Installing solar electricity doesn’t have to be complicated. Try these simple steps:

1. Contact an installer to find out if your house is a good candidate for rooftop or ground mounted solar PV and receive a free estimate. To locate an installer, talk to friends and neighbors who have installed solar to get recommendations. A couple of great resources for finding an installer are the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and EnergySage, a clearinghouse and great resource for exploring solar for your home (rooftop and ground-mounted) and community solar options.

2. Decide on your ownership and financing plan. Below are a few options to buy or finance your solar array. For further detail on each option, go to the “Deep Dive” section.

1. Purchase outright

2. Finance with a loan

3. Enter into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with an approved 3rd party. 

3. Work with your contractor to confirm your system design, sign a contract and install your system. Your contracted installer will calculate the sizing and configuration of your system, and provide a financial estimate based on your electricity usage and available space. Once you have approved the design and signed a contract, the solar installer will handle the installation, including pulling permits and executing an Interconnection Agreement with National Grid. After required electrical inspections, National Grid will install a net meter and give you approval to power up your system.

4. Let us know how it went! Contact us or contribute a story under the "Testimonials" tab.

DEEP DIVE into Solar PV

How do I know my home is good for solar?

Solar installers can do a quick virtual evaluation of the usable area of your roof, the shading of your roof, and the approximate number of hours of usable sunlight per year. Roofs that face south with little shade are best, but roofs that face east and west can work if there is little shade. Ideal roofs have large expanses of open areas but panels can be placed on smaller areas, as well. Remember that this is just a rough assessment. You need to request a free site visit from a solar installer for a more-accurate evaluation of your roof's solar potential and economic returns.

What kind of maintenance is required on solar systems?

A solar array should be largely maintenance free over its 25+ year life. If you own your solar panels, one possible exception to this is the likely need to replace some inverters after several years. However, if you have chosen panels with inverters integrated into them, the inverters should be covered by the warranty and not need replacement during the life of the panel. Rain and snow will generally keep the panels clean and free of debris. Removing snow is not recommended because of the risk of damaging the panels. (Because they are made of smooth, tempered glass, snow slides off the panels as sunlight begins to warm them.) Even if your internet or reporting system goes down, the panels will keep producing; it is rare for the panels to stop functioning. All of that said, it is wise to have the system inspected every so often to ensure all is well.

How do Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in the current Massachusetts solar program work?

Under the current Massachusetts SMART solar program, the solar project's associated Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are conveyed to the electric utility. Please note that household members should be aware that although they are generating solar electricity, the electric utility is actually selling those RECs to another entity. A tad confusing for the public, perhaps, but this is how the program works, and what makes it more economical for consumers to participate.

How does "going solar" work?

Generally, a solar installer will request a copy of your electricity bill, and then prepare a proposed configuration and financial estimate based on your usage and space available for a PV array. Once you approve the design and sign a contract, the solar installer will handle the installation, pulling permits, scheduling the work, and ensuring the system is ready to connect to the grid. It may take a month or more until installation begins, but the actual installation usually takes only a couple of days. After required electrical inspections, National Grid will install a net meter and give you approval to power up your system.

Selecting a Contractor/Installer

EnergySage makes going solar simple: they offer objective articles, videos, calculators, and marketplaces that will help you learn about how different solar options work, what incentives are available to you, how much you can save with solar, and much more. 

Simply create an account (no phone number required!) and their network of local, pre-screened installers will submit custom proposals for you to compare in an apples-to-apples format. If you need any help along the way, a dedicated Energy Advisor will be available to answer any questions and help you compare options. If a home installation can’t work for you right now - maybe you rent, or plan to move soon - EnergySage also offers a Community Solar Marketplace where you can browse local solar farms to subscribe to. This is a great way to save money on electric bills while supporting clean energy jobs in our community - no equipment or contract required.

Deciding on your Ownership Option and/or Financing Plan

1.  Purchase outright: Due to falling prices, generous incentives, and reduced electricity costs, home solar systems often pay for themselves in 5-7 years. And, once you’ve recouped your investment, it’s all positive cash flow going forward as the panels generate power for 25 years or more. Think of solar PV as a small 401(k) on your roof!  Solar panels are eligible for a federal tax credit of 30% of the installed cost of the system, a Massachusetts tax credit of up to $1,000, and additional revenue from the current MA SMART solar program (the amount of which depends on your system's kWh [kilowatt hour production). In Massachusetts, the value of solar panels also has a property tax exemption for 20 years.

2. Finance with a loan: Financing provides all the benefits of outright purchase, but also means you have a loan payment. Some banks offer low-interest-rate solar loan programs for terms of 5–7 years. More information about solar financing can be found at EnergySage. 

3. Pay little to nothing up front: this option means entering into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with an approved third-party company. With a PPA, that third-party entity owns and maintains your on-site system for the length of the agreement, and you contract to pay that entity for your electricity during the term of the agreement. During the term, that party gets all the tax and SMART program benefits of the purchase options described above. Depending on the terms of the PPA, you may save 10–20% off your electric bill during the term of the PPA (which can be as long as 20 years). At the end of the agreement, you own the system, get all the economic savings from electric energy from the sun, and power your home entirely with free, clean, renewable electricity.

What are other benefits of solar PV?

Solar PV panels (which sometimes include the inverter) are usually warrantied for 25 years and inverters for 10 years (if the inverter is separate from the panels); the panels usually require no maintenance. With the potential for free electricity to home buyers, solar panels can increase the value of your home. Learn about the experience of homeowners who have installed solar in the Williamstown area by talking with friends and neighbors and getting referrals from your contractor.

What is net metering and how does it help the solar customer?
Currently, residential solar systems in Massachusetts are allowed to use "net metering" if the system rating is below 10 kW DC. Net metering credits the owner of the array for every kWh of electricity produced by the system, regardless of whether that electricity is used now or in the future. For example, in the summer, you may produce more electricity than you consume in a given month, but the excess electricity that you did not use gets put onto the electrical grid and you get monetary credit for that electricity when you need to use it later, such as during the winter months.

Net metering is done by changing the utility's electric meter on your home to a "net meter" that runs both forward and backward. When you use more electricity than you produce, the meter runs forward. When you produce more electricity than you use, the meter runs backward. Your utility bill is based on the net meter reading each month. For any months in which you produce more electricity than you use, the net meter reading for the month will be negative, and you will get a credit on your bill for the value of the excess electricity. This credit can be used in later months when you use more electricity than you produce.

Are there state and federal incentives for solar?

1. Federal Tax Credit.  See Frequently asked questions about energy efficient home improvements and residential clean energy property credits 

2. MA income tax credit of 15% coverage of the system cost, with a $1000 maximum credit amount.Only for homeowners.

3. Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART): the State of Massachusetts pays utility customers a fixed rate per kilowatt hour (kWh) of solar energy produced for 10 years. For systems under 25 kilowatts (kW), the rate ranges from 29 to 31 cents per kWh, depending upon your location and utility. For comparison, the regular retail rate in MA is closer to 20 cents, indicating large savings from the SMART incentives. The state also provides higher incentive rates for low-income customers or those who install battery storage to pair with their solar panel system, making solar power more accessible to more customers in the state. 

4. Sales tax and property tax incentives are two additional major Massachusetts tax exemptions for solar homeowners. Both of these tax breaks are attractive ones because they ensure 100% tax exemption from both sales and property tax payments which certainly add up over time.

5. Net metering: solar homeowners receive bill credits from their utility for the energy they are overproducing and sending back to the grid.

Where can I get more information?

Learn more: Massachusetts DOER and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center