PlugPayback

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

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

What applies in Maryland

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

Registration steps

  1. Buy a device certified by UL or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory, max 1,200 W output to the building. ↗
  2. Before installing, notify your electric company and provide a certification of the device's safety features and maximum generating capacity. ↗
  3. Up to 391 W output to a standard outlet: exempt from listing provisions that would require wiring or panel alterations. ↗
  • Chapter 353 of 2026 (HB 1532), approved 2026-05-12. One portable system per electric meter, residential only.
  • Exempt from interconnection (PUA 7-306); not eligible for RPS or RECs; no export credit.
  • Electric company not liable for damage caused by the system.

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 Maryland: 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 Maryland average of $0.21 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 86% 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 $200 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 Maryland power price of $0.21 per kWh, with someone home part of the day.

Mounting spotGenerated per yearSaved per yearPayback
Balcony railing, facing south 863 kWh $164 11–15 years
Balcony railing, facing east 715 kWh $139 14–18 years
Balcony railing, facing west 715 kWh $139 14–18 years
Tilted, facing south 1,233 kWh $221 9–11 years
Tilted, facing east 1,048 kWh $194 10–13 years
Tilted, facing west 1,048 kWh $194 10–13 years
Flat (roof or garden) 1,110 kWh $203 9–12 years

Kits allowed in Maryland

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

Chapter 353 does not address landlords, tenants or HOAs.

Grid operator

Pre-installation notice plus a safety/capacity certification is mandatory. Utility may not require approval or fees; if a locking disconnect switch is needed, the customer pays for it.

Still being confirmed

Still being confirmed

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

  • effectiveDate: Omnibus act has several effective-date sections (emergency on enactment, others 2026-07-01); 2026-07-01 follows Bright Saver's reading.
  • plugType: Law says 'standard electrical outlet'; NEMA 5-15 assumed.

Sources