PlugPayback

Plug-in solar in Connecticut: is it worth it for you?

Payback, savings and what is allowed in Connecticut. With your own power price, no email and no sign-up.

What applies in Connecticut

Allowed with limits
  • Up to 1,200 W inverter output
  • In force since October 1, 2026
  • Plug type: NEMA 5-15 (standard 120 V outlet)

Registration steps

  1. Buy a portable solar device of 1,200 W or less certified by UL or another nationally recognized testing laboratory, meeting the NEC and state building and fire codes. ↗
  2. Plug into a standard outlet. Utilities may not require an interconnection agreement, approval or fees. ↗
  • Public Act 26-127 (HB 5340), signed 2026-06-04; plug-in solar section effective 2026-10-01.
  • Part of a broader solar act (incentive extension, permitting). Bill text not reachable; details from secondary sources.

Rules checked November 5, 2026. Sources

Find the right size for your home

1. Where is the kit going?
2. How many people live in your home?

Typical for this household in Connecticut: 9,000 kWh a year.

kWh
3. Is someone home during the day?

A balcony railing is near-vertical; a flat roof or garden can be tilted.

$ / kWh

From your bill. Leave blank to use the Connecticut average of $0.25 per kWh.

How much power?

Suggested for your home 1,150 W (2 panels)

Going bigger pays off up to this size, where you would use about 87% of the power yourself. The next size up (1,200 W) costs $1,799 more and would need more than 25 years to earn that back, because most of its extra power would go to the grid unpaid. Based on a typical 9,000 kWh a year.

Used at homeSent to the grid

1,150 W · from $899

Cheapest kit we found with at least 1,150 W: US Solar Supplier 1180 W Plug-In Solar Kit, 2 panels, 1,180 W. Mount and delivery are extra.

Saves about $215 a year and pays for itself in 4–5 years.

Nothing you enter is stored. Results are estimates, shown as a range.

Typical payback by mounting spot

Standard kit (2 panels), about $2,160 at the average Connecticut power price of $0.25 per kWh, with someone home part of the day.

Mounting spotGenerated per yearSaved per yearPayback
Balcony railing, facing south 800 kWh $176 11–14 years
Balcony railing, facing east 663 kWh $149 13–16 years
Balcony railing, facing west 663 kWh $149 13–16 years
Tilted, facing south 1,143 kWh $238 8–10 years
Tilted, facing east 972 kWh $208 9–12 years
Tilted, facing west 972 kWh $208 9–12 years
Flat (roof or garden) 1,029 kWh $218 9–11 years

Kits allowed in Connecticut

Filtered by the local limit, not by commission. We earn a fee on affiliate links; your price does not change.

EcoFlow STREAM Ultra

1,600 W / 1,200 W · 1.92 kWh battery · 10 y

$1,399

View offer

Bright Saver Balcony Solar Kit 180 W

180 W / 360 W · 12 y

$328

View offer

Bright Saver Balcony Solar Kit 360 W

360 W / 360 W · 12 y

$461

View offer

Craftstrom 800 Watt Plug&Play Solar

800 W / 800 W · 10 y

$2,158

View offer

US Solar Supplier 1180 W Plug-In Solar Kit

1,180 W / 900 W · 10 y

$899

View offer

Mango Power S Plug-In Solar Kit

1,200 W / 1,120 W

$2,698

View offer

Common questions

Tenants and flat owners

No landlord/tenant or HOA provision identified in summaries; lease terms apply.

Grid operator

No notice requirement identified; utility may not require approval, interconnection agreement or fees.

Still being confirmed

Still being confirmed

We could not yet confirm the following from an official source. Treat them as provisional.

  • inverterCapW: 1,200 W cap from CleanTechnica and Bright Saver; cga.ct.gov act text blocked (robots/TLS).
  • utilityNotice: Not confirmed against act text.
  • tenantRights: Not confirmed against act text.
  • plugType: Standard outlet assumed NEMA 5-15.

Sources