What New Jersey pays for your exported solar power
Export compensation is the single biggest payback lever in 2026. Here is New Jersey's current rule in plain words, with the official source.
Under New Jersey's export rules, compensation for surplus power decides the payback - which typically runs 10-14 years on unsubsidized 2026 math.
Installed home solar for Lavallette homeowners averages about $2.58 a watt across the U.S. marketplace - roughly $30,960 for a 12 kW system before incentives.
Lavallette, New Jersey has about 1,854 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 New Jersey 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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New Jersey rules that decide your payback
| Rule | New Jersey status |
|---|---|
| Export compensation (net metering) | Full retail-rate net metering: homeowners receive full retail credit on their utility bill for every kWh their system produces over a 12-month annualized cycle, systems must be sized not to exceed the customer's annual electric needs, and any excess generation existing when a customer switches suppliers or changes their anniversary date is credited at the wholesale Locational Marginal Price rather than retail. |
| State incentive | Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program - Administratively Determined Incentive (ADI) sub-program, which pays residential net-metered systems SREC-IIs for 15 years; the Board cut the residential rate from $85/MWh to $77/MWh for all registrations received on or after July 27, 2026, and opened a 300 MW residential block for Energy Year 2027 on June 1, 2026 (first-come, first-served until subscribed or June 1, 2027) |
| Sales tax on the system | Exempt |
| Property tax on added home value | Excluded |
The residential ADI block is chronically oversubscribed - registrations ran ~5.2 MW/week in EY2026 and the Board had to move 35 MW from the non-residential segment in April 2026 to keep the residential block from closing early - so homeowners should confirm block capacity remains before signing.
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 Lavallette roofs
The honest 2026 answer for Lavallette: solar pays back slower without the 30% credit - paybacks that ran 7-10 years often now run 10-14 - but electricity rates keep rising and hardware is the cheapest it has ever been. The deciding factor is New Jersey's export compensation, covered in the net metering section.
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 Lavallette quotes
The spread between the highest and lowest bid for the same roof routinely hits 30-50%, because solar quotes carry very different sales overheads. Two or three independent bids collected against the same system size is the single highest-value hour in the whole project.
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
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.
What happens if my installer goes out of business?
Panel and inverter warranties come from the manufacturers and survive, but the workmanship warranty usually dies with the company. That is a real risk in the post-credit shakeout - prefer installers with years of local history, and get manufacturer-backed workmanship coverage where offered.
Do I need a battery with my solar?
Not necessarily. Under full retail net metering, the grid effectively stores your surplus for free. Batteries earn their $12,000-16,000 price where export rates are low, outages are common, or time-of-use rates make evening self-consumption valuable.
Is my roof even suitable for solar?
Three things decide it: orientation (south-facing is best in the U.S., east-west workable), shade (trees or taller buildings across midday hours can sink the math), and roof age (if the shingles have under 10 years left, reroof first - removing and reinstalling panels later costs thousands). Any honest installer assesses all three before quoting a number.
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.
Get solar quotes for Lavallette
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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