What Connecticut pays for your exported solar power
Export compensation is the single biggest payback lever in 2026. Here is Connecticut's current rule in plain words, with the official source.
Under Connecticut's export rules, compensation for surplus power decides the payback - which typically runs 10-14 years on unsubsidized 2026 math.
Installed home solar for Bantam homeowners averages about $2.58 a watt across the U.S. marketplace - roughly $30,960 for a 12 kW system before incentives.
Bantam, Connecticut has about 769 residents, and its solar quotes are built from system size, roof complexity and export rules - not the town name.
Beware of any 2026 payback estimate that looks as good as the 2025 ones: with the federal credit gone, a third of the old subsidy math vanished. If a sales projection has not gotten noticeably worse since 2025, it is hiding something - usually an inflated utility-rate escalation assumption.
Whether solar still pays in Connecticut after the federal credit's end comes down to arithmetic, not ideology: installed cost (about $2.58 a watt at the marketplace average), what your utility pays for exports, and how much of your generation you use yourself. High self-consumption - daytime usage, EV charging, batteries - is now the biggest lever.
The 2026 numbers
| System size | Installed price (marketplace avg) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 kW | $15,480 | Small roof / low usage |
| 8 kW | $20,640 | Typical starter system |
| 10 kW | $25,800 | Family home with AC |
| 12 kW | $30,960 | Large home / EV charging |
| Home battery (optional) | $12,000-$16,000 | Backup power + self-consumption |
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Connecticut rules that decide your payback
| Rule | Connecticut status |
|---|---|
| Export compensation (net metering) | Connecticut ended net metering for new residential systems - anything interconnected on or after January 1, 2022 is compensated under PURA's Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (RRES) tariff for a 20-year term, with the homeowner choosing either the Buy-All tariff (the utility buys 100% of production at a fixed rate while the home's consumption is billed normally) or the Netting tariff (monthly netting, but metered production carries a non-bypassable per-kWh 'Solar Energy Adjustment' charge set annually by PURA), and PURA reset both tariff rates for projects enrolling in 2026. |
| State incentive | Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (RRES) Program - the statewide 20-year Buy-All / Netting tariff administered by Eversource and United Illuminating under Conn. Gen. Stat. 16-244z, with income-eligible and other adders; it replaced both legacy net metering and the Connecticut Green Bank's Residential Solar Investment Program (RSIP) |
| Sales tax on the system | Exempt |
| Property tax on added home value | Excluded |
Choosing the Netting tariff exposes the homeowner to the Solar Energy Adjustment, a non-bypassable charge PURA re-sets every year on every kWh the panels produce - it is not locked in at signing, and it rose sharply for 2026 enrollments, which materially changes payback math versus the Buy-All option.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
What this means for Bantam roofs
Whether solar still pays in Connecticut after the federal credit's end comes down to arithmetic, not ideology: installed cost (about $2.58 a watt at the marketplace average), what your utility pays for exports, and how much of your generation you use yourself. High self-consumption - daytime usage, EV charging, batteries - is now the biggest lever.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
Getting Bantam quotes
Before requesting quotes, have your last 12 months of electricity bills handy - system sizing should follow your real usage, not a salesperson's template. A bid sized far above your usage is a margin play, especially now that surplus export pays less in most states.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published prices and state rules. It is not an installer, lender or tax advisor - verify incentive eligibility with a licensed tax professional before relying on it.
Common questions
Does solar raise my property taxes?
It depends on the state - many exempt solar's added home value from property tax, others do not, and some exemptions have expiration dates. This guide's state page lists the verified rule and source for your state.
Is solar still worth it without the federal credit?
It depends mostly on your state's export rules and your daytime usage. Paybacks lengthened by roughly a third when the credit ended, but rising electricity rates and record-cheap hardware keep the math workable in states with decent export compensation - and marginal where exports pay avoided cost only.
How do I check if a solar quote is fair?
Divide the total price by the system's wattage. The U.S. marketplace average is about $2.58 per watt installed; $2.30-3.00 covers most fair quotes depending on roof complexity. Above that, ask exactly what you are paying extra for - in writing.
Should I lease, get a PPA, or buy?
Buying keeps all savings and any incentives with you. Leases and PPAs put a company's equipment on your roof for 20-25 years, complicate a home sale, and in 2026 any tax benefits they advertise belong to the company under commercial rules - not to you. Read escalator clauses carefully.
Is there still a federal solar tax credit in 2026?
No. The 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit was repealed effective for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, per the IRS. Only systems finished by the end of 2025 qualified. State-level incentives are separate and some survive - check the state page in this guide.
Get solar quotes for Bantam
These platforms collect bids from licensed installers so you can compare against the same spec. Prices come from installers, not from this site.
Disclosure: this is an independent guide. If you request quotes through a link here, the platform may pay this site a referral fee. That fee never changes your quotes.
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