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The federal residential solar tax credit expired on December 31, 2025. Propel is NuWatt's $0-down, ownership-focused program that passes the Section 48E commercial tax credit through to MA homeowners. Launch window: April 2026 or later.
Join the Massachusetts waitlist
Propel lets MA homeowners go solar with $0 down by passing the Section 48E tax credit through a third-party owner — since the residential 25D credit expired Dec 31, 2025. A third-party owner holds the system for about 5 years to capture the commercial ITC, then ownership transfers to the homeowner via a pre-set Early Buyout Option baked into the loan. The Massachusetts launch is on the waitlist with a target window of April 2026 or later. Homeowners who need to move sooner should compare cash, loan, and Section 48E lease/PPA paths on our MA financing guides.
A new program is not a marketing gimmick in MA. Three specific policy shifts broke the 2024 residential solar playbook — Propel is built for what replaced it.
SMART 3.0 replaced the legacy declining-block SMART program with a tariff-based compensation model, Alternative On-Bill Credits (AOBC), and a revised value-of-solar stack. Under a third-party owned structure, the owner typically captures SMART compensation and passes the savings into your lower monthly payment — cleaner math than trying to model multiple 20-year cash flows yourself.
SMART 3.0 breakdownThe supply side of an Eversource or National Grid bill is roughly half the story in 2026 — distribution, transmission, and transition charges are climbing fastest. Every on-site kWh Propel offsets now cancels both supply and a meaningful slice of delivery, which is exactly where your bill keeps growing.
Section 25D (the 30% residential credit) expired on December 31, 2025. If you finance a system with cash or a consumer loan in 2026, there is no federal ITC at the homeowner level. Section 48E commercial ITC is still active through a July 4, 2026 construction-start deadline — that is the credit Propel's third-party owner claims, then passes through as a lower payment.
Section 48 homeowner guidePropel is not a lease. It is not a standard loan either. It is a hybrid structure that uses the commercial tax credit to subsidize your financing, then hands the system to you.
A third-party owner (the TPO) holds the system and claims the Section 48E commercial ITC (30% base, plus potential 10% FEOC domestic-content bonus on Silfab 440W panels). You get a fixed monthly payment already discounted by that tax benefit, plus monitoring, O&M, and the performance guarantee.
Ownership transfers to you at a pre-set buyout price that is already built into your Concert loan amortization — no surprise balloon payment, no new approval needed. You can also elect later buyout windows (year 6.5 or 8) if that fits better.
After the buyout, the system is yours for the remaining warranty life (25-year product, 30-year performance on Silfab). Every kWh produced is yours. No escalators. Loan pays off on its original schedule; you can prepay at any time with no penalty.
Final Massachusetts pricing has not been released
The exact $/W caps, APR tiers, and SMART 3.0-under-TPO treatment for MA will be finalized at launch. Today's Maine and Texas Propel markets use $4.00/W and $3.70/W caps respectively; MA will be announced in-program. Waitlisted homeowners get the numbers before anyone else.
Three MA-only dynamics make the Section 48E pass-through structure more valuable here than in most states.
SMART 3.0 replaced both SMART 2.0 declining blocks and the older SREC system. Base compensation, adders (storage, low-income, community shared), and Alternative On-Bill Credits (AOBC) make back-of-envelope savings hard for homeowners to calculate. Under TPO, the owner handles the filings, captures the compensation, and translates it into a fixed, predictable payment.
Eversource and National Grid supply rates get the headlines, but delivery charges (distribution, transmission, transition) now account for roughly half of an MA bill and are escalating the fastest. Every kWh offset by Propel reduces both halves — which makes the payback math stronger than a pure supply-side comparison suggests.
Mass Save programs (HEAT loan, weatherization, heat pump rebates, home energy assessments) are delivered by your utility and evaluated independently of how your solar is financed. That means Propel homeowners can still stack Mass Save envelope upgrades and heat pump rebates — the programs do not compete for the same dollar.
Mass Save 2026 rebates guidePropel systems use Silfab 440W panels manufactured in Washington state. Under Section 48E, those panels qualify a project for the 10% domestic-content bonus (a/k/a FEOC bonus), taking the eligible commercial ITC from 30% to 40% — that delta is another reason the TPO math works even without the 25D credit at the homeowner level.
Same system, four financial structures, very different 25-year outcomes. This is the MA comparison, not a generic one.
| Propel (TPO) | Lease / PPA | Solar Loan | Cash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You end up owning the panels | ||||
| Captures the ~30% commercial ITC | ||||
| Fixed payment (no escalator) | ||||
| $0 out of pocket | ||||
| MA state 15% income tax credit | ||||
| Pairs cleanly with Mass Save rebates | ||||
| Can include ConnectedSolutions battery | ||||
| No long-term escalator risk |
Warn icons indicate program-compatibility that depends on final MA launch mechanics; we will update once the rollout is announced. For live side-by-side math, see our MA cash vs loan vs lease comparison.
