Is Solar Worth It in New Hampshire in 2026?
New Hampshire isn't a sun state, and it isn't trying to be. What it has instead is some of the highest electricity rates in the country — 24.6¢ per kWh as of late 2025 — and that's the number driving solar's math here. A system here produces less energy per panel than one in Florida or Arizona, but every kWh it produces is worth more, because the alternative is buying power at nearly a quarter a kilowatt-hour.
2026 changed the equation everywhere, and New Hampshire deserves the honest version. The 30 percent federal tax credit that used to knock a third off a system's price ended for installs completed after December 31, 2025. New Hampshire's own $0.20/watt rebate closed to new applicants the year before that. What's left: a local-option property tax exemption most — not all — towns have adopted, zero state sales tax, and a net-metering formula paying about 85 percent of retail, not the full rate. Solar can still work here, especially for a high-usage home with a clean south-facing roof and a long time horizon — it's a mid-teens payback now, not the shorter window a 2024 pitch might still quote. This page runs the real New Hampshire numbers.
New Hampshire Electricity Prices Keep Climbing
Solar is a bet on future electricity prices: every kilowatt-hour your roof makes is one you don't buy from the utility. New Hampshire's history makes that bet look better than most. Here's the last several decades, from federal EIA data.
Full New Hampshire electricity price data (1990–2025)
| Year | New Hampshire (¢/kWh) | US avg (¢/kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10.3 | 7.8 |
| 1991 | 10.4 | 8.0 |
| 1992 | 11.4 | 8.2 |
| 1993 | 12.3 | 8.3 |
| 1994 | 12.9 | 8.4 |
| 1995 | 13.5 | 8.4 |
| 1996 | 13.4 | 8.4 |
| 1997 | 13.7 | 8.4 |
| 1998 | 13.9 | 8.3 |
| 1999 | 13.6 | 8.2 |
| 2000 | 13.2 | 8.2 |
| 2001 | 12.5 | 8.6 |
| 2002 | 11.9 | 8.4 |
| 2003 | 12.0 | 8.7 |
| 2004 | 12.5 | 9.0 |
| 2005 | 13.5 | 9.5 |
| 2006 | 14.7 | 10.4 |
| 2007 | 14.9 | 10.7 |
| 2008 | 15.7 | 11.3 |
| 2009 | 16.4 | 11.5 |
| 2010 | 16.3 | 11.5 |
| 2011 | 16.5 | 11.7 |
| 2012 | 16.1 | 11.9 |
| 2013 | 16.3 | 12.1 |
| 2014 | 17.5 | 12.5 |
| 2015 | 18.5 | 12.7 |
| 2016 | 18.4 | 12.6 |
| 2017 | 19.2 | 12.9 |
| 2018 | 19.7 | 12.9 |
| 2019 | 20.1 | 13.0 |
| 2020 | 19.0 | 13.2 |
| 2021 | 19.9 | 13.7 |
| 2022 | 25.5 | 15.0 |
| 2023 | 28.2 | 16.0 |
| 2024 | 23.4 | 16.5 |
| 2025 * | 24.6 | 17.3 |
Source: US EIA, average residential retail electricity price. Values in cents per kWh. * 2025 is preliminary.
New Hampshire residential rates have climbed roughly 82 percent since 2005, reaching about 24.6¢ per kWh in EIA's preliminary 2025 figures — regularly among the top five or six states in the country. Over the last decade the pace has settled to roughly 2.9 percent a year, still enough to erode a fixed power bill over a 25-year system life. New Hampshire buys most of its power from the regional New England grid, so it inherits the same gas-price exposure and transmission-cost pressure as its neighbors — nothing about the trend line points down.
The New Hampshire Sun, Month by Month
Panels care about how high the sun climbs and how long it stays up, not the outdoor temperature. At 43.3°N latitude, New Hampshire's sun swings hard between seasons — high and long in June, low and short in December — which is a bigger factor in production than most homeowners expect.
New Hampshire monthly solar production data
| Month | kWh per installed kW |
|---|---|
| Jan | 91 |
| Feb | 97 |
| Mar | 119 |
| Apr | 121 |
| May | 117 |
| Jun | 109 |
| Jul | 123 |
| Aug | 125 |
| Sep | 114 |
| Oct | 95 |
| Nov | 86 |
| Dec | 72 |
| Year | 1267 |
Source: NREL PVWatts typical-year estimate (Manchester), per installed kW at latitude tilt.
A well-sited New Hampshire system produces around 1,267 kWh per installed kilowatt per year (NREL PVWatts estimate for Manchester) — meaningfully below a Sun Belt state, but still a real, bankable number given how much each kWh is worth here. Spring and early summer carry most of the year's output; December and January are lean. Snow matters less than people assume: a properly tilted array sheds snow within a day or two of clear skies, and cold temperatures raise panel efficiency slightly, partly offsetting the shorter days.
