Independent Solar Advisor • Updated July 2026

Solar Panels in
New York

Not in New York?

New York lost the federal credit but kept its own: 25% of system cost, up to $5,000, and it is one of the only state credits in the country that reaches lease and PPA customers too. Statewide power averaged 24.4¢ and hit nearly 30¢ in February 2026, with rate cases still pending. EcoGen America shows you the current math, including the CBC charge most quotes leave out.

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Advisor Verdict Strong, the State Credit Held
NY Credit (Leases Too) 25%, Max $5,000
Payback (Cash Buyer) 7 – 11 Years
Incentive Strength
Fair Price Range $2.77/W Competitive
About EcoGen America

In New York, the State Credit Outlived the Federal One.

The federal residential credit died December 31, 2025. New York’s did not: the state solar equipment credit still pays 25% of system cost, capped at $5,000, with a five-year carryforward.

Its quirk matters more now than ever: the statute reaches leased and PPA systems on contracts of ten years or more, which almost no other state allows. Since lease providers can still claim the 30% federal commercial credit, New York is one of the few places where third-party deals genuinely stack value.

The rest of the picture is a patchwork: the NY-Sun standard rebates are closed, a monthly CBC charge applies to every system interconnected since 2022, and the property tax exemption depends on whether your locality opted out.

EcoGen America models all of it, your utility’s CBC included, and matches you with NY-Sun participating contractors who get the paperwork right the first time.

Our vetting process

NY-Sun Participating Network

Every installer we list is a NY-Sun participating contractor, the baseline requirement for touching any NYSERDA incentive.

Quote Analysis

Built-in checks for PPA escalators above 2.9%, unmodeled CBC charges, and quotes still assuming the dead federal credit.

Locality-Level Numbers

Your county's 487 property-tax status and your utility's CBC rate change the real cost. We check both before you sign.

Privacy First

Your information goes only to the installers you choose to hear from. Nothing is resold.

The CBC: The Charge Your Quote Forgot

Every solar system interconnected in New York since January 1, 2022 pays a monthly Customer Benefit Contribution per kilowatt of capacity. Your generation cannot net it out, and the rate resets annually. Most savings projections quietly ignore it.

Utility
2026 CBC (per kW, monthly)
Cost on a 7 kW System, Yearly
Central Hudson
$1.67
$140
RG&E
$1.31
$110
Con Edison
$1.29
$108
NYSEG
$1.19
$100
LIPA / PSEG-LI
$1.13
$95
Orange & Rockland
$1.00
$84
National Grid Upstate
$0.97
$82
2026 final residential net-metering CBC rates as published by the utilities via NYSERDA. Not catastrophic, but real: a 10 kW Central Hudson system pays about $200 a year the bill credit cannot touch, thousands over 20 years. Full math in our New York cost guide.

Ask any installer one question: what is my utility’s CBC rate, and is it in the payback model? A quote that has not heard of it has not done the arithmetic.

Locality, Utility, Escalator: The New York Homework

1

Locate

Your utility sets your CBC and your rates; your locality decides whether the 487 property-tax exemption applies or a PILOT does. Both are knowable before any quote.

2

Model

Cash, loan, lease or PPA: New York's 25% credit reaches all of them on 10-year-plus contracts, so run the comparison honestly, CBC included.

3

Shortlist

Only NY-Sun participating contractors can touch NYSERDA programs, and only escalators at or below 2.9% survive scrutiny. Both filters are non-negotiable.

Want your locality and utility checked first?

Free 15-minute call. We pull your CBC rate, your 487 status and your real numbers.

Book a New York Consult

NY-Sun Is Closed. What Replaced It Is Smarter.

If a salesperson promises you a NY-Sun rebate in 2026, ask which block. The standard-income Megawatt Block closed in Con Edison territory May 29, 2025, Upstate December 17, 2025, and on Long Island back in 2016. For most buyers the rebate era is over.

  • Income-qualified households still collect. At or below 80% of area median income, the Affordable Solar incentive pays $0.80 per watt in Upstate and Con Edison territory and $0.40 on Long Island. A 7 kW income-qualified Upstate system collects $5,600.
  • The state credit does the heavy lifting now. 25% of net cost, capped at $5,000, nonrefundable with five years of carryforward, claimed on Form IT-255, and it applies to leases and PPAs of ten years or more.
  • New York City stacks a property tax abatement on top: 30% of installed cost spread over four years for systems in the five boroughs.
  • Batteries changed on April 1, 2026: the NYSERDA storage incentive of $200 to $250/kWh now requires enrollment in your utility’s demand-response program. If a quote includes a battery, ask which program it enrolls you in.

The pattern: New York shifted from paying you to install toward paying you through the tax code and the meter. That rewards buyers who check eligibility before signing, not after. The full stack is in our New York incentives guide.

New York Contract Checks

The Escalator, the Locality, and Two Other Deal-Breakers

The New York Attorney General has sued solar sellers twice in recent years over contracts that erased their own savings. These four checks are how you stay out of those complaints.

Clause to verify: Find the annual escalator percentage in the contract. Above 2.9%, walk away. No exceptions, whatever the first-year rate looks like.
Clause to verify: Ask the installer for your specific locality status in writing. If they do not know it, they do not know your true cost.
Clause to verify: Ask: what CBC rate did you model, for which utility? The answer should match the table above, not silence.
Clause to verify: Confirm participating status and ask for three completed installs of similar size in your utility territory.
Verify your paperwork

Run all four on any New York quote. Contracts that fail them are how AG lawsuits start.