Propel eligibility depends on net-metering policy, SMART 3.0 participation, and interconnection economics. Here is how MA's territories look today.
Largest MA IOU footprint. SMART 3.0 participant. Strong Propel target at launch.
Delivery charges leading cost driver; TPO captures SMART + AOBC.
Central and Northeast MA footprint. SMART 3.0 participant with full ConnectedSolutions battery dispatch program.
Battery-plus-solar fits naturally with Propel's bundled structure.
Fitchburg and a handful of North-Central MA towns. SMART 3.0 participant; smaller footprint but eligible.
Review eligibility case-by-case at launch.
Belmont, Braintree, Concord, Wellesley, Taunton, and ~40 more. Not SMART 3.0 participants; local net-metering policy varies.
Flag your MLD on the waitlist form — we review case-by-case.
Five stackable programs define MA home energy economics in 2026. Here is how each fits with a Propel TPO structure.
Tariff-based compensation with base rate, adders, and AOBC for residential rooftop. Under Propel TPO, compensation is typically captured by the owner and reflected in your lower fixed payment. You do not file SMART paperwork; the owner does.
PROPEL-COMPATIBLEDelivered by Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, and Cape Light Compact. Covers home energy assessments, insulation, heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and the HEAT loan. Stacks cleanly with Propel because it addresses the envelope and space heating, not solar generation.
STACKS INDEPENDENTLYSummer and winter battery dispatch program paying per-kW dispatched. Battery owner holds the contract — under Propel TPO on bundled solar-plus-storage, the third-party owner would typically enroll. Exact MA Propel-plus-ConnectedSolutions mechanics will be published at launch.
BATTERY-ONLY · TBD AT LAUNCHExpired December 31, 2025. Not available to any homeowner in 2026, regardless of financing method. Propel is the structural answer: the commercial Section 48E credit (still active) flows through the third-party owner to a lower homeowner payment.
EXPIRED — DO NOT PLAN AROUNDAvailable only to homeowners who own the system — that means cash buyers and traditional-loan buyers, not TPO or lease/PPA customers. This is one of the few legitimate tradeoffs when choosing Propel over cash: you do not claim the $1,000 MA credit, but the Section 48E pass-through under TPO is typically much larger in dollar terms.
CASH / LOAN ONLY — NOT AVAILABLE UNDER PROPELThree steps between today and owning your Massachusetts solar system.
Today — 60 seconds
Submit your address, Eversource / National Grid / Unitil / MLD details, bill, and battery interest so we can prioritize your area when the program opens.
April 2026 or later
We email waitlisted MA homeowners every time launch timing, SMART 3.0 mechanics, or Propel pricing changes — no manual follow-ups to chase.
At rollout
Soft credit check (does not affect your score), final system design, and $0-down installation with fixed monthly payments that beat your utility bill.
Final warranty durations and program terms will be announced at rollout; these mirror the structure used in the live Maine and Texas Propel markets today.
If production falls below the guaranteed kWh threshold during the TPO window, the shortfall is covered.
Operations, maintenance, and system monitoring during the third-party ownership window — no surprise repair bills.
Long-duration warranty on mounting-point flashing — separate from the O&M window.
Ownership of the system transfers to you via a pre-set Early Buyout Option baked into your financing.
Pay off the loan early with no fees — important if you plan to sell or refinance before the buyout year.
American-made Silfab 440W panels that qualify for the domestic-content bonus under Section 48E.
If you need to move before April 2026, these are the cleanest MA-specific playbooks — each one is written for the post-25D, SMART 3.0 reality.
The strongest broad search-intent page for post-25D homeowners.
Comparison page for homeowners deciding whether to wait or move now.
Explains why TPO still works after the residential tax credit expired.
Decision page for homeowners asking whether to wait for Propel or finance now.
Already live in Maine
If you want to see what a live Propel page looks like with real pricing and metro examples, our Maine Propel page shows the current structure in a neighboring SMART-style market. MA economics will differ — but the program shape is the same.
We'll email you when launch timing, SMART 3.0 mechanics, or Propel pricing changes — no credit pull, no obligation.
Join the MA Propel waitlist and be first to hear when launch timing, pricing, and SMART 3.0-under-TPO mechanics finalize. No credit pull. No commitment. Unsubscribe anytime.
Launch window: April 2026 or later. Propel financing provided by Concert Finance. Loans originated by Medallion Bank, Member FDIC. Final Massachusetts pricing, APR, and eligibility will be announced at rollout.