Solar in New York City
Con Edison rates are among the steepest in the country, which makes a well-designed NYC system genuinely worth it, even on a tight rooftop. Here's the straight version: what power costs, which installers we've vetted, the incentives that matter, and the co-op and condo realities nobody warns you about.
Compare NYC InstallersWhat power costs in New York City
Con Edison full-service residential rates are among the highest in the country, landing around 30 cents per kilowatt-hour once the supply and delivery charges are combined.[1] New York State rates overall run well above the national average.[2]
That's the case for solar in a sentence: the more Con Ed charges, the more a rooftop system that offsets it is worth.
Vetted New York City installers
These are the installers on our roster that serve New York City, written up honestly. We don't install panels, and the referral fee we earn is flat across every one of them, so there's no reason for us to steer you.
Krzysztof Kaminski founded Kamtech in 2014. The company is a SunPower Master Dealer and one of the few NYC installers comfortable on flat, slate, and Spanish tile roofs. NYSERDA quality designation. The SunPower Complete Confidence warranty rolls panels, microinverters, and workmanship into a single 25-year document. Worth flagging: customer reviews are mixed. There are scheduling and service complaints alongside the praise, so confirm timeline and post-install responsiveness in your conversation.
T.R. Ludwig founded Brooklyn SolarWorks in 2015. The patented Brooklyn Solar Canopy came out of a year-long collaboration with Situ Studio, an architecture firm, and lets panels sit above the parapets, vents, and bulkheads that block most NYC flat roofs. 3,000+ installations completed in the boroughs, plus the first residential battery storage system installed in NYC. Customer reviews are consistently among the strongest of any installer we reviewed.
NYSERDA Gold Quality Solar Installer, which puts them in the top 4% of NY State installers by independent inspection scores. Reid Garton-led, Brooklyn-based, covers NYC and Long Island. Strong on rebate stacking and Con Edison interconnection paperwork. Workmanship warranty is solid at 10 years but doesn't match Brooklyn SolarWorks or Kamtech's 25.
Founded 2008 in the Hudson Valley, NYSSF has been NYSERDA Platinum status for seven consecutive years and was 2024 EnergySage Local Installer of the Year. Their NYC presence is real but their density is heavier upstate of the city. A strong pick for Manhattan and Bronx homeowners willing to work with a less five-borough-concentrated installer.
Northeast multi-state installer covering NYC alongside Long Island, CT, NJ, and more. A+ BBB and 4.2 aggregate review score. The lease option matters here: most NYC installers don't offer leases, and Venture does. If you want a third-party-owned system or you have property in multiple Northeast states, this is the entry to talk to.
New York City incentives for 2026
New York City stacks a city-specific abatement on top of state and federal programs. They combine.
A city abatement worth 30% of installed cost, applied over four years at 7.5% per year against your NYC property taxes, administered by the Department of Finance for systems placed in service through 2035.[4]
A per-watt incentive for grid-connected residential systems, administered by NYSERDA, plus New York State's 25% solar tax credit, which applies to leased systems as well as purchased ones.[5]
A third-party owner claims the 30% commercial Clean Electricity ITC and passes the value to you through a discounted prepaid-lease price.[3]
System cost and payback in New York City
NYC system pricing varies more than most places, because roof type, access, and building rules all factor in. If you're in a co-op or condo, expect an extra layer: board approval and roof rights have to be sorted before anything gets installed. We walk through the numbers on our NYC cost page.
Sources
- Con Edison, electric rates and historical average full-service residential rates (supply plus delivery). coned.com
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Electric Power Monthly," average residential electricity price by state (New York well above the national average). eia.gov
- Internal Revenue Service, "Clean Electricity Investment Credit" (Section 48E), the 30% commercial credit passed through to homeowners via a prepaid lease. irs.gov
- New York City Department of Finance, "Solar Electric Generating System (SEGS) Tax Abatement" (30% of cost over four years, through 2035). nyc.gov
- NYSERDA, NY-Sun residential incentives and New York State's 25% solar tax credit. nyserda.ny.gov
Compare New York City solar without the sales pitch
Tell us about your home and we'll bring you vetted NYC installers to compare, read the contract with you, and help you decide. Free, no pressure, no obligation.