PlugPayback

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

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

What applies in Maine

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

Registration steps

  1. Buy an 'eligible system': listed to UL 3700 (or a comparable NRTL standard) or configured per the NEC adopted by the Electricians' Examining Board; inverter must shut off within 0.2 s on grid loss. ↗
  2. Up to 420 W AC combined inverter output per service address: plug into a standard outlet, no notice needed. ↗
  3. 421-1,200 W: licensed electrician installs on a dedicated circuit with a single outlet, and you notify the utility within 30 days on the PUC form. ↗
  • Public Law 2025 ch. 644 (LD 1730), signed 2026-04-06. Also covers plug-in batteries.
  • Excluded from net energy billing; no export credit.
  • Utility not liable for damage from an eligible 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 Maine: 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 Maine average of $0.32 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 $283 a year and pays for itself in 2.9–3.5 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 Maine power price of $0.32 per kWh, with someone home part of the day.

Mounting spotGenerated per yearSaved per yearPayback
Balcony railing, facing south 806 kWh $232 8–10 years
Balcony railing, facing east 668 kWh $196 10–12 years
Balcony railing, facing west 668 kWh $196 10–12 years
Tilted, facing south 1,152 kWh $314 6–8 years
Tilted, facing east 979 kWh $274 7–9 years
Tilted, facing west 979 kWh $274 7–9 years
Flat (roof or garden) 1,037 kWh $288 7–8 years

Kits allowed in Maine

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

A customer installing on a structure they do not own must not compromise it or breach codes, and must restore it on removal. No landlord-consent clause in the law.

Grid operator

None up to 420 W. Above 420 W notify the T&D utility within 30 days (address, inverter capacity, compliance statement). No approval, interconnection or fee allowed.

Still being confirmed

Still being confirmed

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

  • effectiveDate: Non-emergency law takes effect 90 days after adjournment; 2026-07-15 is from Bright Saver, not an official page.
  • plugType: Law says 'standard electrical outlet'; NEMA 5-15 assumed.

Sources