Montana
Montana solar in 2026
Montana has something many solar markets have already lost: retail-rate net metering. The PSC kept it after rejecting a proposal to end it and add a demand charge. That makes solar easier to defend than the state's moderate retail rate suggests. It is not permanent by divine right, though. The regulator pointed to a 5% peak-load threshold for revisiting the policy.
Start with the Montana bill, not a national solar slogan
A Montana array earns its keep through ordinary retail billing while the present rule stands. That is helpful, but it does not erase the need for a sensible cash price, a long enough ownership horizon, and a roof that actually suits the design.
| Energy source | Type | Average price | What that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana household electricity | Electricity | 14.67¢ per kWh | EIA's Montana residential average, reported through May 2026. |
| Home natural-gas supply | Natural gas | $8.77 per Mcf | About 2.9 cents for each thermal kWh. A Mcf contains roughly 304 kWh of thermal energy. |
| Owned rooftop generation | Electricity | ~7.9¢ per kWh | A 25-year levelized estimate using the EnergySage Montana cash figure of $2.57 per watt and the PVGIS output runs. It measures generated energy, not the treatment of surplus sent to the grid. |
For electricity, see EIA Table 5.6.A for May 2026. The residential gas comparison comes from EIA natural-gas prices; a Mcf is roughly 304 kWh of thermal energy. We calculate the solar figure using the approach described on the methodology page.
Big sky does not mean identical output
Billings leads this four-city group, while Missoula sits materially lower. Winter weather, terrain, roof azimuth, and local shade are doing real work here. Treat a statewide yield assumption as an opening bid, not a design.
| Montana location | Modeled yearly kWh per kW | Yearly generation for 14.04 kW |
|---|---|---|
| Billings | 1,377 | 19,339 kWh |
| Missoula | 1,206 | 16,935 kWh |
| Great Falls | 1,350 | 18,947 kWh |
| Bozeman | 1,294 | 18,172 kWh |
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 14.04 kW example matches the EnergySage Montana average system.
Retail net metering survived a direct challenge
The Montana PSC voted 5-0 to reject NorthWestern Energy's proposal to end net metering, create a separate rate class, and add a demand charge. The Commission kept retail-rate net metering and said it would revisit the issue when rooftop solar reaches 5% of NorthWestern peak load or when the utility supports a new rate class with adequate evidence.
At the time described in the research, rooftop solar was about 1% of NorthWestern peak load and the utility paid customers about $0.12 per kWh for exports. For a homeowner, that is a strong present rule, not a license to oversize blindly. Keep the system tied to annual use, save your interconnection documents, and watch future general rate cases instead of assuming today's treatment is forever.
Policy background: the Montana PSC decision coverage and retail-rate trigger. Before treating any proposal as settled, consult the linked utility or regulatory material.
Property-tax protection, not a state credit
| Item | Value | Fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Property tax exemption | $20,000 of appraised value for 10 years at a single-family dwelling | Mont. Code Ann. §15-6-224 applies to capital investment in a recognized nonfossil form of energy generation. |
| State income-tax credit | No verified credit | The research did not verify a statewide homeowner solar tax credit. |
| Federal 25D | Ended December 31, 2025 | A lease or PPA provider may still claim 48E, with potential pricing value described by CRS. |
For the governing state provision, see the cited program or statute.
What the PSC decision changes for a Montana quote
The useful fact in Montana is not simply that net metering survived. It survived a specific proposal from NorthWestern Energy to end the arrangement, create a separate rate class, and add a demand charge. The Commission rejected that proposal by a 5-0 vote and retained retail-rate treatment. That tells a homeowner which document matters when a sales forecast is making a generous export assumption.
There is tension inside the current rule. NorthWestern was paying roughly $0.12 per kWh for exported solar, while the cost-benefit analysis described exported energy at roughly $0.04 per kWh. The difference does not make a current credit disappear. It does explain why the question can return in a future general rate case. A serious quote should show its assumed annual production, household use, and export share separately. One blended savings figure hides the part most exposed to a rule change.
