Is plug-in solar legal in Massachusetts? (2026)
Not yet. Massachusetts has no law allowing plug-in solar, but H.5175 (Senate text S.3143 / reprinted S.3166) would create one. Here is where it stands, with the official bill page.
Bill pending
Massachusetts has plug-in solar provisions in both chambers' versions of a larger energy bill (H.5175), which has been in a House-Senate conference committee since July 16, 2026.
- Watt cap
- —
- Permit
- —
- Interconnection
- —
- Utility notice
- —
- Equipment
- —
- Law
- —
- Signed
- —
- Effective
- —
Official sources
- malegislature.govmalegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5175/BillHistory
- malegislature.govmalegislature.gov/PressRoom/Detail?pressReleaseId=212
Research notes
'An Act relative to energy affordability, clean power and economic competitiveness' (omnibus energy bill; plug-in solar is one section). The two versions differ and conference will decide: House text (H.5151) adds G.L. c.164 sec. 143A — 'portable solar generation device' max 1,200 W, standard 120 V outlet, exempt from interconnection, interconnection agreements and net metering; utility may not require approval, fees or extra equipment. Senate text (S.3166) rewrites G.L. c.164 sec. 142 — 'eligible system' must be UL/NRTL-certified plug-in PV; no watt cap found in the definition; systems up to 391 W to an outlet exempt from UL listing provisions that would require alterations to premises/wiring/panels; customer must notify the distribution company within 30 days in a DPU-prescribed form; no approval, interconnection application, fees or extra controls; landlord/HOA 'unreasonable prohibition' protections. Fields left null because nothing is enacted. Did not search for separate standalone MA plug-in bills; if the conference report is not enacted by the end of the 194th General Court the provisions die.
“—” means our record has no sourced value · Not legal advice
If you rent
Without a state law, you need two yeses: your landlord’s, and your utility’s. Start with the utility, because a landlord will ask whether it’s allowed. Ask these three questions and get the answers in writing:
- “Do you have an interconnection requirement for a plug-in solar device under 1,200 watts with a UL-listed inverter?”
- “If it never sends power back to the grid, does that change your answer?”
- “Can you send me that in writing, or point me to the tariff section?”
If you get a written answer, send it to hello@mlighthouse.com. We’ll add it to this page with the utility named and you left out.
If you own your home
You have the same utility question as a renter, and one more option: a conventional rooftop or ground-mount system goes through your utility’s standard interconnection process instead. It costs more and takes longer, but the rules are written down.
Where the bill stands
H.5175 (Senate text S.3143 / reprinted S.3166)
House passed H.5151 text 2026-02-26 (128-27); Senate passed its version 2026-07-01 (32-8); House non-concurred and conference committee appointed 2026-07-16 (Cusack-Michlewitz-Jones / Barrett-Creem-Tarr). No conference report as of 2026-09-20. Under the 2025-26 joint rules the Legislature may meet in formal session after July 31 to take up reports of conference committees formed on or before July 31, so the bill remains alive.
malegislature.govWhat the pending bill would do
The House text (H.5151, now part of H.5175) would define a portable solar device as one of up to 1,200 watts that plugs into a standard 120-volt outlet.
“has a maximum power output of not more than 1,200 watts; (ii) is designed to be connected to a building’s electrical system through a standard 120-volt alternating current outlet”
malegislature.gov ↗Under the House text, the utility could not require its approval before a customer installs or uses the device. The same subsection bars fees and extra equipment.
“A distribution company shall not require a customer using a portable solar generation device to: (i) obtain the company’s approval before installing or using the system”
malegislature.gov ↗The Senate text (S.3166) would require UL or equivalent lab certification, and sets no watt cap in its definition.
“a plug-in solar photovoltaic system that is certified by UL LLC, formerly known as Underwriters Laboratories, or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory”
malegislature.gov ↗Under the Senate text, the customer would notify the utility on a DPU form within 30 days of installing.
“shall provide notification to the distribution company in whose service territory the eligible system is installed in a form prescribed by the department within 30 days of installation”
malegislature.gov ↗Under the Senate text, covenants or restrictions that unreasonably prohibit or restrict these devices would be void, which covers HOAs and deed restrictions.
“A covenant or restriction that explicitly or indirectly unreasonably prohibits or restricts the installation, use or operation of a small portable solar generation device is unenforceable and void”
malegislature.gov ↗
What Massachusetts's largest utilities say
What each utility's own tariff or interconnection page says about generation a customer connects on their side of the meter.
Eversource (Massachusetts)
Eversource's Simplified application covers UL-listed inverter systems of 25 kW AC or less, with no application fee. The page does not mention plug-in or portable solar.
“A single-phase UL-Listed inverter-based system that is 25 kW AC or less”
eversource.com ↗National Grid (Massachusetts Electric)
Its interconnection tariff sets a Simplified Process for listed inverter systems of 15 kW or less on single-phase service. The page does not mention plug-in or portable solar.
