2024 Solar Incentives Guide for Manhattan, NY - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in Manhattan.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2024 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
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What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Manhattan?
State of NY Commercial PACE Financing Program
Residential Solar Tax Credit
Refundable Clean Heating Fuel Tax Credit (Corporate)
NY-Sun Loan Program
Small Business and Not-for-Profit Organizations:
Participation Loans: up to $100,000 (at low interest rate)
On-Bill Recovery loans: $50,000 at 2%
Residential Wood Heating Fuel Exemption
Local Option - Solar Sales Tax Exemption
Solar Sales Tax Exemption
Local Option - Real Property Tax Exemption for Green Buildings
Energy Conservation Improvements Property Tax Exemption
Local Option - Solar, Wind & Biomass Energy Systems Exemption
NY-Sun PV Incentive Program (Residential, Low-Income, and Small Business)
Residential:
Long Island Region: $0.00/W (MW blocks have been fully subscribed)
Con Edison Region: $0.30/W
Upstate Region: $0.35/W
Low-to-Moderate income customers: $0.80/W (up to 10 kW)
Small Commercial (Non-Residential):Long Island Region: $0.00/W (MW blocks have been fully subscribed)
Con Edison Region: $0.60/W
Up State Region: $0.45/W
Multifamily Affordable Housing Adder: additional $0.40/W (up to 50 kW)
Ground Source Heat Pump Rebate Program
Large Systems (> 10 cooling tons): $1,200/cooling ton
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR
Refundable Clean Heating Fuel Tax Credit (Personal)
On-Site Wind Incentive Program
Tier II: 10,000 kWh - 125,000 kWh of expected annual energy production: $1.00/annual kWh
Tier III: 125,000 kWh - 1,000,000 kWh of expected annual energy production: $0.30/ annual kWh
Tier IV: Greater than 1,000,000 kWh of expected annual energy production: $0.15/ annual kWh
These incentives are additive.
Anaerobic Digester Gas-to-Electricity Rebate and Performance Incentive
- Capacity Incentive: Varies on the construction and design of the system
- Performance Incentive: $0.025/kWh production payment for new systems for up to 10 years (estimated using a capacity factor of 75%)
- Interconnection Incentive: up to 75% of the costs exceeding $5,000
- Project Enhancement Incentives: Available for Black Start Capability, Hydrogen Sulfide reduction, design for accepting food waste and others
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
The phrase "solar incentives" broadly refers to financial incentives designed to encourage the adoption and use renewable energy by making solar panels more affordable. Different types of incentives, such as cash back, discounts or credit towards your monthly utility bill, may be available to you. Some incentives may be provided via the state of New York, by your utility company or by county or municipality, while other incentives are federal. Some solar incentives you might qualify for are:
- Rebates: Solar rebates can be provided by your local utility company, or by your state or county. These rebates work as partial refunds that are applied after you purchase a solar system and before tax credits are calculated.
- Tax Exemptions: Your solar panel system could qualify for exemptions on both sales and property tax. Sales tax exemptions are effective at the time of purchase. Property tax exemptions let you ignore the value that solar panels add when calculating property taxes on your house.
- Tax Credits: These credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions (not deductions) in the amount of tax that you owe the government.
- Net Metering: Be sure to talk with your Manhattan utility company about signing a net metering agreement. This will allow you to receive credit towards your utility bill every month for the value of excess energy generated by your solar panels. You could receive either a dollar-for-dollar credit or a percentage of the value.
Best Regional Coverage
Momentum Solar
- Great warranty coverage
- Representatives are experts on local policies
- Concierge service ensures steady communication
- Slightly limited service offerings
Best for Leasing
Sunrun
- Expansive service area
- Many financing options
- Some reported issues with customer service
- Some reported issues with door-to-door sales
Best Social Impact
Palmetto Solar
- Expansive service area
- Makes charitable contributions
- Certified B Corp
- No leases or PPAs
- Quality of installation may vary by location
Federal Solar Incentives
Federal incentives are the kind of incentives that you are most likely to have heard of. You've likely heard of the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC. This is a tax credit equal to a predetermined percentage of the money you spend on your solar system.
The ITC applies to the value of solar panels installed on your primary or secondary residence in the United States. The solar panels have to have been installed after January 1, 2006, on a property you own for you to be eligible for the credit. Initially, the ITC applied to 30% of all installation costs (panels, equipment, accessories and labor), although the total amount has fluctuated slightly over the years between 26-30%. The amount you qualify for will depend on when your solar system was installed. There is no cap on the claim amount.
To better understand exactly how much money the ITC could save you, talk to your local Manhattan solar panel installation expert.
In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act made revisions to the ITC, now dubbed the Clean Energy Credit. The new Clean Energy Credit extends until 2035. American homeowners are now eligible for a 30% credit for solar systems installed between 2022 and 2032. The credit will then see a slight annual decrease until the date of expiration. Starting in 2023, it will also be easier to claim credits for energy storage systems with the new act.
More information about the new Inflation Reduction Act can be found here. The best way to fully understand how the new Clean Energy Credit applies to you is to speak with your local Manhattan solar panel installers directly.
State & Local Solar Incentives
There are often state solar incentives available in addition to federal ones. Rebates, tax credits and more can be offered at a more local level. These incentives may be provided by your county or municipality, or by the New York government. Some are ongoing, while others are available for a limited time.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in Manhattan
You can receive solar incentives from the federal government and the New York government, as well as from your local utility company. Growing availability of solar initiatives in the past 15 years has helped greatly increase nationwide adoption of solar energy. It is a good idea to talk to your local Manhattan solar installation company to learn more about these incentives and to be sure that you're getting the most money possible for your solar system.
EcoWatch's Manhattan, NY Solar Incentives FAQs
If my house already has solar panels, can I still claim incentives?
An excellent idea would be to talk to someone from the company that installed your system – or get in touch with a local Manhattan solar installer — to better understand which incentives you might qualify for. If your solar panels were installed after January 1, 2022, you likely qualify for the newly increased 30% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. Solar panels installed between 2006 and 2021 may qualify for a tax credit of 26-30%.
How much can I save on my electric bill annually if I add solar panels to my house in Manhattan?
Once you add solar panels to your Manhattan home, you can expect to save about $1,708.58 per year, or around $32,463.04 over 20 years.
When does the federal solar tax credit end?
The federal solar tax credit, formerly known as the ITC and now called the Clean Energy Credit, is set to end on January 1, 2035. The current 30% credit will end in 2032, replaced by a 26% credit in 2033 and a 22% credit in 2034.
If I change out my appliances for ones that use solar energy, are there credits that I can claim?
Under the new Inflation Reduction Act, there are a variety of new financial incentives to encourage you to make eco-friendly improvements to your home. More details on these incentives, including information about incentives for purchasing new appliances, can be found here.
Can I claim incentives for adding solar panels to a rental property, vacation home or commercial property?
Many solar incentives are intended to apply to a property located within the United States that you own; most secondary residences fall into this category. There may be other solar incentives available for commercial properties, depending on the details. We recommend reaching out to your local solar installer and/or tax professional to better understand what incentives will apply to your specific situation.
Our goal is to reach as many people as we can with sensible solutions like solar energy. Our team of full-time local researchers collects solar price and installation data for every city in America then compiles it to create these digestible city guides. If you want to read our solar expert's opinion on the top solar companies featured here, follow this link.
Solar incentive research was conducted by Melissa Smith and Karsten Neumeister. Local data analysis was conducted by James Savino. See something we missed or could do better? Email the editor.