Massachusetts · Net metering · Deep-stack program
MA Net Metering
Sets the billing terms for excess solar generation sent back to the grid by residential customers in Massachusetts -- see the credit rate and how it shapes payback below.
- Retail rate credit
- stated benefit
- Residential
- eligible customers
- 9.2 yr
- Massachusetts baseline payback
- 4
- other Massachusetts programs
Deep-stack program · mid directory
Massachusetts runs a 5-program DSIRE stack; this net metering is one layer on a 9.2-year modeled baseline, not the whole story.
- Stack5 programs
- In-state #2/4
- Type #16/46
- Baseline9.2 yr
In-state directory place #2 of 4 (mid alphabet). National net metering directory #16 of 46. Amounts and eligibility change; verify with the official program page before relying on a dollar figure. Informational only - not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
Program description
Massachusetts provides full retail net metering for residential systems up to 60 kW.
Program at a glance
- Program type
- Net metering
- Eligible customers
- Residential
- Stated benefit
- Retail rate credit
- State electricity rate
- 27.5¢/kWh
- Massachusetts solar score
- 41/100
Solar's trajectory in Massachusetts
The market this incentive operates in: total installed solar capacity in Massachusetts reported to the EIA.
Massachusetts's solar incentive stack
How this net metering sits among Massachusetts's 4 tracked programs, by type
- Tax exemption
Tax exemption
1 programs
- Net metering
Net metering
1 programs
- Performance
Performance
1 programs
- Rebate
Rebate
1 programs
What this shows Massachusetts tracks 4 incentive types; net metering (1 program) governs the billing side, while the state's other tracked types handle upfront cost or ongoing payments.
How this net metering layers inside Massachusetts's deep stack
The MA Net Metering governs how Massachusetts credits excess solar generation sent back to the grid, one of the state's DSIRE-tracked solar policies. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Retail rate credit. DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.
That's the backdrop this incentive works against. Massachusetts averages 4.2 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 27.5¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,358 kWh/year and $2,023 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $18,600. That baseline already implies a 9.2-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $31,975 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.
Massachusetts bundles a deep incentive stack, so this program rarely stands alone. Massachusetts has 5 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like MA Solar Energy Property Tax Exemption, Massachusetts SMART Program, Commonwealth Solar Rebate. The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.
Other Massachusetts incentives
Frequently asked questions
Where does the MA Net Metering sit in Massachusetts's deep program stack?
How does this net metering work beside Massachusetts's other programs?
Who is eligible for the MA Net Metering?
How does this incentive affect solar ROI in Massachusetts?
Which other Massachusetts programs stack with this one?
Incentive data from the DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency); state solar economics from NREL and the U.S. EIA. See our methodology · Massachusetts solar data · ROI calculator · All incentives.