Solar Panel Installation in Massachusetts
Installing solar in Massachusetts means a roof review, permits, and sign-off from your utility. Call and talk to an independent installer who works in the state.
Call to see if your home qualifies(877) 565-3409Home Solar Line connects you with an independent solar provider. We don't sell or install anything ourselves. Calls may be recorded.
- Free call
- No forms to fill out
- Independent local providers
- No obligation
Who this is for
Check all five before you call:
- You own the home (not renting)
- It's a single-family house or townhouse
- The roof gets full sun or only light shade
- Your power bill is over $100 a month
- The home doesn't already have solar panels
Renting, in a condo, apartment or mobile home, under heavy shade, or already have panels? This line can't help with those, so please don't call.
What happens when you call
- Answer a few quick questionsDo you own the home, how much is your power bill, how sunny is the roof.
- Get connectedIf your home fits, you're put through to an independent solar provider who serves your area.
- Talk it through, then decideThey look at your roof and usage and explain options. No obligation to buy.
Installing solar in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, whether your town has a municipal light plant or an investor-owned utility can change the whole picture, so mention it on the call.
Four real seasons, with snow and shorter winter days, and older housing stock with a lot of roof variety.
Interconnection goes through your utility. In Massachusetts that could be Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, and municipal light plants in many towns.
Massachusetts has run a state solar incentive program called SMART, whose terms have changed over time. A provider can tell you what is open now.
The installation steps in Massachusetts, in brief
- Roof and usage review
- Design and proposal
- Site visit
- Permits and paperworkLocal permits, HOA approval if you have an HOA, and an interconnection application to your utility.
- Installation
- Inspection and permission to operateThe town or county inspects, then the utility approves the connection before the system is switched on.
Weather and site issues in Massachusetts
Snow
Snow slides off tilted panels, but weeks of snow cover still cut winter output, and the racking has to be designed for the snow load where you live. Ask how the design accounts for it.
Short winter days
Production drops a lot in the darker months. Judge a system by its yearly production estimate, not by one winter bill.
Tree shade
Mature trees shade a lot of roofs. Ask for a shade analysis, and whether trimming a tree would change the design or the estimate.
Older Massachusetts homes often have steep, cut-up roofs with dormers and chimneys, which limits how many panels fit and where.
Permits, HOAs and inspections in Massachusetts
Your town or county issues the building and electrical permits and inspects the finished system. Then your utility reviews the interconnection application and gives permission to operate.
Massachusetts zoning law limits a town's ability to prohibit or unreasonably regulate solar installations, except where needed to protect public health, safety or welfare.
Massachusetts requires home improvement contractors to register with the state's Home Improvement Contractor program, and the electrical work needs an electrician holding a Massachusetts license.
Is your roof a good fit?
South-facing roof planes with full sun from mid-morning to mid-afternoon are ideal. West and east can work. An old roof should be replaced first, since panels stay up for decades.
Find out what your roof could do.
One free call. Tell a provider about your roof and your bills, and decide from there.
Who this is for
Check all five before you call:
- You own the home (not renting)
- It's a single-family house or townhouse
- The roof gets full sun or only light shade
- Your power bill is over $100 a month
- The home doesn't already have solar panels
Renting, in a condo, apartment or mobile home, under heavy shade, or already have panels? This line can't help with those, so please don't call.
Questions
Can an HOA stop me from adding solar in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts zoning law limits a town's ability to prohibit or unreasonably regulate solar installations, except where needed to protect public health, safety or welfare. The details and exceptions matter, so read your covenants too.
How do I check a solar provider in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts requires home improvement contractors to register with the state's Home Improvement Contractor program, and the electrical work needs an electrician holding a Massachusetts license. Also ask for proof of insurance before signing anything.
Are you a solar company?
No. Home Solar Line is a free phone line that connects homeowners with independent solar providers. We don't sell, design or install systems, and we don't set prices.
Does the call cost anything?
No. The call is free, and there's no obligation to buy anything from the provider you talk to.
Who qualifies?
Homeowners in a single-family house or townhouse with a roof that gets full or mostly full sun, a power bill over $100 a month, and no solar panels already. If that's not you, the provider won't be able to help.