Montana solar rebates and incentives: 2026 guide

Going solar in Montana is more affordable than most people realize. While your state may not have the flashiest incentive programs in the country, there are still meaningful ways to reduce your system costs—and more importantly, solar's real value comes from decades of electricity savings, not just upfront rebates.

Montana homeowners have access to some incentives that can help offset installation costs. But the biggest financial advantage of going solar? Dramatically lowering your electric bills for 25-30 years, especially as utility rates keep climbing. Here's what you need to know about solar incentives in Montana.

Unfortunately, Montana doesn't offer many incentives for solar. But if your electric bills are high, going solar can still make sense.

Montana offers a solar property tax exemption. Solar panels generally raise a home's property value, but if your city or town adopts this law, you won’t have to pay extra tax on that added value. Since Montana doesn’t have sales tax, you won’t have to worry about that either, like you would in some other states.

If you connect your solar panel system to the grid, you can benefit from net metering—which is arguably the best incentive for rooftop solar.

Under net metering, the sun doesn’t need to shine all the time to get massive value from your solar panels. Your electric utility company essentially works like a bank account for all the energy your solar panels produce in a given month.

When the sun shines, your home’s electrical system first takes as much power as it needs from the solar panels. If the panels generate excess energy, it's sent back onto the grid, and your utility company gives you full credit for all of it on your energy bill. 

When the sun isn’t shining and you need grid electricity to power your home, the utility company just starts drawing against your credits. You won’t pay for electricity until those credits run out.

In Montana, the net metering rules apply to all investor-owned utility companies. Many electric co-ops have also voluntarily adopted net metering, so make sure to check with your energy provider to see what programs are available to you. 

A few nuances to keep in mind: Solar metering in Montana is credited in kWh that can be carried forward from month to month. Any unused credits banked at the end of a 12-month period will be surrendered to the utility company. 

Learn more about Montana’s net metering programs: 

Montana doesn't offer any state-specific battery incentives. In Montana, batteries can also boost energy independence and provide backup power during an outage. 

If you're looking for solar installers in Montana, here is the complete list.