What Solar Costs in New Hampshire in 2026
Most New Hampshire installs run about $2.75 to $3.50 per watt, with typical quotes clustering closer to $3.00 to $3.20/W. New Hampshire homes tend to run larger systems than the national average — bigger houses, electric or oil heat, and no shortage of appliance load — so a 10 kW system is a common quote size, landing around $27,500 to $35,000 before any credits. With the federal credit gone and the state rebate closed, that quoted price is very close to what you'll actually pay.
| System Size | Typical 2026 Cost | Roughly Offsets | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 kW | $13,750 to $17,500 | ~6,335 kWh/yr (~$130/mo at 24.6¢) | Smaller home, lower usage |
| 8 kW | $22,000 to $28,000 | ~10,140 kWh/yr (~$208/mo) | Average New Hampshire home |
| 12 kW | $33,000 to $42,000 | ~15,200 kWh/yr (~$312/mo) | Larger home, electric heat or heat pumps |
New Hampshire has no state sales tax at all — on solar equipment or anything else — so you avoid the roughly 5 to 8 percent some neighboring states charge on the same gear. That's a real saving, just not a solar-specific one. Prices still vary by installer, roof complexity, and equipment tier, so compare price per watt across at least three quotes.
Estimate Your New Hampshire Payback
The calculator below is set to New Hampshire's average electricity rate and Manchester-area production. Enter your own monthly bill to see an estimated system size, payback period, and 25-year savings. New Hampshire rates have grown roughly 2.9 percent a year over the last decade — a reasonable default for the inflation field, though you can drag it to test a faster or slower future.
New Hampshire Solar Incentives That Still Exist in 2026
Let's separate what's gone from what actually survived into 2026.
- Gone — the 30 percent federal credit: The federal Residential Clean Energy Credit ended for installations completed after December 31, 2025, with no phase-out. If a quote still assumes it, that installer hasn't updated their numbers.
- Gone — the state rebate: New Hampshire's Residential Renewable Electrical Generation Rebate ($0.20/watt, capped at $1,000, run under RSA 362-F) was repealed by SB 303 in 2024. It's permanently closed to new applicants; only Step-1 applications filed by June 30, 2025 are still processing through Step 2.
- Still here — no state sales tax: New Hampshire has no state sales tax on anything, solar included, which saves what a taxed state's 5 to 8 percent would have cost.
- Still here — local property tax exemption: Under RSA 72:61 and 72:62, cities and towns can individually vote to exclude a solar (or wind, wood-heat, or battery storage) install's added value from your property tax assessment. Roughly 150 to 160 of New Hampshire's 234 municipalities — commonly cited as about two-thirds — have adopted it as of 2026, but it isn't automatic. Confirm with your own town assessor. Our electrical guide covers how upgrades like this get assessed.
- Partially — leases and PPAs: Third-party-owned systems can still capture a separate federal business credit through 2027, but it belongs to the leasing company. Compare a lease offer against a cash or loan purchase before assuming the savings are being passed to you.
Net Metering (NEM 2.0) in New Hampshire
New Hampshire does not use full 1:1 retail net metering. It runs NEM 2.0: the export credit equals 100 percent of the supply charge, plus 100 percent of transmission, plus only 25 percent of distribution — roughly 85 percent of the full retail rate, not the whole thing. The Public Utilities Commission kept this tariff in place in a November 2024 order (Docket DE 22-060) rather than move to a less favorable structure, and customers who interconnect under it get the formula locked in for 15 years. Systems up to 100 kW qualify as residential net metering. Since January 1, 2025, utilities can also charge a new interconnection application fee.
New Hampshire also runs a distinct Group Net Metering program letting one host system share credits across multiple member accounts, with a 2.5¢/kWh adder for low-to-moderate-income community solar. That doesn't apply to a typical rooftop owner, but it's a genuinely New Hampshire-specific option if you can't put panels on your own roof.
The Real New Hampshire Angle: Utility Battery Rebates
With the federal credit gone and the state rebate closed, the incentive most shoppers will actually encounter in 2026 comes from the utility, not Washington or Concord. Eversource's ConnectedSolutions program pays homeowners who enroll a paired battery in its demand-response network roughly $230/kWh of storage capacity — commonly $2,000 to $3,000 upfront for a typical home battery. It's separate from net metering and unaffected by the federal repeal, since Eversource funds it directly. Ask every installer whether a battery quote qualifies.
How to Go Solar in New Hampshire
Work through these steps in order before you commit.
- Pull your last 12 power bills, including your highest winter month if you heat with electricity, and find your average monthly cost.
- Check that your roof faces south, east, or west and isn't heavily shaded by New England's tree cover — a bigger issue here than in most states.
- Confirm your roof has at least 10 to 15 years of life left, or plan to replace it first.
- Get at least three quotes and compare price per watt, equipment, and warranties — confirm no quote still bakes in the expired federal credit.
- Ask your installer about the NEM 2.0 credit formula, the 2025 interconnection fee, and whether your town has adopted the property tax exemption.
- Weigh each quote's payback against how long you plan to stay — at a mid-teens payback, this now outlasts average homeownership tenure, so an early move means the return is a higher resale price, not years of lower bills.
For the full picture of how panels work, sizing, and buying versus leasing, read our main solar panels guide. It covers the technology and the decision in depth, while this page focuses on what's specific to New Hampshire. If your roof needs work before it can carry panels, start with our roofing guide.
Sources
Figures on this page are 2026-current. Rates: US EIA, Electric Sales, Revenue, and Average Price (2025 values preliminary). Net metering: NH PUC Docket DE 22-060 / Order No. 27,074 and the NH Department of Energy — Net Metering and Group Net Metering pages. State rebate closure: NH Department of Energy — Residential Renewable Electrical Generation Rebate. Property tax exemption: DSIRE — Local Option Property Tax Exemption. Battery rebate: Eversource — NH Net Metering / ConnectedSolutions. Production: NREL PVWatts. We review these figures every six months.