In short: Con Edison homes paid about 35.7¢ per kWh in 2024, the highest of New York’s big utilities, but lost only about 28 minutes of power per customer (EIA). In the city, the risk is heat: the June 2025 heat wave knocked out service to nearly 100,000 Con Edison customers. Batteries face strict city fire rules.
This page covers what is different in the five boroughs. For statewide rules (net metering, the state solar tax credit, NY-Sun and licensing), see our New York energy guide.
New York City at a glance
- Con Edison: serves Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island and most of Queens. Homes buying power from Con Edison paid about 35.7¢ per kWh on average in 2024. Outages: about 28 minutes per customer with major events, 15 without; 0.13 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024, company-wide).
- The Rockaways: served by the Long Island Power Authority, operated by PSEG Long Island, not Con Edison. See our Long Island guide.
- Supplier choice: about 349,000 Con Edison households, roughly one in nine, bought their supply from another company (an ESCO) in 2024; Con Edison still delivered it (EIA-861).
- Sun: about 3.9 kWh per square meter per day (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,145 kWh a year per kW of panels on an unshaded roof.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens “very high” for cold waves, strong wind and winter weather; Brooklyn and Queens are also “relatively high” for coastal flooding, heat waves and hurricanes.
- Public charging: at least 3,329 public ports at 706 locations: 1,722 in Manhattan, 810 in Brooklyn, 373 in Queens plus 128 in Long Island City, 215 in the Bronx and 81 on Staten Island (AFDC, October 3, 2026). Many Queens stations are listed under neighborhood names, so the real total is higher.
Your utility and what it means
- Con Edison, solar: home systems get the statewide net metering credits described on our state page. Systems connected since January 1, 2022 pay a monthly Customer Benefit Contribution, set at $1.29 per kW of panels per month in Con Edison territory for 2026, about $9 a month for a 7 kW system; the rate changes every year (NYSERDA).
- Con Edison, batteries: Con Edison’s Bring Your Own Battery program will pay $100 per kW of average battery output during summer grid events, May 1 to September 30, events of up to four hours. Its page says enrollment “will be available soon” (checked October 3, 2026). NYSERDA has said its home battery incentive will require joining this program once it opens.
- Con Edison, EVs: SmartCharge New York pays 10¢ per kWh for charging between midnight and 8 a.m., a $25 bonus after three months and a $35 summer bonus for avoiding weekday 2 to 6 p.m. charging from June to September. You do not have to be a Con Edison customer, but drivers on a residential time-of-use rate cannot join (Con Edison).
- Buying supply elsewhere: energy service companies (ESCOs) can sell you supply; the state requires variable offers to guarantee savings over the year and caps fixed prices. You can cancel within three days (NY Department of Public Service).
Backup power in New York City
Con Edison’s outage numbers are among the lowest in the state. The danger is the heat wave that overloads it. In late June 2025, in the hottest conditions since at least 2012, heat damage to equipment cut service to nearly 100,000 Con Edison customers, while more than 97% of its customers kept power. In early July 2026 another heat wave caused scattered outages for more than 60,000 customers, mostly in the Bronx and Queens (Con Edison). So the first thing to protect is cooling and medical equipment for older relatives, not a winter furnace.
In an apartment, a portable power station is usually the only practical choice: it runs a fan, a CPAP machine, phones and Wi-Fi without fumes. A fuel-burning generator must never run indoors, on a balcony next to windows or in a garage, because of carbon monoxide (CPSC). Row houses and detached homes in Queens, Staten Island and the outer boroughs can consider a home battery, within the city’s location rules below. Compare all options in backup power options and size them with the battery backup calculator.
Solar in New York City
With Con Edison’s prices, every kilowatt-hour a roof makes is worth more here than almost anywhere in the state. EIA counted 70,078 net-metered home solar systems on Con Edison’s grid in 2024. The city adds its own incentive: the Solar and Electric Storage System Property Tax Abatement takes 30% of the installation cost of solar, a battery or both off your property taxes, spread over four years, up to $62,500 a year and $250,000 in total, for systems placed in service from 2024 through 2034. Most homes (tax class 1 and 2) qualify, but not properties already receiving certain other abatements. Your installer files it with the building permit, and it must be received by March 15 to start that year (NYC fact sheet).
