Balcony Solar in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's HB 1971 would exempt portable solar systems (including PV + battery) up to 1,200 W from interconnection and net metering. It has been in the House Energy Committee since October 2025.
Reviewed August 6, 2026 against primary sources. Laws change — the sources below let you re-check.
Would Pennsylvania's bill require UL 3700?
No — the bill does not name UL 3700.
Certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory.
Names UL or an NRTL equivalent; does not cite UL 3700 or the NEC.
Why this matters: “certified by UL” names an organization; “certified to UL 3700” names a plug-in-PV standard. They are not the same claim. Full explainer →
What the law does
- Exempt from interconnection application/agreement, inspection, and fees.
- Not eligible for net metering; exports uncompensated.
What's still unsettled
- In the House Energy Committee since October 2025; not yet law.
- No explicit anti-islanding clause — safety via the certification requirement and local codes.
Before you buy in Pennsylvania
This bill is not law yet — until it passes and takes effect, Pennsylvania's existing utility and electrical rules apply. Even once it passes, the gear has to actually be certified to what the law asks, and today no plug-in kit sold in the US carries UL 3700 yet. What "UL 3700 certified" really means →