What Maine’s LD 1730 says
The Governor approved LD 1730 as Public Law chapter 644 on April 6, 2026. The law has no emergency clause, so it took effect on July 29, 2026, the general effective date the Maine Legislature lists for the session; the Bright Saver tracker gives July 15, 2026.
Without conditions, a customer may install eligible systems with a combined inverter output of up to 420 W, measured in alternating current, per service address. From 420 W up to 1,200 W, each system must be installed by an electrician licensed in Maine and use a dedicated circuit with a single outlet. The utility then gets a notice within 30 days of installation, on the Public Utilities Commission’s form, with the service address, inverter capacity and a statement of compliance.
An eligible system must be listed or certified to UL 3700 or a comparable standard by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, or set up under the National Electrical Code adopted by the Electricians’ Examining Board. Plug-in battery systems that connect through a standard outlet are covered too.
- Utility rules: no prior approval, no interconnection application, agreement or study, no fee and no extra equipment; the utility may not deny a compliant system.
- Inverters must shut off within 0.2 seconds if power is disrupted.
- Exports: systems under this law may not be used for net energy billing, so do not count on payment for surplus power.
- Renters and HOAs: the law gives renters no right to install over a landlord’s ban and does not mention HOAs. On a building you do not own, avoid damage and restore it when the system comes off.
Before you buy in Maine
Decide first which route you take. Up to 420 W of inverter output, you plug in a listed system and do not need to notify the utility. Above 420 W, budget for a licensed electrician and a dedicated circuit, and send the utility notice within 30 days. If you rent, ask your landlord before you buy: the law gives you no right to install over a ban.
Of the kits in the kit comparison, the Bright Saver 180 W and 360 W kits use a 360 W inverter, so they stay within the 420 W limit on paper. The seller says they meet UL 3700, but no UL listing was found, and Bright Saver’s Maine page says it does not ship there yet. Kits with a 1,200 W inverter fit only the electrician route.
For an 800 W panel kit with an 800 W inverter, vertical and south-facing near Maine’s population center, the calculator gives 742 kWh in a typical year. With a 164 W home base load, 417 kWh is used at home, worth $125 a year at 29.99 cents/kWh, with exports paid nothing. Such a kit is above 420 W, so in Maine it needs the electrician route. Tilted at 30°, it gives 1,034 kWh and $149 a year.