City permits are more involved than in the suburbs. Every system needs a Department of Buildings construction permit and an electrical permit. A New York State licensed engineer or architect prepares the drawings, a NYC licensed master electrician files the electrical permit, and a licensed general contractor pulls the work permit. Older buildings may need an asbestos inspection, and homes in historic districts need Landmarks approval first (NYC Solar Permitting Process Guide, April 2025). Test your roof with the solar potential tool, then run the solar savings calculator with a real quote. More in solar installation.
Batteries in New York City
New York City has its own battery rules, updated by the Department of Buildings on October 26, 2025. For one- and two-family homes, a battery must be UL 9540 listed and approved by the FDNY, and it can only go above ground: in an attached garage (up to 20 kWh with a one-hour fire-rated wall, 40 kWh with a two-hour wall), in a detached garage (40 kWh), or outdoors on or near a non-combustible wall, at least 3 feet from doors and windows (40 kWh per building). There is an 80 kWh limit per lot, and no batteries in living areas or bedrooms. That rules out the basement many homeowners would pick. A Department of Buildings permit is required; the FDNY operating permit is not needed for one- and two-family homes (DOB rule 1 RCNY 3616-07; FDNY guide, April 2025).
The city’s 30% property tax abatement covers batteries, including one added to existing solar. See home battery installation and home battery cost.
EV charging in New York City
Most city drivers have no driveway, so public charging matters: Manhattan alone lists 1,722 public ports (AFDC, October 3, 2026). If you have a garage or driveway, a Level 2 charger needs a licensed master electrician and a Department of Buildings electrical permit. Charging after midnight with SmartCharge New York can earn 10¢ per kWh back. Estimate your cost with the EV charging calculator and read EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in New York: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- All five boroughs: NYC Department of Buildings (filings through DOB NOW: Build); step by step in the NYC Solar Permitting Process Guide.
- Batteries: the FDNY approves battery products; read its energy storage approval and installation guide.
- Utility: solar and batteries also need Con Edison’s interconnection approval (PSEG Long Island in the Rockaways); installers usually file it.
- Co-ops, condos and landmarks: get board or association approval in writing, and Landmarks Preservation Commission approval in historic districts, before you sign.
Cities we cover
- New York City and its boroughs
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New York City energy FAQ
Can I put a home battery in my basement in New York City?
Not under the current rules for one- and two-family homes. Since October 2025, batteries must be installed above grade: in an attached or detached garage, or outdoors on or near a non-combustible wall at least 3 feet from doors and windows. Living areas and bedrooms are off limits, and the product needs FDNY approval.
How does the NYC solar property tax abatement work?
For solar or batteries placed in service from 2024 through 2034, the city takes 30% of the installation cost off your property taxes over four years, up to $62,500 a year and $250,000 in total. Your installer applies with the building permit; the application must be received by March 15 for the abatement to start that year.
Why is my Con Edison bill so much higher than upstate?
Con Edison’s prices are the highest of the state’s large utilities. In 2024 its homes paid about 35.7¢ per kWh on average, against about 17.2¢ for National Grid homes upstate (EIA). That gap is also why solar, efficiency and off-peak EV charging save more here.
Does Con Edison pay me for charging my EV at night?
Yes, through SmartCharge New York: 10¢ per kWh for charging from midnight to 8 a.m., plus bonuses. You do not need to be a Con Edison customer, but you cannot join if you are on a residential time-of-use rate. Check Con Edison’s program page for current terms.
Sources
Utilities, prices, outages, supplier customers and solar counts: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 data for 2024 (Con Edison reports outages under its own standard). Con Edison SmartCharge New York and Bring Your Own Battery pages and heat-wave releases (June 2025, July 2026), read October 3, 2026. NYSERDA 2026 Customer Benefit Contribution rates and January 2026 storage webinar. NY Department of Public Service, energy shopping page. NYC Solar and Electric Storage System Property Tax Abatement fact sheet. NYC Solar Permitting Process Guide (April 2025). NYC Department of Buildings rule 1 RCNY 3616-07 (October 2025) and FDNY energy storage guide (April 2025). Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC.