PlugPayback

Plug-in solar in New Jersey: is it worth it for you?

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

What applies in New Jersey

Allowed with limits
  • Up to 1,200 W inverter output
  • Takes effect March 1, 2027
  • Plug type: NEMA 5-15 (standard 120 V outlet)

Registration steps

  1. Buy a device listed to UL 3700 (or a comparable NRTL standard/combination) with a grid-outage export cutoff; max 1,200 W per service address or dwelling unit. ↗
  2. Up to 400 W output to the outlet: plug into a standard 120 V outlet with no wiring changes. Above 400 W: follow the product listing / NEC / Uniform Construction Code (may need an electrician). ↗
  3. Renters: give the landlord 7 days' written notice with device documentation and proposed location. ↗
  • Garden State Balcony Solar Act (S2368 / A4836), signed 2026-09-01; effective six months after enactment (2027-03-01).
  • Municipalities may not ban the device or require permits for its use.
  • No export credit; combined output above 1,200 W needs a normal interconnection agreement.

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 New Jersey: 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 New Jersey 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 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 $221 a year and pays for itself in 4 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 New Jersey power price of $0.25 per kWh, with someone home part of the day.

Mounting spotGenerated per yearSaved per yearPayback
Balcony railing, facing south 825 kWh $181 10–13 years
Balcony railing, facing east 684 kWh $154 12–16 years
Balcony railing, facing west 684 kWh $154 12–16 years
Tilted, facing south 1,179 kWh $245 8–10 years
Tilted, facing east 1,002 kWh $214 9–11 years
Tilted, facing west 1,002 kWh $214 9–11 years
Flat (roof or garden) 1,061 kWh $225 8–11 years

Kits allowed in New Jersey

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

Landlords, HOAs, condo and co-op boards may not prohibit the device on the tenant's/owner's exterior (balcony, patio, wall) but may set reasonable size and placement rules; tenant liable for damage.

Grid operator

No notice requirement in the act. Utility may not require prior approval, fees or extra equipment; interconnection and net metering do not apply.

Still being confirmed

Still being confirmed

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

  • effectiveDate: Signing date 2026-09-01 from Bright Saver/Environment America ('Tuesday'); pamphlet law (P.L.2026) not read.

Sources