PlugPayback

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

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

What applies in Vermont

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 to UL 3700 (or equivalent NRTL certification) that operates per IEEE 1547-2018 and prevents energizing the building during an outage. ↗
  2. Plug the cord into a receptacle on a smart-metered service; combined inverter capacity max 1,200 W per meter. Secure the device to the ground or a structure. ↗
  3. Renters: give the landlord 10 days' notice; landlord may reply with reasonable restrictions within 10 days, else you may proceed. ↗
  • Act 149 (S.202), signed 2026-06-16, effective 2026-07-01. Only on smart-meter services.
  • Customers with a net-metering system may not also install a plug-in device; exports are not compensated.
  • Strictest certification: UL 3700 (or equivalent) required.

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 Vermont: 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 Vermont average of $0.24 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 $203 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 Vermont power price of $0.24 per kWh, with someone home part of the day.

Mounting spotGenerated per yearSaved per yearPayback
Balcony railing, facing south 775 kWh $166 11–15 years
Balcony railing, facing east 642 kWh $141 14–17 years
Balcony railing, facing west 642 kWh $141 14–17 years
Tilted, facing south 1,107 kWh $226 8–11 years
Tilted, facing east 941 kWh $197 10–12 years
Tilted, facing west 941 kWh $197 10–12 years
Flat (roof or garden) 996 kWh $207 9–12 years

Kits allowed in Vermont

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

Tenant may install after 10 days' notice; landlord may set reasonable restrictions (incl. requiring a licensed electrician at tenant's cost) but need not pay for electrical work. Zoning bylaws and deed covenants may not bar the device.

Grid operator

No notice required. Utility may not require approval, fees or extra equipment, but may recover costs if the device overloads the service.

Still being confirmed

Still being confirmed

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

  • plugType: Act says 'electrical cord plugged into a receptacle'; NEMA 5-15 assumed.

Sources