Check New York Price Fairness Review My Escalator Terms

New York Installers, Independently Vetted

Vetted for NY-Sun participation, licensing, complaint history and escalator discipline.

Venture Home

Verified Multi-State Installer
Why Recommended
  • Operating since 2014 with more than 15,000 systems installed across the Northeast
  • Backs its installations with a 25 year warranty
  • Serves nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states from Maine to Maryland
Warranty
25 Year
Experience
12 Years
Service Area
9 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States

Momentum Solar

Verified Multi-State Installer
Why Recommended
  • Headquartered in South Plainfield, NJ with in-house sales, installation and service crews
  • Operates across 10 states spanning the Northeast, Southeast and Southwest
  • Established multi-state operations since 2009
Warranty
25 Year (Workmanship)
Timeline
6-8 Weeks
Experience
15 Years
Service Area
10 States Nationwide

Trinity Solar

Verified Multi-State Installer
Why Recommended
  • Headquartered in Wall Township, NJ and operating since 1994
  • One of the largest privately held residential solar installers in the United States
  • Publishes state electrical and home improvement licenses for all nine states it serves
Warranty
25 Year (Workmanship)
Timeline
8-10 Weeks
Experience
32 Years
Service Area
9 States, Northeast to Ohio

When New York Solar Is the Wrong Move

High rates make most New York roofs work. These are the ones where we say wait, or point you somewhere better.

  • Monthly usage under 400 kWh. Without the federal credit, low-usage payback stretches past 12 years. Community solar gets those households most of the savings with none of the roof.
  • Afternoon shade or a crowded flat roof. Tree cover Upstate and HVAC-obstructed brownstone roofs in the city routinely underperform satellite models by 30 to 40%. Insist on a physical site visit.
  • A 487-opted-out locality without a checked PILOT. Where the exemption is gone, added assessed value can raise your taxes. Verify with the assessor before, not after.
  • Selling within about seven years. Cash payback runs 7 to 11 years. A lease complicates the closing on top; the buyer must assume the contract.
  • Municipal-utility and co-op territories. Outside the investor-owned utilities the net-metering rules and rates differ, and the math often lands short of the Con Edison or National Grid case.
  • Roofs with under five years of life. Removal and reinstall for a re-roof runs $1,500 to $3,000 of pure overhead. Roof first, panels second.

The 2026 warning label: the AG sued a solar seller this year over a $275 million scheme that pitched “free solar” to seniors and folded the real cost into inflated loans. If an offer leads with “free,” read our breakdown of what zero-down actually means in New York before signing anything.

Learn the New York Angles

The Cost of Solar Panels in New York (2026): Real Prices, Incentives and Payback
Cost

The Cost of Solar Panels in New York (2026): Real Prices, Incentives and Payback
New York Solar Incentives, Tax Credits, & Rebates (2025 Guide)
Incentives

New York Solar Incentives, Tax Credits, & Rebates (2025 Guide)
Are Solar Panels Worth It in New York? (2025 Guide)
Investment

Are Solar Panels Worth It in New York? (2025 Guide)
How To Get Free Solar Panels in New York (The Truth in 2025)
Programs

How To Get Free Solar Panels in New York (The Truth in 2025)
Best Solar Companies in New York (2026): Vetted & Compared
Companies

Best Solar Companies in New York (2026): Vetted & Compared

1. Have a New York quote in front of you?

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2. Rather walk through it live?

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New York Solar FAQs

Does the New York state credit really apply to leased systems?

Yes. Tax Law 606(g-1) is one of the few state credits in the country that reaches leased and PPA systems, provided the contract runs at least ten years. It pays 25% of cost, capped at $5,000, claimed on Form IT-255 with a five-year carryforward.

Combined with the federal commercial credit the provider claims, this is why third-party deals stack better in New York than almost anywhere else.

What is the CBC and how much does it cost me?

The Customer Benefit Contribution is a monthly per-kW charge on every system interconnected since January 2022. It cannot be offset by your generation and resets annually; 2026 rates run from $0.97 per kW at National Grid Upstate to $1.67 at Central Hudson.

On a typical 7 kW system that is $82 to $140 a year. Small, but a 20-year projection that skips it is quietly overstating your return.

Can I still get a NY-Sun rebate in 2026?

Not at standard income. The Con Edison block closed May 29, 2025, Upstate closed December 17, 2025, and Long Island closed in 2016.

Households at or below 80% of area median income still qualify for $0.80 per watt in Upstate and Con Edison territory, $0.40 on Long Island. Anyone else promised a rebate should ask which block, then check the NYSERDA dashboard.

How long does payback take in New York now?

For a 2026 cash buyer, 7 to 11 years depending on utility, size and locality. A 12 kW Con Edison system on an average home runs about 8.7 years, after the state credit and with the CBC modeled honestly.

Every approved rate increase, and several are pending, shortens it from there.

What happens to my net metering when I sell the house?

The 20-year net-metering enrollment travels with the property, so the buyer inherits the remaining term.

Document the enrollment date in your closing paperwork; lenders and inspectors increasingly ask for it.