Every incentive a Massachusetts homeowner can actually use, what each one is worth, and the ones that no longer exist. Sourced and dated.
Massachusetts replaced its SREC programs with SMART — Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target. Rather than a one-time rebate, SMART pays a per-kilowatt-hour incentive on what your system produces, over a ten-year term.
Like New York’s NY-Sun, SMART is structured in declining blocks. As capacity fills in each utility territory the rate for the next block steps down.
Massachusetts also offers a 15% state credit capped at $1,000, a full sales tax exemption and a 20-year property tax exemption.
Eversource, National Grid and Cape Light Compact run ConnectedSolutions, which pays homeowners for letting the utility draw on a home battery during peak demand events. If you are weighing storage in Massachusetts, that belongs in the calculation.
Sources: Massachusetts DPU; SMART program documentation; ConnectedSolutions program terms.
The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D ended for systems purchased after December 31, 2025. If you buy with cash or a loan in 2026, you cannot claim it. Any site still advertising a 30% federal credit for a homeowner purchase is running outdated information.
What remains is Section 48E, the commercial investment credit. It applies to third-party-owned systems — leases and power purchase agreements — where the system owner claims it rather than the homeowner. That is precisely what makes $0-down possible.
EnergyPros does not provide tax advice — confirm your situation with a tax professional.
Incentives only matter against the rate you are paying now. Massachusetts stacks net metering with the SMART tariff, a per-kilowatt-hour production incentive paid over ten years. Eversource, National Grid and Cape Light Compact also run ConnectedSolutions, which pays homeowners for making a home battery available during peak demand events.
See the full breakdown of every Massachusetts utility rate on our Massachusetts solar page.
See what solar costs against your Massachusetts rate
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No, not on a purchase. The Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D ended for systems purchased after December 31, 2025. Section 48E still applies to third-party-owned systems — leases and power purchase agreements — where the system owner claims it. That is what makes $0-down possible.
Yes. Any rebate paid to your installer should appear on your contract as a reduction in price, not as a savings claim. Ask for an itemised quote showing the gross price, each incentive applied, and the net. If an installer will not itemise, that is worth noticing.
It depends on the incentive. Rebates paid to the installer reduce your contract price either way. Tax credits and renewable energy certificates generally follow ownership — under a lease or PPA the system owner claims them, which is part of how the monthly payment is kept low. A few state credits are exceptions.
No. EnergyPros is a marketplace. We match you with vetted, licensed and insured contractors who work in your area, and you deal directly with them on the quote and the installation.
Massachusetts solar guides