Yes, for most owned systems on an Eversource, National Grid or Unitil bill. Power here is expensive, and exports still earn a credit close to the full price. In our per-utility figures a typical home system pays for itself in about 8 years at Eversource, the largest utility, before any incentive, and in 5.9 to 8.1 years across the large utilities. SMART payments come on top.
Typical payback, EversourceAbout 8 years
By utility, statewide 7.5About 6 to 8 years
Typical owned 8.74 kW system at $26,395 cash (EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026), simple payback before incentives from our per-utility figures of October 19, 2026. Net metering credits exports close to the full price, so every kWh is valued at the utility’s own EIA price with its fixed monthly charge taken out: 27.73¢ at Eversource. Statewide 7.5 years, weighted by customers. SMART, the $1,000 state tax credit, upkeep and price rises are not counted. See the math.
- Who sends your bill: Eversource, National Grid or Unitil get SMART and state net metering. A town light plant sets its own rules.
- Export credit: near-retail today, but the state is reviewing it. Ask for your savings with a lower credit too.
- SMART 3.0: $0.03 per kWh for 20 years, about $354 in year one for a typical system.
2026 rules: new home systems get no 30% federal homeowner credit (IRS). SMART 3.0 pays $0.03 per kWh for 20 years, and the state is reviewing the net metering credit (D.P.U. 25-200).
How we checked this guide
Program rules come from the SMART 3.0 tariff, Massachusetts law and the DPU, and the electricity price from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The example is the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Massachusetts home. Assumed numbers are labelled.
The writer and checker shown above are EcoGen staff. EcoGen is paid when homeowners request quotes, which is explained beside the quote form. Read our editorial standards.
Three ways a Massachusetts roof earns money
In Massachusetts the question is rarely whether solar pays. It is whether your roof, your use and your timeline let you collect what the state offers. Each kWh (kilowatt-hour) of solar you use is one you do not buy at 30.43¢, the 12-month state average. Exports earn a credit close to that price, and SMART 3.0 adds $0.03 per kWh for all the power the panels make. Read each row across.
Your utility
Worth a closer look
Eversource, National Grid or Unitil sends your bill, so SMART and state net metering apply.
Pause and check
A town light plant serves you. No SMART, and the town sets its own export credit.
Check next: the utility name on your bill and the export credit in your quote.
SMART paperwork
Worth a closer look
The quote uses the SMART 3.0 rate of $0.03 per kWh for 20 years.
Pause and check
The quote shows SMART for only 10 years, the old program, or cannot say when payments start.
Check next: the SMART Customer Disclosure Form and who files it.
Roof and shade
Worth a closer look
An unshaded roof with at least 10 years of life left.
Pause and check
Trees shade the roof at midday, or it needs replacing soon.
Check next: a shade report and the roof’s age.
Your electric use
Worth a closer look
Your bills are high, so most solar power replaces power you would buy.
Pause and check
Your use is very low. Spare credits are generally not paid out as cash.
Check next: twelve months of bills, so the system fits your real use.
Price and financing
Worth a closer look
A cash price near the Index’s $3.02 per watt, paid in cash or a low-fee loan.
Pause and check
A low loan rate that hides a dealer fee, so the total is far above the cash price.
Check next: the cash price next to the total financed cost.
The 2026 Massachusetts payback, step by step
Simple payback is the number of years your savings take to cover what you paid: the net cost divided by the yearly savings. Here it is for the typical Massachusetts system, bought with cash, on an Eversource bill, before any incentive.
- Cash price
- $26,395
- Incentives counted
- $0
- Year-one production
- 11,790 kWh
- How each kWh is valued
- At the price you pay
- Eversource average price (EIA, 2024)
- $0.29914/kWh
- Fixed monthly charge taken out
- $10.00
- Owner-cost allowance
- Not counted
- Price per kWh, fixed charge out
$0.29914 − ($10.00 × 12 ÷ 5,497 kWh)$0.27731/kWh - Yearly savings
11,790 × $0.27731$3,270/yr - Simple cash payback
$26,395 ÷ $3,270about 8.1 years
Inputs: the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Massachusetts system (8.74 kW, $26,395 cash, September 2026; 1,349 kWh per kW a year) and our per-utility payback figures of October 19, 2026. Net metering credits exported power at close to the full price, so the figures value every kWh the panels make at the utility’s own price, with its fixed monthly charge spread over its homes’ average use (5,497 kWh a year at Eversource) and taken out. Eversource’s price is its 2024 EIA yearly average, because its monthly data covered too few customers. The figures count no upkeep and no price rises, and SMART and the state tax credit are not counted here.
