State solar guide
New Hampshire has strong solar fundamentals in 2026. The federal residential credit expired December 31, 2025, but state incentives and net-metering rules still support solid payback timelines for qualified homeowners.
Sources: ElectricChoice June 2026 | NREL PVWatts (verify at your assessment) | EnergySage mid-2026 | Federal residential credit: Section 25D expired December 31, 2025, H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act).
Net metering
New Hampshire NEM 2.0 credits excess solar exports at approximately 85% of the retail rate, equating to approximately $0.23 per kWh in 2026 at the state average retail rate of 26.52 cents per kWh. The 15% discount on exports versus full retail is a modest but real disadvantage compared to neighboring full-retail states like New York, New Jersey, and Maine. Eversource New Hampshire, Liberty Utilities, New Hampshire Electric Co-op, and Unitil all administer NEM 2.0 in their respective territories. Customers who interconnected before the NEM 2.0 transition are grandfathered under prior terms through 2040 per NH PUC order. As of 2026-06, verify current policy at dsireusa.org or with your utility.
Eversource New Hampshire (largest utility, serving much of southern NH), Liberty Utilities (northern NH), New Hampshire Electric Co-op (rural areas), and Unitil (small territory in southern NH). All offer NEM 2.0 at approximately 85% of retail. The 15% discount on exports is a modest disadvantage versus full retail states.
Program: NM1_partial. Last verified: June 1, 2026. DSIRE source (opens in new tab).
Verify with your utility
Net-metering rules change by utility and program cycle. Confirm current export credit rates and eligibility with your specific New Hampshire utility before contracting. Current program details at DSIRE (opens in new tab).
State incentive stack
The federal residential credit expired December 31, 2025. The programs below are what remains for New Hampshire homeowners. Amounts and availability change; every program is date-stamped and linked to its DSIRE source.
Federal residential solar credit (Section 25D): expired. The Section 25D residential investment tax credit expired December 31, 2025. The residential credit rate is 0%. State and local incentives below may still significantly reduce your net system cost. Commercial systems still qualify for Section 48E (30%).
| Program | Benefit | Eligibility | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eversource NH Battery Storage Rebate Upfront rebate (battery storage) Limited to Eversource NH territory. Verify current funding availability and eligible battery models with Eversource before including this rebate in your payback calculation. Program may be modified or suspended. | $230 per kWh, maximum $3,000 Upfront per-kWh rebate of $230 per kWh for qualifying residential battery storage systems in Eversource New Hampshire territory. Capped at $3,000. A 13 kWh battery (Powerwall equivalent) earns the full $3,000 cap. Available for residential Eversource NH customers only, no equivalent currently available from Liberty Utilities, NH Electric Co-op, or Unitil. | Eversource New Hampshire residential customers with a qualifying battery storage system paired with solar. Verify current program availability and eligible battery models with Eversource. | Active | DSIRE (opens in new tab) |
| New Hampshire Property Tax Exemption (RSA 72:62) Property tax exemption Not statewide, approximately 34% of NH municipalities have NOT adopted this exemption. Verify with your specific town or city assessor before relying on this exemption. | Full assessed value increase excluded (in adopting municipalities; old $10,000 cap removed) Municipal property tax exemption for solar energy systems under RSA 72:62. Adopted by approximately 66% of New Hampshire municipalities (over 150 towns as of 2026). The old $10,000 cap has been removed, systems in adopting towns are exempt at full assessed value in most cases. Saves approximately $584 per year on average where adopted. | New Hampshire residential properties in municipalities that have adopted RSA 72:62. Not available in municipalities that have not adopted the exemption. Verify with local assessor. | Active | DSIRE (opens in new tab) |
| New Hampshire No Sales Tax on Solar Equipment Sales tax exemption (de facto) Not a solar-specific incentive, New Hampshire has no sales tax on any category of goods or services. No application or documentation required. | Full de facto exemption from sales tax (0% NH sales tax on all purchases) New Hampshire has no state sales tax on any purchase, which means solar equipment and installation are purchased at full price with no additional sales tax charge. Saves approximately $1,600 to $2,100 versus neighboring states that charge 5.5% to 6.25% sales tax on solar (Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut). This is not a dedicated solar program but is a structural cost advantage. | All New Hampshire solar purchases. No application required. | Active | DSIRE (opens in new tab) |
| New Hampshire Net Metering (NEM 2.0) Net metering NEM 2.0 provides approximately 85% of retail, not full retail. The 15% discount on exports is a modest but real reduction versus full retail states. | Approximately 85% of retail rate on exports (approximately $0.23 per kWh at current rates) NEM 2.0 provides approximately 85% of retail export credit for excess solar generation. Grandfathered customers (interconnected before NEM 2.0 transition) are protected through 2040. Eversource, Liberty Utilities, NH Electric Co-op, and Unitil participate. | New Hampshire residential customers of Eversource, Liberty Utilities, NH Electric Co-op, or Unitil. | Active | DSIRE (opens in new tab) |
Data last verified June 1, 2026. Incentive programs change; verify current amounts and availability at dsireusa.org (opens in new tab) before committing to a project.
