Connecticut

Connecticut solar in 2026

Connecticut solar is not a generic net-metering story. The Residential Renewable Energy Solutions program asks the homeowner to choose a tariff: sell every kWh through Buy-All, or use solar in the home and take Netting. Both choices hold for 20 years. With 27.37 cent electricity and a 31.89 cent Buy-All rate, load shape matters more than the word "solar" on the proposal.

A tight production range, a big tariff decision

Connecticut's modeled city range is tight. Hartford is the lower figure and the coastal and southwestern cities are clustered above it. Production will vary roof by roof, but the RRES tariff election is likely the larger financial fork for many households.

Method: PVGIS v5.2 model runs by Solar Learning Lab on August 18, 2026, using the NSRDB radiation database. Assumptions: fixed roof mount, south facing, 30 degree tilt, 14 percent losses. Your roof will differ. The 11.68 kW example matches the EnergySage Connecticut average system.

Which Connecticut quote lines have real value

The RRES election deserves its own worksheet

A Connecticut proposal can look simple until the payment route is named. RRES gives a homeowner two different 20-year arrangements under P.A. 19-35 / C.G.S. §16-244z. Buy-All sends every produced kWh into the program at $0.3189/kWh. Netting leaves household use in the picture: exported electricity receives the applicable retail rate plus a $0.000 REC rate. Neither choice is a footnote. They reward different load patterns, and the tariff selected at signing should be visible on every version of the financial model.

Start with the house's interval data, not an annual consumption total. The 27.37 cents per kWh statewide residential figure is close to the $0.3189/kWh Buy-All payment, but that proximity does not settle the decision. A household that consumes electricity as its array produces it can get a different Netting result than a household whose demand arrives later. Ask for production, on-site use, and exports to be shown separately. If the home may qualify, rerun both cases with the $0.055 low-and-moderate-income adder and the $0.0275 distressed-municipality adder. The numbers say those qualifications can move the comparison.

The tariff is current policy, not a sales illustration. PURA set Program Year 5 tariffs in Docket 25-08-02 on December 17, 2025. For United Illuminating customers, Rider RRES applies the structure to systems up to 25 kW AC for a 20-year term. That makes a system-size check part of the early design conversation. The separate sales and use tax exemption covers qualifying solar electricity-generating systems, related equipment, and installation services for sales on or after July 1, 2007. It should appear correctly in the quote, but it does not substitute for a sound tariff choice.

Sources: PURA RRES program page, UI Rider RRES, and C.G.S. §12-412(117).

Use this as a rate test, then run both RRES tariffs

The calculator measures the high retail-rate opportunity. It is not a tariff-selection engine for RRES. Before you sign, make the seller provide side-by-side Buy-All at $0.3189 per kWh and Netting results, including any $0.055 or $0.0275 adder you qualify for. Both elections live with you for 20 years.

Connecticut installers with published review records

Connecticut's installer question is unusually concrete: will the proposal explain the RRES election instead of burying it? Use the reviews as a starting list, then make each bidder show Buy-All and Netting for the same roof, same system and same consumption profile. Check the credentials required for the work before a contract is signed.