| In This Guide: We explain the benefits of supporting local sustainability by switching to solar power in Maryland, including personal benefits to the family budget and community-wide benefits to local sustainability. |
Maryland homeowners can support sustainability by upgrading their homes with solar panel systems. For many, this is a personal investment in their energy futures and a way to lower their state’s carbon footprint. However, switching to solar power also offers community-wide benefits, such as strengthening the local energy market’s independence and reducing the state’s carbon footprint.
Why Maryland Homeowners Are Switching to Solar
As many Maryland homeowners know, major utility providers, including BGE and Pepco, have planned electricity price increases at set intervals due to rising infrastructure costs, inflation, and pressure from state initiatives. This translates to higher monthly bills for homeowners.
By generating part or all of their home’s power through a solar panel array, Maryland homeowners can save an average of around $2,914 per year for the lifetime of their system. Many experienced solar providers insure solar systems for their expected 25-year lifespan, helping homeowners maintain their savings by reducing maintenance costs and shortening payback timelines.
The initial cost of solar panels continues to rise due to many of the same pressures that affect utilities, including inflation, labor, and material costs. The longer homeowners wait to switch to solar, the more expensive it could become. Additionally, they will continue to lose money on rising energy bills as utility providers continue to transfer their costs to homeowners.
As a result of these pressures, 115,867 households in Maryland (as of November 2025) have switched to solar panels, with many more on the way. Over 50,000 of these successfully claimed federal incentives on their income taxes (as of 2023), including the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit. Though the federal government discontinued the Residential Clean Energy Credit, state-sponsored incentives help Maryland homeowners plan and pay for their solar upgrades.
State Incentives That Help Maryland Homeowners
One of the main benefits of switching to solar in Maryland is gaining access to state-sponsored solar incentives. Maryland is one of the few states with a dedicated solar carve-out. The government supports it with sponsored programs, tax exemptions, and income opportunities, with many significant benefits for homeowners, including:
Maryland Solar Access Program (MSAP): The MSAP is a state-funded grant program that supports eligible homeowners with a supplement to help them pay for solar panels. Applications for 2026 have closed, but the Maryland Energy Administration plans to open the next round of funding during the summer.
Maryland Solar Sales Tax Exemption: The state of Maryland provides a sales tax exemption to homeowners who switch to solar, automatically lowering the cost of installation by 6%.
Note: Certain counties in Maryland also offer a property tax exemption on the value added to the home by solar upgrades. Check with your county office to learn more.
Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs): In Maryland, homeowners can use a solar broker to sell excess power generated by their solar panel systems in the form of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs). This system provides homeowners with an additional revenue stream while helping utility providers meet the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for sustainable energy generation.
Community-Level Benefits Homeowners Care About
In addition to personal and financial benefits, solar panel installations help homeowners contribute to their communities and move Maryland closer to its sustainability target. The RPS defines this target for utility providers, but homeowners can help by generating and selling power, earning money while reducing their state’s carbon footprint.
Other eco-friendly home upgrades, such as energy-efficient windows, smart thermostats, and new insulation, can help reduce home energy consumption. However, these upgrades will not likely make the difference to a home’s budget, efficiency, or carbon footprint that solar installations do, which is why homeowners who are truly invested in making their homes eco-friendly prioritize both the personal and environmental benefits of switching to solar.
Local solar installers help homeowners in Maryland identify state-sponsored financial incentives, plan their systems for their specific properties, and maximize the environmental benefits of their upgrades. They also help them measure other benefits, such as the potential for home value increases, when they upgrade their homes to solar power.
Contact an Experienced Solar Provider in Maryland To Support Sustainability
At Energy Select, our experienced team helps homeowners reduce their carbon footprint, increase their home value, and lower their energy costs with solar panel installations. We offer in-depth solar assessments and same-day installation pricing to help homeowners gauge the costs vs. the benefits as soon as possible and plan their home energy upgrades to coincide with incentive eligibility before costs rise even more.
Contact our team to schedule a consultation and learn more about the benefits of solar energy in Maryland, how to turn solar power into an extra revenue stream, and how to use eco-friendly home upgrades to improve your community.