In the event you’ve been fascinated by lowering your carbon footprint to assist the planet, now’s a good time to harness the facility of the solar and change to renewable power. Switching in Massachusetts comes with a number of perks, together with photo voltaic property tax exemptions, state tax credit and decrease electrical payments. Regardless of inclement climate affecting houses in fall, winter and spring, excessive electrical energy charges and enticing solar energy insurance policies have made photo voltaic panels in style within the Bay State.
Massachusetts is among the many prime 10 states with the best electrical energy charges, at 29.42 cents per kilowatt-hour on common in August 2024, based on information from the US Vitality Info Administration. The state’s common residential electrical invoice was $165.55 per thirty days in 2023. Going photo voltaic may assist get monetary savings in your electrical energy payments, protect you out of your utility’s value swings and scale back your own home’s carbon emissions.
Whereas nonetheless fairly a big funding, photo voltaic set up is extra reasonably priced to the common American than it was a decade in the past, largely attributable to federal and native incentives that assist owners make the change to scrub power. The largest federal incentive is a main tax credit score that was included within the Inflation Discount Act. On the native degree, Massachusetts provides residents its personal state tax credit score and property tax exemptions on photo voltaic panel methods.
In the event you’re trying to take the primary steps towards photo voltaic panel set up, listed below are just a few of our picks for the finest solar energy firms that service Massachusetts.
Greatest nationwide photo voltaic panel firms in Massachusetts
Palmetto Photo voltaic
Greatest general
Photo voltaic panels are usually low upkeep gear, however they’re additionally unfamiliar. If you wish to reap the advantages of photo voltaic however may have a bit extra peace of thoughts if another person is ensuring it is working, Palmetto is perhaps an excellent match for you. Simply bear in mind so as to add the price of Palmetto’s monitoring service in to your payback interval calculations.
Freedom Eternally
Greatest for money prospects
Embody Freedom Eternally in your search if you need the backing of a nationwide firm that installs all kinds of the preferred photo voltaic gear out there. Freedom Eternally additionally extends a few merchandise that take a few of the ache and threat out of going photo voltaic, like a manufacturing assure and an escrow possibility with money purchases. On-line opinions say buyer satisfaction has been low of late, although the corporate says that is altering.
Tesla Photo voltaic
Most reasonably priced
Tesla’s photo voltaic department appears to be the least cherished of Elon Musk’s ventures. Even Tesla’s Photo voltaic Roof appears to get extra love.
If value is the factor you will not budge on, contemplate Tesla. By all accounts, Tesla installs high quality panels and makes the closest factor there’s to a family title in photo voltaic storage: the Powerwall.
The place you may miss out is customer support. Dialogue on-line appears to recommend Tesla’s service is a little bit of a bet.
Momentum Photo voltaic
All in-house installers
Momentum installs in 11 states with out utilizing subcontractors. Whereas utilizing in-house installers does not assure a greater expertise, it does recommend you are prone to get a extra uniform expertise from Momentum. The truth that Momentum backs its installations with a 25-year workmanship guarantee hints at a robust perception in its crews’ means. If Momentum is a part of your search, contemplate the warranties in opposition to leaks that different firms provide. Momentum’s is 5 years, which is not the finest.
EnergyPal
Most versatile
EnergyPal is greater than only a intermediary. It will deal with your photo voltaic set up from starting to finish whereas additionally permitting you to learn from its proprietary engine and aggressive bidding course of. The corporate provides a variety of {hardware} for panels, batteries and inverters, has plentiful financing choices and provides responsive customer support help.
Native photo voltaic panel firms in Massachusetts
Throughout your seek for photo voltaic firms, you also needs to contemplate wanting into native photo voltaic firms in your space. We pulled just a few Massachusetts photo voltaic firms with a few of the highest common Google evaluate scores. It is essential to do some native photo voltaic firm analysis by yourself too or get referrals from folks you already know. Listed below are just a few native photo voltaic firms in Massachusetts that is perhaps price looking at.
Boston Photo voltaic is a photo voltaic firm based mostly in Woburn, Massachusetts. Since 2011, the corporate has put in greater than 30 megawatts of residential photo voltaic power within the Bay State. Boston Photo voltaic handles your complete photo voltaic set up course of in-house and provides a 10-year quality-of-work and 25-year product warranties. Photo voltaic financing is out there by the corporate’s partnership with Sungage Monetary.
Nice Sky Photo voltaic is an employee-owned photo voltaic cooperative based mostly within the higher Boston space. The corporate handles your complete buyer lifecycle, together with design, allowing, set up, interconnection and upkeep, and provides prospects photo voltaic financing and leasing choices. Whereas the corporate offers a quality-of-work guarantee, it does not point out its size nor that of its efficiency and product warranties.
Methods to decide which photo voltaic firm in Massachusetts is finest for me
You are going to need to discover an installer that has expertise working with the sort of photo voltaic challenge that you just’re excited by. You may additionally need to make certain your installer has expertise engaged on the kind of roof that you’ve got, and the kind of system you need put in, like grid-tied or off-grid.
