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Connecticut RRES, Updated June 2026

CT RRES Buy-All vs Netting: Which Tariff Pays More in 2026?

Connecticut homeowners do not just choose panels. They choose how the utility pays for the power. In 2026, that tariff choice can change the payback by thousands of dollars over the contract term.

The Residential Renewable Energy Solutions program, usually called RRES, replaced old-style net metering for new Connecticut residential solar projects. PURA says the program compensates residential solar owners for power their systems produce and provide to the local grid. For 2026 projects, the key choice is simple to state and easy to get wrong: Netting or Buy-All.

Netting feels familiar. Your panels feed the house first, then extra production becomes a bill credit. Buy-All is cleaner on paper. Every kilowatt-hour your panels make is sold to the utility at a fixed Buy-All rate, and the home buys all of its electricity like any other customer.

The catch is that neither option wins every time. A right-sized system usually leans toward Netting. A system that exports most of its production can make Buy-All worth a serious look. Any quote that skips this comparison is not showing you the full deal.

Netting vs Buy-All, Side by Side

QuestionNettingBuy-All
Basic setupYour solar powers the home first. Extra electricity flows to the grid for bill credits.All solar production is sent to the grid. You buy your home electricity separately from the utility.
2026 headline rateExport credits track the retail bill structure, but new 2026 netting projects also pay the Solar Energy Adjustment.Eversource lists the 2026 Buy-All rate at $0.3289 per kilowatt-hour, with the REC value included.
Solar Energy Adjustment$0.0402 per kilowatt-hour on total solar production for 2026 netting applications.Not charged under the Buy-All structure, based on Eversource's RRES page.
Rate termLocked for the RRES term once enrolled.Locked for 20 years once enrolled.
Usually better forA right-sized system that offsets most of the home's annual use.A system that produces much more than the home uses, or a home with low daytime load and high export volume.

When Netting usually wins

Netting is often the better fit when the proposal is built around your real annual usage. The power your panels feed directly into the home avoids retail purchases from the utility, and only the leftover production is exported.

The 2026 Solar Energy Adjustment matters. It should be in the math. But it does not automatically make Netting worse than Buy-All, because Buy-All also requires you to buy every kilowatt-hour your home uses.

When Buy-All deserves attention

Buy-All gets interesting when the system is bigger than the home's load, when the roof has excellent production, or when the household uses very little electricity during daylight hours.

In that case, the fixed production payment can beat a netting model that sends too much power to the grid. That is why the export percentage matters. A sales proposal should show it clearly.

What SolarPro Lab Checks Before You Sign

If the system is sized close to your annual usage, model Netting first.

If the proposal is intentionally oversized, force the installer to show Buy-All and Netting side by side.

If your quote hides the Solar Energy Adjustment, do not sign until the savings table is corrected.

If you qualify for any income or location adder, ask whether the adder changes both tariff models.

Do not accept a one-line savings estimate.

Ask for the Netting case, the Buy-All case, annual production, estimated self-consumption, export percentage, utility rate assumption, and the Solar Energy Adjustment line. If one of those is missing, the model is not ready.

Sources checked

FAQ

Can I switch from Netting to Buy-All after my Connecticut solar system is approved?

Treat the choice as locked. RRES is selected during the interconnection and tariff process, so the safe move is to compare both options before the application is submitted.

Is Buy-All automatically better because the 2026 rate is $0.3289/kWh?

No. The Buy-All rate is attractive, but the home still buys all of its usage from the utility. Netting can still win when the system is sized around the home's real annual load and the panels offset expensive retail electricity directly.

What is the 2026 Solar Energy Adjustment?

For 2026 RRES netting projects, Eversource says netting customers are charged $0.0402 per kilowatt-hour on total solar production. That charge should appear in the savings model, not as a footnote after the contract is signed.

Who should model this for me?

Your installer should model it, but SolarPro Lab can check the assumptions before you commit. The point is not to pick the tariff that sounds better. It is to pick the one that matches your roof, usage, rate class, and contract.