Getting paid for your solar battery in Massachusetts
A home battery does more than back up your power in Massachusetts — it can earn you money. Here's how ConnectedSolutions and the battery incentives work in 2026.
In most states a home battery is purely a cost — you buy it for backup power and that's it. In Massachusetts, a battery can become a revenue source, thanks to a utility demand-response program called ConnectedSolutions plus a SMART adder.
ConnectedSolutions: the summer payments
Run by Mass Save, ConnectedSolutions pays you to let your utility draw from your battery's stored energy during summer peak-demand events (June through September, typically 3–8pm). In exchange, you receive around $275 for every kW your utility pulls during those events. For a typical home battery, that adds up to roughly $1,000–$1,500 per year.
ConnectedSolutions only draws during a limited number of summer peak events. Your battery still does its main job — keeping your lights on during outages — the rest of the year. You're essentially getting paid for capacity you weren't using anyway.
The SMART battery adder
On top of ConnectedSolutions, pairing a battery with solar raises your SMART rate by roughly $0.04/kWh through an energy-storage multiplier based on the battery's capacity and discharge duration. So the battery boosts your production income too, not just your resilience.
Battery rebates
Depending on your utility and equipment, additional battery rebates may apply — some programs offer per-kWh rebates (for example, around $100/kWh of rated capacity for eligible batteries). These change by utility and by year, and batteries also qualify for the 15% state tax credit when installed with solar.
Is a battery worth it in Massachusetts?
Between ConnectedSolutions income ($1,000–$1,500/yr), the SMART adder, possible rebates, the state tax credit, and backup power during outages, a battery can pay for itself considerably faster in Massachusetts than in states without these programs. Whether it's right for you depends on your outage risk, roof size, and budget — we'll give you the honest math for your situation.
How battery economics actually work in Massachusetts
A home battery in Massachusetts sits at the intersection of several benefits that do not exist together in most states. First, ConnectedSolutions pays you roughly $275 per kilowatt drawn during summer peak events, often totaling $1,000 to $1,500 a year. Second, pairing a battery with solar adds about $0.04 per kWh to your SMART rate through the storage adder. Third, batteries installed with solar qualify for the 15% state tax credit. Fourth, some utilities offer additional per-kWh rebates. And fifth, of course, the battery provides backup power during the outages that New England weather regularly delivers. Stacked together, these can shorten a battery's payback dramatically compared to buying one purely for backup.
Who benefits most from adding a battery
Batteries make the most sense for Massachusetts homeowners who experience frequent outages, who want energy resilience, or who want to maximize their incentive income. If your primary goal is backup power, the ConnectedSolutions income effectively pays you for capacity you were not using during those summer peak windows anyway. If your primary goal is financial return, the combination of the SMART adder, ConnectedSolutions, rebates, and the tax credit can make the battery a reasonable investment rather than a pure cost. The right answer depends on your outage risk, your roof and system size, and your budget, which is exactly the kind of thing an honest estimate should address.
What to know before adding storage
A few practical points matter before committing to a battery. ConnectedSolutions enrollment typically locks you into the program for a set term, and the specific eligible battery brands and rebate amounts can change year to year. The battery's usable capacity and discharge duration affect both your SMART adder and your ConnectedSolutions payments. And the upfront cost of a battery is significant, so it should be weighed honestly against the combined income and resilience benefits rather than added reflexively. We can help you run that math for your specific situation.