Ben Delman, a communications director with Photo voltaic United Neighbors, a clear power nonprofit, recommends that owners search for photo voltaic installers which can be licensed by the North American Board of Licensed Vitality Practitioners. They need to even have the correct licensing and bonding for his or her work. Studying by on-line opinions might help you get a greater understanding of a photo voltaic firm’s set up and repair repute. A couple of locations to search for photo voltaic firm opinions are Google, Yelp and Angie’s. Delman recommends in search of photo voltaic firms which have not less than 20 to 30 opinions. Ask folks you already know if they’ve any photo voltaic firm suggestions, too.
Except for opinions and certifications, there are just a few different issues to search for in a photo voltaic installer. A very good installer, Delman stated, will be capable to:
- Present good word-of-mouth references
- Clearly clarify all challenge deadlines
- Simply outline technical phrases in an easy-to-understand method
- Present transparency round pricing and the way system financing works
- Have data of the native allow necessities and the method for system interconnection with the native energy firm
- Perceive owners affiliation restrictions and assist you navigate that course of
A good photo voltaic firm ought to be capable to reply any questions you could have, irrespective of how exhausting these questions is perhaps. Do not hesitate to ask for clarification on any challenge and pricing particulars. To get the perfect value doable, make certain to buy round for not less than three quotes earlier than selecting an installer.
Price of photo voltaic panels in Massachusetts
There are a variety of essential variables which may contribute to the price of photo voltaic panel system set up. The dimensions of your roof and the system it is advisable to set up to adequately energy your whole home equipment will decide what number of photo voltaic panels you may have put in.
In case your roof is in dangerous form, you could want to repair it previous to putting in a photo voltaic panel system, which is also an costly affair. In the event you’re trying to set up a photo voltaic battery alongside your photo voltaic panel system, that may also increase the price of set up by a large quantity.
This is a take a look at the common money value for a 5-kilowatt system in Massachusetts earlier than factoring in tax credit incentives, based on information from FindEnergy.com.
Common value of photo voltaic panels in Massachusetts
| Typical system measurement (kW) | Worth per watt | Complete put in value | Price after 30% federal tax credit score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 5 | $4.02 | $20,108 | $14,076 |
| Nationwide common | 5 | $3.56 | $17,823 | $12,476 |
The next infographic offers the common complete value, value per watt and system measurement for photo voltaic panel methods in america, based on information from FindEnergy.com. Costs proven don’t account for modifications attributable to tax credit or state photo voltaic incentives. If FindEnergy does not have photo voltaic information for a selected state, it seems grayed out on the map.
Massachusetts photo voltaic panel incentives or rebates
A photo voltaic system is not low-cost for New Englanders. Fortunately, you may decrease the value with federal tax credit and state-based incentives.
The federal Residential Clear Vitality Credit score (previously named the Funding Tax Credit score) enables you to subtract 30% of the price of a photo voltaic system out of your federal tax returns after you purchase a photo voltaic system. Which means you’ll pay $6,032 much less for the common photo voltaic system put in in Massachusetts after utilizing the federal credit score. Most batteries may also qualify for the federal Clear Vitality Credit score.
The Inflation Discount Act is a landmark federal local weather invoice handed in August 2022. Due to the IRA, Individuals can put money into residential photo voltaic power and decrease its value with the federal tax credit score till 2032. The credit score will lower to 26% in 2033 and 22% in 2034. It is set to run out in 2035. To obtain the Clear Vitality Credit score, you may full type 5695 (PDF) and submit it to the IRS. The IRS directions might help you full the shape. Following the IRS approval, you’re going to get a 30% credit score in your federal tax return for the yr.
Massachusetts additionally provides a number of residential incentive packages to chop the price of photo voltaic. The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Effectivity offers a complete checklist of all incentives within the Bay State. Listed below are probably the most vital ones price noting.
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| State tax credit score | Massachusetts offers a 15% photo voltaic tax credit score with a most credit score of $1,000 for bought photo voltaic methods. You possibly can declare the tax credit score on submitting your earnings tax for the yr. You possibly can carry it over for 3 successive years when you have extra credit score. |
| Photo voltaic Massachusetts Renewable Goal | The SMART program pays prospects of Eversource, Nationwide Grid and Unitil a hard and fast fee per kilowatt-hour for the electrical energy produced by residential photo voltaic panels. The SMART program permits initiatives under 25 kW photo voltaic capability to acquire the highest base compensation charges between 0.21 cents and 0.31 cents per kWh for 10 years. This system expires in a reducing block course of. The charges depend upon the three taking part utilities – Eversource, Nationwide Grid and Unitil. |
| State tax exemptions | Massachusetts provides property tax and 6.25% gross sales exemptions for residential photo voltaic methods. You will not pay taxes on the added house worth out of your photo voltaic panel buy and set up, and you may declare these exemptions in your earnings tax return. |
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