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Solar in Connecticut
At 24.16¢ per kWh and 1252 kWh of production per kW each year, a household paying $200 a month needs a 7.46 kW system. Paid in cash, it returns its $20,286 cost in 10.3 yr.
Two prices, two answers
Payback 10.3 yr — at competitive quoted prices ($2.72/W, EnergySage 2026): net cost $20,286, 25-year net $37,467.
Payback 16.9 yr — at typical reported prices ($4.60/W, LBNL 2023): net cost $34,308, 25-year net $23,445.
The gap is methodology, not staleness: the first what you get if you shop around for competitive quotes; the second what the average buyer actually paid, as recorded in permit and incentive data. Every table below uses quoted prices. Why we show both.
By monthly bill
| Your bill | Use / yr | System | Panels | Net cost | Payback | 25-yr net (cash) | Lease, year 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100/mo | 4,371 kWh | 3.49 kW | 9 | $9,496 | 13 yr | $14,584 | $141 |
| $150/mo | 6,854 kWh | 5.47 kW | 14 | $14,891 | 10.6 yr | $26,025 | $221 |
| $200/mo | 9,338 kWh | 7.46 kW | 19 | $20,286 | 10.3 yr | $37,467 | $302 |
| $300/mo | 14,305 kWh | 11.43 kW | 29 | $31,077 | 10.1 yr | $60,348 | $462 |
Cash, loan or lease — at $200 a month
| How you pay | 25-year net | Upfront | Year 1 | Payback / cash flow | Federal credit to you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $37,467 | $20,286 | $1,731 | 10.3 yr | $0 |
| Loan $157/mo · 6.99% APR · 20 yr | $20,035 | $0 | −$155 | positive from year 8 | $0 |
| Lease / PPA | $10,154 | $0 | $302 | immediate (+$302 in year 1) | $0 |
The 30% federal credit goes to the system owner, not to you. It is reflected in the rate you are offered. The owner claims it at 30% under IRC 48E.
The inputs, and where they came from
| Input | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Residential electricity rate | 24.16¢/kWh | U.S. EIA API v2, electricity/retail-sales, residential sector, 2026-07 |
| Specific yield | 1252 kWh/kW/yr | NLR (formerly NREL) PVWatts v8 API, 1 kW reference system (state:CT) |
| Installed cost | $2.72/W | EnergySage Marketplace real-quote average, as of Sep 2026; page updated 2026-08-28 · LBNL Tracking the Sun 2023 median: $4.6/W, reference only |
| Export compensation | full retail net metering · 100% | Net metering was replaced by the Residential Renewable Energy Solutions programme. Its Netting tariff compensates net excess generation at the prevailing retail rate, inclusive of both supply and delivery charges, on a 20-year term. Projects enrolling in 2026 pay a solar energy adjustment of $0.0402/kWh on total solar production, not only on exports, and the 2026 REC payment rate is $0. The alternative Buy-All tariff sells all production to the utility at a fixed rate and is not modelled here. Retail-rate netting, with the 2026 production charge modelled separately: it applies to everything the array generates, so it cannot be folded into an export ratio. Follows: Eversource and United Illuminating, under one PURA programme. Source, read 2026-09-05. |
| Charge on solar customers | $0.0402/kWh produced | Not an export haircut: a charge this state's solar customers pay on top. It is on the bill in every figure on this page — about $375 in year one. |
| Federal credit, purchase | 0% | IRC 25D (expired) |
| Federal credit, third-party owner | 30% | IRC 48E (Clean Electricity Investment Credit) |
| State incentives | $0 | No upfront statewide credit or rebate for a typical owner-occupier (verified) |