Each large utility has its own price, so the same system pays back at a different speed on each. Town light plants set their own credit and are not in our figures.
Utility | Price per kWh, fixed charge out | Yearly savings | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|---|
Eversource (the largest) | $0.27731/kWh | $3,270 | about 8.1 years |
National Grid | $0.32116/kWh | $3,787 | about 7.0 years |
Nantucket Electric | $0.36440/kWh | $4,296 | about 6.1 years |
Unitil | $0.38244/kWh | $4,509 | about 5.9 years |
Weighted by how many homes each utility serves, Massachusetts comes to about 7.5 years. These four utilities serve 87.7% of the state’s homes. If a town light plant sends your bill, ask it in writing what it credits.
Add SMART on top
None of these figures counts SMART. For the typical system, about 11,790 kWh at $0.03 per kWh is about $354 in year one. Over 20 years that adds up to about $6,750 before any tax. Lower-income homes get $0.06 per kWh, about $707 a year.
The rate is for the 2026 program year and is kept once a system qualifies. Final 2027 rates are due on December 1, 2026, so ask which year your quote uses. Ask a tax professional whether SMART payments count as income.
Try your own Massachusetts quote
The tool starts with the Eversource case. Under net metering an exported kWh earns about what a kWh used at home saves, so the home-use share hardly matters here. Enter the numbers from your quote and press Calculate. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Example result
about 8.1 years
simple cash payback
- Used-at-home value
- $1,308/yr
- Export value
- $1,962/yr
- Owner costs
- −$0/yr
- Yearly savings
- $3,270/yr
- Net cost
- $26,395
Starts with the Eversource case, before incentives and without SMART. Flat first-year values with no upkeep; rates, panel wear and repairs will change the result. To add SMART, raise the price per kWh and the export credit by 3¢.
Net metering: what an exported kWh earns in Massachusetts
Power you use at home saves the full price. Power you export earns a credit set by state law: your basic service, distribution, transmission and transition charges for each kWh. The monthly charge and a few smaller lines are left out, so the credit is a little lower. Unused credits move to the next month and do not expire.
Used at home: 4,716 kWh. Each one replaces power you would have bought, so it saves the full variable rate ($0.27731 at Eversource, fixed charge out).
Sent to the grid: 7,074 kWh. These earn your utility’s net metering credit, close to the full price, so our figures value them at the same $0.27731 at Eversource. Check your own utility’s credit.
The credit may not stay this high. The Department of Public Utilities opened D.P.U. 25-200 on December 15, 2025 to review its value, with a net metering meeting set for October 15, 2026. When we checked the docket on October 19, 2026, it listed no filing after September 30, so it did not show whether the meeting took place, and no change had been ordered. Town light plants set their own credit; ask yours in writing.
Ask for your savings at two export credits
The state is reviewing the export credit, so ask each installer for your savings at today’s credit and a lower one.
Solar providers that serve your area may contact you, and they pay EcoGen for the introduction. How we make money.
Cash, loan or lease: who collects SMART?
SMART goes to whoever owns the system. In a lease or power purchase agreement (PPA), the company owns the panels and collects SMART, and you cannot claim the credit.
| Option | Who owns the panels | Upfront | Ongoing | Check before signing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | You | Full price | None to a lender. | SMART and the $1,000 state tax credit are yours. |
| Loan | You | Often $0 | Loan payment, plus your remaining utility bill. | Cash vs financed price. A dealer fee can eat the SMART money. |
| Lease | Solar company | Often $0 | Monthly lease payment, plus your remaining utility bill. | The company collects SMART and you cannot claim the tax credit. Check the escalator and transfer terms. |
| PPA | Solar company | Often $0 | A price per kWh for the power the panels make. | Same as a lease. Compare the PPA price with the 30.43¢ average. |
For loan terms and a payment calculator, see our solar financing guide. If you have no roof of your own, see free and $0-down solar in Massachusetts.
Six lines a Massachusetts quote should show
Without these lines, a quote’s payback number cannot be checked.
