Plug-in solar by state › Connecticut
In effectLaw checked Oct 13, 2026 against Public Act 26-127, Sec. 9-10 · Last change: fee, liability and code rows matched to the act · Change log
Connecticut’s plug-in section took effect October 1, 2026. Its biggest design issue is your electric meter: the law itself warns that without a net-metering meter, power you send back can be billed to you as usage.
What you can build today
No plug-in path yet. The device must meet the NEC and State Building Code with no waiver, and the certified inverters’ conditions call for parts not on sale.
Always an option: a permitted, hardwired system under NEC 690 and 705 with your utility’s approval, or an off-grid power station that never connects to house wiring. UL Solutions notes the 2026 NEC “does not recognize the use of plug-in photovoltaic (PIPV) modules”; NFPA expects them in the 2029 edition (source). Where a law requires the NEC and gives no size waiver, the inspector decides. Sun Safe’s reading, not legal advice.
- Limit
- 1,200 W, one device per meter
- Law
- HB 5340
- Signed
- June 4, 2026
- Effective
- October 1, 2026
What the law says
| Size limit | 1,200 W maximum power output |
|---|---|
| How it’s measured | Not more than one device behind a customer’s meter. |
| Connection | A standard 120 V AC outlet behind the meter. Not permanently affixed, and meant mainly to offset the home’s own use (§ 9(a)). |
| Listing | Certified by UL or another NRTL, and meeting UL 1741, IEEE 1547, the NEC and the State Building Code. |
| Outage protection | Required. |
| Utility approval and fees | No approval, no fee related to the system except charges it incurs through use, no extra controls or equipment. Exempt from interconnection agreements (§ 9(b)-(c)). |
| Utility liability | The utility isn’t liable for damage or injury from the device (§ 9(c)). |
| Power sent to the grid | The device must carry a warning that exported power will be charged as usage unless you have a meter that allows net metering. |
| Codes | The State Building Code, Fire Safety Code, Fire Prevention Code and local ordinances still apply. Code officials must consider plug-in rules in the next code updates (§ 10). |
In the law’s words
Short excerpts from Public Act 26-127, Sec. 9-10 (approved June 4, 2026), quoted as written and checked word for word against the official text on October 13, 2026; each with what it means for a plug-in design.
10 excerpts with what each means
- Definition and size
“…(1) is not permanently affixed to a structure, (2) has a maximum power output of not more than one thousand two hundred watts, (3) is designed to be connected to a building’s electrical system through a standard one hundred twenty volt alternating current outlet located behind a customer’s electric meter…”
Sec. 9(a)Not permanently affixed, up to 1,200 W, on a standard 120 V outlet behind the meter. - Electrical code
“…(5) meets the requirements of the State Building Code, (6) meets the requirements of the National Electric Code (NFPA-70) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE 1547)…”
Sec. 9(a)Must meet the NEC and State Building Code, with no size waiver; the inspector decides how. - Certification
“…(7) is certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory, and meets the requirements set forth in Underwriters Laboratories Standard Number 1741…”
Sec. 9(a)UL 1741 lab certification; the certified plug-in inverters’ own conditions still call for parts not on sale. - Outage protection
“…(8) includes a device or feature that prevents the system from energizing the building’s electrical system during a power outage…”
Sec. 9(a)Microinverters listed to UL 1741 already shut off in an outage. - Export warning
“…(9) includes a warning for consumers stating that any generation from such unit that exceeds the consumption of electricity at the customer’s location will result in such excess generation being charged to the customer as usage unless such customer utilizes an electric meter that allows for net metering.”
Sec. 9(a)Without a net-metering meter, exported power can be billed to you as usage. - One per meter
“…exempt from any requirement concerning interconnection agreements … provided not more than one such device may be used behind a customer’s electric meter.”
Sec. 9(b)One device per meter; exempt from interconnection agreements. - Codes still apply
“Nothing in this section shall be construed to exempt any portable solar generation device from any applicable provision of the State Building Code, the Fire Safety Code, the State Fire Prevention Code or any provision of any local ordinance…”
Sec. 9(b)No exemption from building, fire or local rules. - Utility approval and fees
“No electric distribution company shall (1) require a customer … to obtain the company’s approval before installing or using the system, pay any fee or charge related to the system, except any charges the system incurs through its use, or install any additional controls or equipment…”
Sec. 9(c)No approval or system fee, except charges from use; no extra equipment. - Utility liability
“…or (2) be liable for any damage or injury caused by a portable solar generation device.”
Sec. 9(c)The utility isn’t liable. - Effective date
“Sec. 9. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026)”
Sec. 9In effect since October 1, 2026.
What it means for your design
- Find out what meter you have. If it can’t net meter, every watt you export is billed as if you used it. Size the system under your daytime baseload so it rarely exports, or use the Designer’s output limit to cap it.
- One device per meter: pick one inverter for the whole system.
- UL 1741 and IEEE 1547 are named, which most grid-tied microinverters already carry. Check the datasheet.
- Local ordinances still apply. Ask your building department whether they want a permit for the outdoor receptacle.
Designs that fit, and one that doesn’t
The engineering behind it
Why the circuit matters as much as the law, in four short points.
Circuit current, continuous output, outdoor outlets, AC vs panel watts
Why the circuit matters. A plug-in inverter pushes current into a branch circuit from the outlet end. The breaker in your panel only sees the current coming from the panel, not what the inverter adds. With other loads on the same circuit, part of the wire can carry the breaker’s full rating plus the inverter’s output without anything tripping. At 1,200 W the inverter adds 10 A at 120 V. That’s why we recommend a dedicated circuit for any plug-in system, even where the law doesn’t require one.
Continuous output. Code treats inverter output as continuous and sizes the circuit at 125% of it (NEC 705.28): 1,200 W is 10 A, times 1.25 is 12.5 A, which fits a 15 A circuit. Anything over 1,440 W needs a 20 A circuit.
Outdoors. Outdoor receptacles need GFCI protection (NEC 210.8) and an in-use weatherproof cover (NEC 406.9).
AC, not panel watts. These laws limit what the inverter puts out, not what the panels are rated for. You can put more panel on a small inverter; it trims the brightest hours and fills out the rest of the day. The Designer models that trimming hour by hour.
Updates
Oct 8, 2026: marked in effect (since October 1, 2026). Full history: change log.
Questions
When is plug-in solar legal in Connecticut?
Since October 1, 2026, when Section 9 of Public Act 26-127 took effect.
Will exported power cost me money in Connecticut?
It can. The act requires a warning that exported power is charged as usage unless your meter allows net metering. Ask your utility about your meter.