The PSC pointed to 5% of NorthWestern peak load as the point for revisiting a separate solar rate class, while rooftop solar was about 1% when it acted. That is headroom, not a contract. Ask the installer which utility serves the address, whether the account is under NorthWestern or a cooperative, and what tariff is being used in the proposal. Montana's residential sales are not all served by one company. Flathead Electric Cooperative and other providers have a meaningful presence alongside NorthWestern.
The property-tax provision should stay in its lane. It exempts $20,000 of appraised value at a single-family dwelling for 10 years after installation. It is not a check, and it does not repair a weak system price. The clean Montana case is a right-sized array, a current retail-rate credit, documented utility terms, and a bid that still looks sensible without invented urgency.
A useful baseline, with the policy assumption stated
The calculator uses the state rate and PVGIS production. In Montana, the big unmodeled variable is not a tiny export value: it is whether retail-rate net metering remains intact over the life of your ownership. Compare cash and loan offers with that uncertainty in mind.
Slider bounds come from four PVGIS runs across Montana. The range reflects location, not the shading, roof direction, snow cover, or equipment on your particular roof.
Cash quotes in Montana cluster near $2.57 per watt, against a $3.50 national 2024 median (LBNL). Use your quote.
Assumptions you can change
Use the rate on your actual lease or PPA quote. There is no published statewide average we trust enough to hardcode.
Cash purchase
$17,476 after state credit
- Year 1 benefit
- $109/mo
- Payback
- 13 years
- 20 year net position
- $14,164
No state income-tax credit is modeled. The documented state benefit is a property-tax exemption, which affects assessment rather than the cash price.
Solar loan
$230/mo 15 yr payment
- Year 1 net
- -$122/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- -$9,836
We price loans at $3.77 per watt: the EnergySage cash figure plus the $1.20 national loan-over-cash spread LBNL documents, since dealer fees get built into loan pricing.
Lease / PPA
$0 down you buy the power
- Year 1 net
- -$69/mo
- Upfront
- $0
- 20 year net position
- -$17,635
A lease or PPA provider may claim the federal 48E business credit. Retail-rate net metering still does not turn a bad contract into a good one.
Estimates, not quotes. Inputs use the Montana average rate from EIA, our own PVGIS production runs, and EnergySage August 2026 cost data. We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. See our disclosures.
Montana decisions that deserve more than a brochure
- Ask whether your utility is NorthWestern, a cooperative, or another provider before using any statewide savings projection. Service territory is not a footnote.
- Keep a copy of the interconnection approval and the tariff used for the quote. Policy changes belong in a general rate case, but paperwork still matters.
- Do not market the $20,000 property-tax exemption as a $20,000 payment. It is an exemption from appraised value for 10 years.
- Billings, Great Falls, Bozeman, and Missoula do not have interchangeable production. Use the local PVGIS result as the starting point.
- The 5% peak-load trigger is a reason to remain informed, not a reason to accept a rushed or overpriced contract.
Montana installers worth a detailed bid comparison
Montana has useful options in Billings, Belgrade, Missoula, and Bozeman. Ask every bidder how they size a system under retail-rate net metering and what they assume about future utility treatment. That answer reveals more than a glossy production chart.
Wegner Roofing & Solar
Billings, MT
4.9(1,133 Google reviews)
YellowBall Roofing & Solar
Billings, MT
4.9(272 Google reviews)
Bridger Renewables
Belgrade, MT
5.0(153 Google reviews)
SBS Solar
Missoula, MT
5.0(146 Google reviews)
Independent Power
Bozeman, MT
4.9(121 Google reviews)
Google Maps ratings snapshot, August 2026, via the DataForSEO SERP feed. Zero companies paid us and none are endorsed by us. No single statewide solar contractor licensing authority was verified. Confirm electrical credentials, the local permit route, and interconnection requirements for the address.
Get a Montana solar estimate
Answer four short questions and see the estimate against Montana's EIA and PVGIS inputs. We are a solar installer and we also partner with other solar companies. Details appear in our disclosures.
What does your monthly electric bill look like?
Montana average is $108 per month (EIA, 2024).