Connecticut’s Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (RRES) program replaced traditional net metering in 2022 and is the foundational framework for every Hartford solar installation. At interconnection, Hartford homeowners choose between two compensation structures that are locked in for 20 years — the single most consequential decision in the solar process, and one that many homeowners don’t fully understand before signing a contract.
The Netting Tariff works like conventional net metering: your solar panels power your home first, and excess production is exported to the Eversource grid in exchange for bill credits at approximately 27¢ per kilowatt-hour — close to the full retail rate. Credits accumulate month-to-month for up to 12 months. At the annual true-up, any remaining credits expire rather than paying out in cash. The Netting Tariff rewards high self-consumption: the more of your solar production your household uses directly, the more value you capture at the full retail rate.
The Buy-All Tariff is a fundamentally different structure: Eversource purchases every kilowatt-hour your system produces — including what you consume at home — at a fixed rate of $0.3289 per kilowatt-hour, locked for 20 years from enrollment. You then buy all your electricity from Eversource at the standard retail rate. The Buy-All rate is set annually for new enrollees (the 2026 rate is $0.3289/kWh) but is fixed at enrollment for the full 20-year term. The Buy-All Tariff works best for homes with low daytime occupancy or limited self-consumption potential — if your household is mostly away during peak solar hours, the guaranteed 32.89¢ per kilowatt-hour on every kilowatt-hour produced may exceed what the Netting Tariff would deliver.
One important detail for Netting Tariff enrollees: Connecticut applies a Solar Energy Adjustment of $0.0402 per kilowatt-hour on new RRES netting enrollments, which effectively reduces the net value of credits slightly below the headline retail rate. Your installer should factor this into financial projections.
The federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) expired December 31, 2025, removing what had been a 30% reduction in upfront cost for cash and loan purchases. Connecticut’s remaining incentive stack is meaningful but different in character from the federal credit.
The Connecticut Green Bank’s Smart-E Loan is the most important financing tool for Hartford homeowners in 2026. Administered through a network of participating lenders, Smart-E provides unsecured solar loans at 6.99–7.99% APR with terms from 5 to 15 years, up to $50,000 — competitive financing that doesn’t require home equity and preserves RRES income ownership (unlike leases and PPAs, where the installer owns the system and its compensation). Local Connecticut credit unions, which have a strong presence in Hartford, often offer additional solar loan products worth comparing.
Connecticut provides two state-level tax protections for solar. Solar installations are fully exempt from Connecticut sales tax, which at 6.35% saves approximately $1,900–$2,100 on a typical $30,000–$33,000 Hartford system. Connecticut also exempts the added assessed value of a solar installation from property tax assessment — the value your solar panels add to your home does not increase your annual tax bill. At Hartford’s effective property tax rate, this prevents several hundred dollars per year in additional taxes that would otherwise compound over the system’s lifetime.
Connecticut does not offer a state income tax credit for solar. Solar leases and PPAs remain available and still allow the installing company to claim the commercial ITC (Section 48/48E), passing savings through lower monthly rates — a more accessible option for Hartford homeowners who cannot benefit from direct ownership financing.
The right choice depends on your household’s daytime electricity consumption pattern. The Netting Tariff is typically better for households with significant daytime electricity use — people who work from home, families with children home during the day, homes with EV charging, pools, or other daytime loads that can absorb solar production directly. When your home consumes much of its own solar output at the retail rate (approximately 29¢/kWh), the Netting Tariff captures maximum value per kilowatt-hour. The Buy-All Tariff at $0.3289/kWh can outperform the Netting Tariff for homes with low daytime occupancy where most solar production would be exported anyway — the guaranteed 20-year rate provides certainty that the Netting Tariff’s market-rate credits don’t match. Have your installer model both options against your actual usage history before committing, since the choice is locked for 20 years.
Est. 2010
Est. 2009
Est. 2011
Est. 2017
Est. 2007
Est. 2006