- Your utility. Eversource, National Grid, Unitil or your town light plant.
- The export credit. The cents per kWh assumed, and savings at a lower credit.
- SMART rate and term. $0.03 per kWh for 20 years, and who files the application.
- Tax credit only if you own. The $1,000 state credit never belongs in a lease quote.
- Cash and financed prices. Both totals, with any dealer fee shown.
- Size and production. kW and year-one kWh. 1,349 kWh per kW a year is typical here.
Compare Massachusetts solar quotes
Ask each installer to name your utility, export credit and SMART rate. Enter your ZIP code to request quotes from solar providers that serve your area.
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. This is not an application to the SMART program.
More Massachusetts solar guides
- Massachusetts solar guide: utilities, incentives and installers in one place
- Massachusetts solar companies: compare local installers before you request quotes
- Massachusetts solar incentives: SMART, net metering and the state tax credit
- What solar costs in Massachusetts
- Free solar panels in Massachusetts: who gets the SMART payment in a lease
- Are solar panels worth it? The national guide and payback calculator
All 51 state guides
Massachusetts solar payback questions
Are solar panels worth it in Massachusetts?
For most owned systems on an Eversource, National Grid or Unitil bill, yes. In our per-utility figures a typical system pays back in about 8 years at Eversource before incentives, and sooner with SMART. Heavy shade, an old roof, very low use or a costly loan can change that. A town light plant has its own rules.
Is solar worth it in Massachusetts without the federal tax credit?
Yes, in our example. The federal homeowner credit does not apply to systems installed after December 31, 2025, and our example counts no federal money. High power prices do most of the work. The state adds a tax credit of 15% up to $1,000.
What is the solar payback period in Massachusetts?
For a typical 8.74 kW owned system, simple payback before incentives is about 7.5 years statewide, weighted by customers: 8.1 years at Eversource, 7.0 at National Grid, 6.1 at Nantucket Electric and 5.9 at Unitil. SMART and the state tax credit shorten it. Town light plants are not in our figures.
Does net metering still exist in Massachusetts?
Yes, for Eversource, National Grid and Unitil customers. Each exported kWh is credited at your basic service, distribution, transmission and transition charges, close to the full price. The state opened a review of the credit (D.P.U. 25-200) on December 15, 2025. No change had been ordered when we checked.
Should I buy or lease solar in Massachusetts?
Buying keeps SMART, about $354 in year one for a typical system, and the $1,000 state tax credit. In a lease or PPA the company collects SMART and you cannot claim the credit. If you want $0 upfront, judge the lease on its escalator and transfer terms.
Do solar panels make enough power in a Massachusetts winter?
They make less in winter and more in summer. The 1,349 kWh per kW a year in our example is a full-year figure, winter included, so the payback already counts the dark months. Net metering credits from sunny months move forward to lower your later bills.
Do Eversource, National Grid and Unitil credit exports the same way?
They follow the same state rule, so the same bill charges count. The cents per kWh differ by utility and change with its rates, so ask for your current credit in writing. All three also pay SMART at $0.03 per kWh for 20 years.
Sources, method and corrections
The example uses the EcoGen Solar Cost Index typical Massachusetts system (September 2026) and our per-utility payback figures of October 19, 2026: simple payback before incentives, with every kWh valued at the utility’s own EIA price (August 2025 to July 2026; Eversource’s 2024 yearly average) less its fixed monthly charge. Massachusetts prints a state figure of 7.5 years, weighted by customers. The figures count no upkeep, no price rises, no SMART and no state tax credit. Simple payback uses flat first-year values. The calculator runs in your browser and sends nothing.
Spotted an error? Tell us through our corrections and feedback process.
- Eversource SMART 3.0 tariff, M.D.P.U. No. 88 (SMART rates and term)
- MassCEC: guide to SMART 3.0 (June 10, 2026) (program rules)
- M.G.L. chapter 164, section 138 (net metering credit)
- DPU Notice of Inquiry, D.P.U. 25-200 (credit review)
- Holyoke Gas & Electric: residential solar (6.3¢ credit)
- M.G.L. chapter 62, section 6 (state tax credit)
- U.S. EIA: residential price by state (12 months to July 2026)
- IRS: Section 25D changes (federal credit ended)
- EcoGen Solar Cost Index, September 2026: Massachusetts (system size and price)
