Connecticut electricity rates run well above the national average, and it replaced old-style net metering with a program that gives homeowners a real choice. Here is how the 2026 landscape works, without the recycled 2022 sales pitch.
Connecticut homeowners pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country, well above the national average once supply and delivery are added together. Every kilowatt hour your roof produces is one you do not buy from Eversource or United Illuminating at that premium rate.
For years the incentive that made solar pencil out was classic net metering, where your meter effectively ran backward and every exported kilowatt hour offset one you pulled later. Connecticut retired that legacy structure for new residential systems and replaced it with a tariff-based program called Residential Renewable Energy Solutions, or RRES.
The change sounds technical, but the practical effect is simple. Instead of one automatic arrangement, you now choose between two tariff options, each with a 20-year term. That choice is where the real money is, and it is why a design built for your actual usage matters more in Connecticut than almost anywhere we work.
We model your roof against both options before you sign, so you are choosing with real numbers for your address rather than a regional average or a salesperson’s guess.
Connecticut’s RRES program, run through Eversource and United Illuminating, gives residential solar two enrollment options, and both run on a 20-year term. Under Buy-All, the rate per kWh is fixed: $0.3289 for 2026 applications. Under Netting, exported power is credited at the current retail rate, which is not locked, and the 2026 REC rate is $0.000.
Path one is the Netting tariff. You use your own production first, and the surplus you export to the grid is credited on your bill at the current retail rate. Netting projects that apply in 2026 also pay a Solar Energy Adjustment of $0.0402 per kWh on total solar production, as an on-bill charge. This is the classic self-consumption model, and it is the path most owner-occupied homes choose.
Path two is the Buy-All tariff. Every kilowatt hour your system produces is sold to the utility at a fixed rate, $0.3289 per kWh for 2026 applications, while you keep buying your household power the normal way. Buy-All can suit specific situations, but your home does not consume the solar directly.
Which path wins depends on your usage pattern, your roof’s production and the current tariff rates. We build the 20-year comparison for both and put it in writing so the better option for your home is obvious, not a coin flip.
The easiest way to think about it: Netting rewards using your own solar, and Buy-All turns your roof into a small power plant that sells everything to the grid. Neither is universally better. The right answer comes from how and when your household actually uses electricity.
Netting tends to favor homes with meaningful daytime and evening usage, a plan to add a battery, or an interest in energy independence. Because your panels feed the house first, more of your production offsets power you would otherwise buy at Connecticut’s high retail rate.
Buy-All can make sense when the fixed sell rate is attractive relative to your retail rate and you do not need backup power, since you are selling all production and buying all consumption as two separate transactions. The tradeoff is that you lose the ability to run your home on your own panels and you cannot add battery backup under that tariff.
This is exactly the kind of decision where a 20-year model beats a gut feel. We run both tariffs against your real numbers and show you the difference in plain language before anything is signed.
Connecticut runs a dedicated battery program called Energy Storage Solutions, offered through Eversource and United Illuminating. It supports residential storage with an upfront incentive plus ongoing performance payments for letting the utility draw on your battery during periods of peak grid demand.
For a homeowner that means two benefits at once. Your battery keeps essential circuits running when the grid goes down, and the program pays you over time for the grid services your battery provides. The exact incentive depends on your battery size, your utility and current program rules, so we confirm what you qualify for during the assessment.
We confirm battery compatibility with the utility for your address before you choose a tariff, so the RRES choice and the battery decision are made together rather than in isolation.
We size the battery to the circuits you actually want protected, not a one-size box, and we tell you honestly when storage does not earn its keep for your situation.
There is no single right way to go solar in Connecticut, only the one that fits your situation. Rooftop Power offers four, and three of them start at $0 upfront, so a strong roof does not require a large check to get moving.
A solar loan lets you own the system and its production while spreading the cost over time. Paying cash owns it outright for the strongest long-term position. A power purchase agreement, or PPA, means you pay only for the power the panels produce at a set rate. A lease is a fixed monthly payment for the equipment.
Each option interacts a little differently with the RRES tariff you pick, so we walk through all four with your real numbers side by side, and you choose the structure with open eyes.
We never push the option that pays us the most. The comparison goes in writing so you can take your time with it.
Financing is available through participating lenders, on approved credit, and we confirm current terms for your situation during the assessment.
The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D), the 30 percent credit homeowners have heard about for years, is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025. A Connecticut system completed in 2026 does not qualify.
The good news is that Connecticut’s case in 2026 never rested on the federal credit alone. It rests on what is real: very high utility rates, a 20-year RRES tariff term either way you choose, and the Energy Storage Solutions battery program.
That is a strong hand. It just is not the hand from the old brochures, and we think you deserve the current one, verified for your exact address and put in writing before you sign anything.
Backup power and the Energy Storage Solutions battery program.
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How loan, cash, PPA and lease each interact with the RRES tariff you choose.
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How a Connecticut system is designed, permitted and installed by our own crews.
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To qualify for Connecticut’s solar incentives, homeowners must meet specific criteria set by utility providers and state regulations. Understanding these eligibility requirements is crucial for ensuring a smooth application process and securing the available rebates.
The application process for solar incentives in Connecticut involves several key steps that homeowners should follow for successful enrollment in programs.
A 20-year comparison with current tariff rates, battery incentives and every payment option, in writing, free.