The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved a statewide two-year pilot program to evaluate the feasibility of widespread use of meter socket adapters (MSAs) to enable the installation of residential solar, EV charging and battery storage systems in residential use.
MSAs are physical devices that plug directly into a home’s existing electric meter socket. By allowing solar inverters, home batteries, and EV chargers to connect directly at the meter, MSAs allow installers to bypass the main electrical panel entirely, saving homeowners money they might have spent on main panel upgrades to accommodate these technologies.
Beginning on June 1, 2027, residential interconnection applications including MSAs from a utility-approved list may be submitted in the state. The pilot will end two years later, after which the utilities are required to submit a report that covers any operational impacts or safety concerns related to MSAs that occurred during the pilot period.
The PSC order is the culmination of a yearslong process that was initiated in Aug. 2024 by ConnectDER and Tesla. Enphase Energy later joined the companies in filing reply comments as a unified group of MSA Manufacturers.
Solar industry entities that joined as parties to the proceeding include Sunrun, the New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA), Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY) and New York State Solar Farm Inc.
The state’s utility companies participated as a collective group, and were required by the PSC in 2025 to file a proposal to implement a statewide process for deploying MSAs.
News of the decision was met with enthusiasm by NYSEIA. In a statement, the group said it “applauds Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Public Service Commission for adopting a statewide program for meter socket adapters, an important step toward reducing the cost of residential solar and battery storage for New Yorkers.”
The New York PSC decision caps off a successful twelve months for the MSA manufacturers and groups that advocate for their widespread use.
In Oct. 2025, the Delaware PSC proposed new rules requiring the state’s sole utility, Delmarva Power, to approve MSAs (the law calls them “meter collar adapters”), as long as they are approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and comply with the national electric code. The rules became permanent in April.
In May 2026, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed 26-1007 into law. The legislation explicitly directs the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to update its interconnection rules by December 31, 2026, to establish a standardized process for customers to request and install meter collar adapters.
Beyond statewide mandates, individual utility approvals are expanding. In September 2026, Enphase Energy announced that its proprietary IQ Meter Collar has been approved for behind-the-meter installation by 80 different utilities across the United States and Canada.