Clean energy advice for Massachusetts homes, where you are paid for what you generate, not just what you export
Most states pay you for the power you send back to the grid. Massachusetts pays you for the power you make, whether it leaves the house or not.
That difference sounds academic until you size a system. Under an export-based scheme, power you use yourself earns nothing extra; under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, every kilowatt-hour the array produces counts, including the share you consume on the spot.
It changes what a well-sized Massachusetts system looks like, and it sits alongside a residential state tax credit, one of the longest property tax exemptions in the country, and net metering with a specific residential threshold. Our job is to make those four things work together rather than sell you the largest array that fits.
Massachusetts at a glance
SMART pays on production
Every kilowatt-hour your system generates earns an incentive, not only the surplus you export.
Full retail net metering
Residential systems are credited at the retail rate up to a defined capacity threshold.
A residential state tax credit
Massachusetts offers a credit against state income tax on top of SMART.
Twenty-year property exemption
The value a system adds is excluded from your assessment for two decades.
Why a well-sized Massachusetts system looks different
Because SMART pays on generation rather than export, self-consumption is not penalised here the way it is in export-credit states. A household that runs heat pumps, an electric vehicle or a home office during daylight hours is not giving up incentive value by using its own power — it is earning on every unit either way.
Net metering then sits on top for the surplus, at the full retail rate, up to the residential capacity threshold. The result is a state where the sizing conversation genuinely differs from its neighbours, and where a proposal copied from a New York or Connecticut template will usually be pointed at the wrong target.
Two ways Massachusetts pays you, and they stack
| SMART | Net metering | |
|---|---|---|
| Pays for | Every kilowatt-hour generated | Every kilowatt-hour exported |
| Rate basis | Declining block, fixed when you qualify | Full retail |
| Term | A fixed contract term | Ongoing |
| Rewards self-consumption | Yes | No — only surplus counts |
The exemptions here ask nothing of you
Massachusetts excludes the value a solar installation adds to your home from property tax assessment for twenty years under Chapter 59 of the General Laws — one of the longest such exemptions anywhere, and considerably longer than New York’s fifteen. Solar equipment is separately exempt from state sales tax under Chapter 64H.
What is notable is how little administration they involve. New Jersey requires a certificate filed with the municipal assessor; New York requires a form and permits towns to opt out. Massachusetts asks for neither. It is a small thing, but it means the value here is realised rather than merely available — which is not something we can say everywhere.
Three utilities, one programme, and an efficiency service worth using first
Eversource, National Grid and Unitil
SMART is administered through the state’s investor-owned utilities, so your utility is both your interconnection route and your incentive counterparty. All three offer residential net metering at the retail rate up to the residential threshold. Which one you have is set by your address, not by choice, and it affects timelines more than it affects value.
Pair solar with a Mass Save assessment
Massachusetts runs one of the most substantial efficiency programmes in the country, and a no-cost home energy assessment through it is a smart companion to going solar. It shows which upgrades stack with your system and which rebates apply to them, so the whole plan is designed together from the start.
The residential capacity threshold
Full retail net metering applies to residential systems up to a defined size. Most homes sit comfortably below it, but if you are electrifying heat and vehicles at the same time it is worth checking where your planned array lands before the design is finalised rather than after.
The order we recommend in Massachusetts
With an efficiency programme this good and an incentive that pays on production, sequence matters here. Our recommended order:
- Book the Mass Save assessment — it is the cheapest information you will get about your own house, and it fits alongside your solar planning
- Plan the upgrades alongside your system — Mass Save-supported efficiency work can be scheduled with your installation, in a heating-dominated climate with old housing stock
- Size for SMART and net metering together — production earns either way, so self-consumption is not wasted
- Qualify for SMART before energising — the rate attaches at qualification, so the paperwork has a clock on it
Old housing, hard winters, and a long coastline
Massachusetts has some of the oldest housing stock in the United States, and it shows up in every energy conversation we have here. Balloon framing, original roof lines and heating systems installed for a different era mean every home needs its own plan, and a sound Massachusetts design starts from how the house actually uses energy today.
The physical constraints then vary sharply by geography. On the Cape and the South Shore, coastal wind exposure governs mounting. Inland and in the Berkshires, snow load and roof pitch matter more, along with mature tree cover on older lots. None of it rules solar out; all of it should shape the design rather than be discovered afterwards.
The services Massachusetts homeowners ask us about most
Battery and backup
Nor’easters take lines down and cold snaps make an outage serious. Storage keeps heat and water running on your terms. Explore storage
Roofs and efficiency
On century-old housing the roof usually comes first. Energy-efficient roof replacement and detach and reattach keep that sequence from costing twice.
Charging and control
Because SMART pays on production, daytime charging is not a wasted opportunity here. Home EV charging and smart controls make that easy to arrange.
Massachusetts questions we hear most
What is the difference between SMART and net metering?
SMART pays you for every kilowatt-hour your system generates, including the power you use yourself. Net metering credits you for the surplus you export, at the full retail rate. They stack, and that is why Massachusetts sizing logic differs from most of its neighbours.
Do I have to file anything for the tax exemptions?
No — and it is a pleasant contrast with New Jersey and New York, where the property tax benefit depends on a form. In Massachusetts the twenty-year property exemption and the sales tax exemption apply without an application.
Can I use Mass Save and go solar together?
Yes, and it is a strong combination. The assessment costs nothing, it shows which upgrades fit alongside your system, and a house that uses energy efficiently gets more from every panel.
Does snow stop the panels working?
It interrupts production while it sits, and a properly pitched array sheds most of it. What matters more is that the roof and mounting are designed for the load in the first place — which is a design question, not a reason to avoid solar in New England.
If you are weighing solar, storage or an efficiency upgrade anywhere in Massachusetts, tell us your utility, the age of the house and whether you have had a Mass Save assessment. We will tell you what to do first and how to size the rest.