | Ask for the legal basis in writing | The company |
Pros and cons in Montana: lease or PPAPros
Cons
Can fit if: almost never in Montana today. | |||
Lease or PPA? Montana has no real choice between them. DSIRE’s May 2026 map lists Montana’s third-party PPA status as “unclear or unknown”, citing no Montana law. A 2025 pv magazine analysis found no residential lease or PPA offerings in Montana, and neither did our October 5, 2026 check. For loan terms and lifetime cost, see our solar financing guide.
A typical 7.13 kW Montana system costs about $19,465 before incentives and makes about 10,043 kWh a year around Billings. With no tax credit to subtract, the loan covers nearly the whole price, so the rate matters more here than in a state with rebates.
The Reset Month on the Interconnection Form
Under Montana Code 69-8-603, power your panels make beyond your use is credited in kWh (kilowatt-hours, the unit on your bill) on the next bill. This net metering is 1 for 1: 100 kWh sent out in July offsets 100 kWh bought in January. Systems up to 50 kW qualify.
The catch is the reset. Every 12 months, on the date you pick (January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1), unused credit goes to the utility unpaid. Panels make most in summer and homes use most in winter, so pick the date when your bank is closest to empty.
| Reset month you pick | Your year ends | Credit left at reset |
|---|---|---|
| April | End of March | Lowest: last summer’s bank has paid for the winter |
| January | End of December | Some: part of the winter is still ahead |
| July | End of June | Growing: spring surplus is lost |
| October | End of September | Highest: a whole summer is lost just before winter |
NorthWestern offers settle-up months of January, April, July or October and grants a change once; after that the month is fixed. The reset also caps sensible size: make 11,000 kWh and use 10,000, and at least 1,000 kWh goes to the utility unpaid each year.
NorthWestern, Montana-Dakota or a Co-op: Who Writes Your Rules
The state net metering law covers NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota Utilities, about 6 in 10 Montana homes by our count of federal data. Under Montana Code 69-8-605, rural electric co-ops are outside it and write their own rules.
| Utility | Share of Montana homes | Rule book | Who picks the reset | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NorthWestern EnergyMost of western and central Montana | about 59% | State law | You, on the application | A $200 non-refundable fee; a net meter swap can take up to 20 business days |
| Montana-Dakota UtilitiesEastern Montana | about 3.5% | Rate 92, same terms as the law | You | Ask for the current Rate 92 sheet |
| Flathead Electric CooperativeFlathead Valley | about 11% | Co-op policy | No expiry stated on its bill page | Banked credits do not lower the basic or demand charges |
| Yellowstone Valley ElectricCo-op in the Billings area | about 4% | Co-op policy | The co-op’s billing cycle; credits last up to 12 months | Net metered accounts pay a demand charge |
On any other co-op, get its written net metering policy before you sign. A demand charge is a fee set by your busiest stretch of use, which kWh credits do not cancel. Our Montana solar incentives guide covers each utility in more detail.
What the State Gives a Buyer
Montana repealed its income tax credit for alternative energy systems in 2021; the state’s 2025 list of income tax credits (Form 2, Schedule III) has none for solar.
What remains is a property tax break under Montana Code 15-6-224: $20,000 of a home system’s appraised value is exempt for 10 years after installation ($100,000 for multifamily or business buildings). You must file Form AB-14 with your local Department of Revenue office by March 1 for that tax year. At the typical $19,465 price, none of the value would stay taxable.
You Likely Will Not Qualify for Anything Free If
- You are answering a national “free solar” ad. We found no lease or PPA seller in Montana, and Solar for All has no route to apply.
- You already installed and want the state loan. DEQ funds projects before the work, not after.
- You plan to bank power for years. Unused credit goes to the utility at every yearly reset.
- You expect a tax credit. Both the state and federal home credits are gone.
A Montana Offer Check Before You Sign
- Is this a loan, and whose?
If the word “lease” or “PPA” appears, ask which Montana company owns the system and on what legal basis.
- Did you price the DEQ loan first?
Set its fixed rate beside the installer’s loan and dealer fee.
- Which reset month will go on the form?
In writing, before the request is filed. On a co-op, get its policy instead.
- Is the system sized to your yearly use?
Compare expected output with your last year of kWh, and the price with what solar costs in Montana.