“Simplified – This is for Listed inverter-based Facilities with a power rating of 15 kW or less single phase or 25 kW or less three-phase depending on the service configuration”
nationalgridus.com ↗
Who to ask
- Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Consumer Division ↗
Takes complaints about gas, electric and investor-owned water companies.
Sources read and quotes checked 2026-09-22.
What an 800 W kit makes in Massachusetts
A railing-mounted panel hangs close to vertical, so it makes less than a tilted rooftop panel. These figures use a vertical panel on purpose.
Yearly output
774
kWh / year
800W, south-facing railing, no shade
Electricity rate
30.36
¢ / kWh
EIA, 2025-07 to 2026-06
Yearly savings
$188
per year, before kit cost
assumes 80% self-use
Sun
4.74
peak sun hours / day
optimal tilt, Boston
Output is modeled at Boston with PVGIS 5.3, European Commission Joint Research Centre, ERA5 weather data.
Kits sold in the US
These kits are sold in the US. We rank them on published specs, certification and price and have not tested them. Massachusetts has no plug-in solar law yet, so ask your utility before you connect one.
Some links in this section are affiliate links. We earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
Lowest cost per watt
Bright Saver Balcony 360 W
360 W
Two panels and a 360 W microinverter, sold at cost by a nonprofit. The cheapest way into plug-in solar we can find, and the only kit here whose inverter is described against UL 3700.
- Panels
- Two 180 W panels, 46 × 34 in, 11 lb each
- Certification
- Inverter listed as “UL 3700 compliant” (Hoymiles HiFlow Pro LV)
- Warranty
- 12-year inverter warranty
- Price
- $414.17 as of 2026-09-22
At-cost price from a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not a retail price.
Bright Saver is a nonprofit we cover editorially. We earn nothing from this link.
Built-in battery
EcoFlow STREAM Ultra
800 W
800 W of on-grid output with 1.92–11.52 kWh of storage, so power made in the afternoon can run the evening. Pairing it with the STREAM Microinverter raises output to 1,200 W.
- Panels
- Not included
- Certification
- “UL1741-Certified & IEEE1547-Certified”
- Warranty
- 10 years
- Price
- Not published
EcoFlow lists no price until you configure the system.
Panels are not included, and EcoFlow's own page says plug-and-play use is currently available only in Utah, under H.B. 340.
Complete kit on Amazon
PluggedSolar 800 W Plug and Play
800 W
A complete kit sold as one box on Amazon. The panels sit in the sun and the cord goes to an outlet, so nothing is hard-wired.
- Panels
- Four 200 W panels, with a microinverter and a 50 ft cord
- Certification
- “UL 1741 code compliant for anti-islanding safety protection” (pluggedsolar.com); no lab listing published
- Warranty
- Not published
- Price
- $1,395.00 as of 2026-09-22
Amazon price read through the Creators API.
PluggedSolar publishes no lab listing for this kit and no warranty term we could find. Its Amazon listing estimates 1,500 kWh a year, which assumes panels angled at the sun.
We earn a commission if you buy through this link. It costs you nothing extra.
Most power
Craftstrom 1200 W Plug-in Solar Kit
1,200 W
Six panels and three 350 W microinverters with a smart power meter, for a yard, fence or long deck. The most output of anything here, at the highest price per watt.
- Panels
- Six 200 W bifacial semi-flexible panels
- Certification
- Inverters “ETL-certified to UL 1741 and IEEE 1547”
- Warranty
- 10 years on panels, inverters and power meter
- Price
- $3,309.00 as of 2026-09-22
Listed by the reseller My Own Watts.
Craftstrom sells through dealers, so prices differ by seller. We have no affiliate relationship with any of them.
- Anker SOLIX sells balcony systems in Europe, not in the US. We'll add them when a US model ships.
Questions about Massachusetts
Is plug-in solar legal in Massachusetts?
Not yet. Massachusetts has no law allowing plug-in solar, but H.5175 (Senate text S.3143 / reprinted S.3166) would create one. Here is where it stands, with the official bill page.
When could plug-in solar become legal in Massachusetts?
H.5175 (Senate text S.3143 / reprinted S.3166): House passed H.5151 text 2026-02-26 (128-27); Senate passed its version 2026-07-01 (32-8); House non-concurred and conference committee appointed 2026-07-16 (Cusack-Michlewitz-Jones / Barrett-Creem-Tarr). No conference report as of 2026-09-20. Under the 2025-26 joint rules the Legislature may meet in formal session after July 31 to take up reports of conference committees formed on or before July 31, so the bill remains alive.
How much could an 800W kit save in Massachusetts?
About $188 a year, before the kit's cost, for an unshaded 800W panel on a south-facing railing at 30.36¢/kWh. That assumes you use 80% of what it makes. Run the calculator for your own numbers.