Battery storage incentives in New Hampshire
Eversource NH Battery Rebate: $230 per kWh upfront for qualifying residential battery storage, capped at $3,000. A 13 kWh battery (Powerwall equivalent) earns the $3,000 cap. Available for Eversource NH customers only, verify availability with Eversource before including in payback calculation. No equivalent program for Liberty Utilities, NH Electric Co-op, or Unitil customers as of mid-2026.
Savings example
This example uses real New Hampshire market data. No federal residential credit is applied. Figures are illustrative; your in-home assessment uses your actual utility bills and the current rate schedule for your specific utility.
Annual production estimated at 9,750 kWh based on 3.5 peak sun hours in New Hampshire. NEM 2.0 export credit at approximately 85% of 26.52 cents per kWh = approximately $0.23 per kWh. Self-consumption savings at full 26.52 cents per kWh. Rate escalation at 3% annually. System price at $2.95 per watt market average. No sales tax (NH exemption). Property tax exemption assumed in towns that have adopted RSA 72:62. Federal residential credit: $0 (expired). EnergySage cites approximately 9.2-year payback for NH under current incentives. Figures are illustrative.
New Hampshire homeowner savings example, Eversource territory (illustrative)
Illustrative example. Federal residential credit: $0 (Section 25D expired December 31, 2025). Your estimate will use your actual utility bills and current rate schedule.
Permitting
New Hampshire solar permitting is managed at the local town or city level with no statewide permit fee cap or streamlining requirement as of 2026. Permit timelines vary significantly by municipality: larger cities (Manchester, Nashua, Concord) average 3 to 6 weeks; smaller towns average 2 to 4 weeks. Utility interconnection with Eversource or Liberty Utilities adds 4 to 8 weeks after permit issuance. SolarAPP+ automated permit approval has limited adoption in New Hampshire as of 2026. The NH Electric Co-op serves rural areas and has a separate interconnection process. Contract to energization typically runs 10 to 16 weeks. New Hampshire's permitting landscape is fragmented across 234 municipalities with no state-level standardization.
New Hampshire municipalities have significant autonomy in solar permitting. Some towns have streamlined processes; others have complex local requirements. Verify specific AHJ requirements for your town before estimating permit timeline.
Commercial solar in New Hampshire
The commercial solar credit (Section 48E, 30 percent) remains available for qualifying commercial projects. Construction must begin by July 4, 2026 to qualify for the full placed-in-service window. Combined with MACRS accelerated depreciation and 100 percent first-year bonus depreciation, the combined first-year federal benefit can reach 45 to 55 percent of project cost for many New Hampshire business owners. Direct Pay is also available for nonprofits, municipalities, and other tax-exempt entities.
Commercial solar overviewCommercial solar projects must begin construction by July 4, 2026 to qualify for the 30 percent Section 48E federal tax credit. After that date, the system must be placed in service by December 31, 2027.
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