- Does the savings math include a tax credit?
Then it is out of date. Ask who files Form AB-14.
Pause if a seller promises free panels, says a government program pays, or will not name the reset month.
Read our solar scam red flags guide and check bidders in our Montana solar companies guide.
Get Montana Prices to Set Beside the State Loan
Ask each installer for the cash price, its loan terms, the size against your yearly use and the reset month it would file. Then set each offer beside a DEQ loan.
Enter your ZIP code for Montana installer prices
This is a commercial quote request, not a DEQ loan application or a Solar for All application. Which installers respond depends on your ZIP code and utility. For the state loan, apply on the DEQ program page.
How EcoGen is paid
EcoGen America does not sell or install solar. When you request quotes, we pass your request to solar providers serving your area, and they pay us for the introduction. Providers can include installers, solar marketplaces and lead exchanges, and more than one may contact you. You never pay us.
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More Montana Solar Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get free solar panels in Montana?
No. No Montana program installs panels at no cost today, and we found no company selling leases or PPAs to Montana homes. Home solar still grew 42.9% in a year, all of it bought.
Can I get zero-down solar in Montana?
Yes, with a loan. The DEQ state loan asks for no down payment at 3.5% fixed, up to $40,000, but you must apply in a quarterly window before you install. Installers, banks and credit unions also offer solar loans. Either way, you own the system.
Is Solar for All available in Montana?
Not today. EPA ended the grants in August 2025, including Montana’s award to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Courts ruled that unlawful in September 2026, but we found no Montana application route. Checked October 5, 2026.
When do Montana solar credits expire, and can I choose?
At NorthWestern and Montana-Dakota you choose the reset: January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1. Unused credit then goes to the utility unpaid. April usually leaves the least behind. NorthWestern lets you change the month once. Co-ops set their own rules.
Does Montana still have 1-for-1 net metering?
Yes, at NorthWestern and Montana-Dakota. A 2017 law lets the Public Service Commission create a separate rate class for solar customers, but it would apply only to systems connected after its final order. Credits are in kWh, so their dollar value moves with your utility’s price.
Sources and review
Montana statute, utility, tax and program facts were checked between September 29 and October 5, 2026, against these sources. Rules change; the utility’s or agency’s current page always wins.
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 69-8-603, net energy measurement calculation (checked September 30, 2026)
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 69-8-103, definition of a net metering system (checked September 30, 2026)
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 69-8-605, co-ops outside the net metering law (checked September 30, 2026)
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 69-8-612, new classifications of service and grandfather clause (checked September 30, 2026)
- NorthWestern Energy, Net Metering and Private Generation (checked September 30, 2026)
- NorthWestern Energy, Level 1 Small Generator Facility Interconnection Request (checked September 30, 2026)
- Montana-Dakota Utilities, rates and tariffs, Rate 92 (read September 29, 2026)
- Flathead Electric Cooperative, My Bill Explained (read September 29, 2026)
- Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative, Net Metering (read September 29, 2026)
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 15-6-224, property tax exemption for nonfossil energy generation (checked September 30, 2026)
- Montana Department of Revenue, Form AB-14, Property Tax Exemption Application for Installation of an Alternative Energy System (checked September 30, 2026)
- Montana Code Annotated 2025, 15-32-201, tax credit for installing an alternative energy system, repealed (checked September 30, 2026)
- Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Alternative Energy Revolving Loan Program (checked September 30, 2026)
- IRS, Residential Clean Energy Credit (checked September 30, 2026)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861, 2024 data, Sales to Ultimate Customers (checked September 30, 2026)
- EPA, Bonneville Environmental Foundation to receive $43.7 million to deliver residential solar in Montana, April 22, 2024 (checked October 5, 2026)
- The Washington Post, Trump’s EPA must reinstate $7 billion grant program for solar panels, judge rules, September 18, 2026
- DSIRE / NC Clean Energy Technology Center, 3rd Party Solar PV Power Purchase Agreement map, May 2026 (checked October 5, 2026)
- pv magazine USA, States without residential solar third-party ownership may become “holes in the market” after 2025, July 22, 2025 (EIA capacity data; checked October 5, 2026)
- Montana Department of Revenue, 2025 Form 2 Schedule III, Tax Credits (checked October 1, 2026)
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