In short: New York homes paid 29.9¢ per kWh in July 2026, about 63% above the U.S. average and up 14% in a year (EIA). Every kilowatt-hour you make or save is worth a lot here. A state tax credit still covers 25% of solar costs, up to $5,000, and winter storms are the main outage risk.
From a Brooklyn row house to a farmhouse outside Syracuse, the same expensive power runs through very different homes. This page uses New York’s own figures, with sources and dates, to show where solar, batteries, generators and EV charging make sense, and which state programs we could confirm.
New York at a glance
- Home electricity price: 29.90¢/kWh in July 2026 (26.22¢ a year earlier) vs 18.31¢ U.S. average; 29.38¢ for January to July 2026 (EIA, preliminary).
- Outages: about 220 minutes per customer in 2024 with major events, 72 minutes without; 0.9 and 0.6 interruptions (EIA-861, 2024).
- Sun: 3.92 kWh/m² a day in New York City, 3.66 in central New York; roughly 1,140 kWh a year per kW of panels downstate (our estimate from NASA POWER data).
- Net metering: retail-rate credits continue for home systems, with a monthly charge for systems connected after January 1, 2022.
- Plug-in (balcony) solar: the SUNNY Act passed the Legislature in May 2026; not signed as of October 3, 2026.
- Electric cars: 209,300 battery-electric cars (2025) and 21,697 public charging ports, 3,506 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 2026).
- Main utilities: Con Edison (43% of customers), National Grid’s Niagara Mohawk (20%), Long Island Power Authority (14%), NYSEG (11%) (EIA-861, 2024).
- Top weather hazards: winter weather (very high); ice storms, cold waves, heat waves and strong wind (relatively high); hurricanes (relatively moderate) (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Wildfire power shutoffs: no utility program found.
Backup power in New York
New York’s ordinary reliability is good: without major events, the average customer was out for just over an hour in 2024. Major storm days tripled that to about 3 hours 40 minutes. In other words, nearly all the outage risk comes from big weather, and FEMA’s ratings say what kind: very high for winter weather, relatively high for ice storms, cold waves, heat waves and strong wind. A winter outage upstate threatens heat and frozen pipes; a summer one downstate threatens cooling for older relatives and refrigerated medicine.
- Apartments and co-ops: a portable power station is usually the only practical option. It runs a CPAP, fan, phones and router through a typical outage without any fuel indoors.
- Houses on Long Island and in the suburbs: a home battery, often with solar, switches on automatically and is silent. Estimate size with the battery backup calculator.
- Upstate and rural homes: for multi-day ice-storm outages, wells and heating systems, a generator on a transfer switch or a standby unit is the dependable choice. Size it with the generator sizing calculator.
Generators run in the wrong place cause deadly carbon monoxide poisonings every year. Run one outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away from windows, doors and vents, and never in a garage or basement, even with the door open (CPSC). Keep battery or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms on every level. Any connection to house wiring needs a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician with a permit.
Solar in New York
New York’s sun is ordinary; its prices are not. Our rough estimate is about 1,140 kWh a year per kilowatt of panels in the city, a little less upstate. A 6 kW system would make roughly 6,800 kWh, worth up to about $2,050 a year at the July 2026 price of 29.90¢, or about $2,010 at the year-to-date 29.38¢, if every kilowatt-hour offsets one you would have bought. That is close to double what the same system is worth in a low-price state. These are labelled estimates, not promises; the monthly charge described below reduces the savings a little, and shade on city roofs can reduce them a lot. Compare installed prices in the solar cost guide and test your roof with the solar potential calculator.
Net metering: home systems still receive retail-rate credits under the state’s Phase One net metering, but systems interconnected after January 1, 2022 pay a monthly Customer Benefit Contribution charge. Larger projects are paid under the Value Stack instead. See net metering explained.
New York had about 227,000 net-metered home solar systems in 2024, about 1,570 MW, and about 4,000 of them were paired with a battery (EIA-861).
Confirmed state programs (check each program page; amounts change):
- Solar Energy System Equipment Credit (Form IT-255): 25% of qualified costs, up to $5,000, for your principal residence. It is not refundable, but unused credit carries forward up to five years. NY Department of Taxation and Finance.
- NY-Sun incentives: the standard residential incentive blocks have closed (Con Edison territory in May 2025, upstate in December 2025); income-qualified and affordable solar incentives remain. NYSERDA NY-Sun.
- Sales tax exemption on residential solar equipment and installation (state tax).
- Real property tax exemption for 15 years on the value solar or wind adds, unless your locality has opted out (RPTL 487). Ask your assessor.
The federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025. See energy incentives and the solar guide.
Plug-in solar: the SUNNY Act (S8512C/A9111C) would allow small plug-in “balcony” systems. It passed both houses in May 2026, and the Senate’s bill page showed no signature on October 3, 2026. Until it becomes law and takes effect, plug-in systems fall under your utility’s interconnection rules.
Home batteries in New York
With high prices and retail net metering, a battery in New York earns its keep mainly as backup. NYSERDA runs an energy storage program; reported figures include a proposed residential incentive of $250 per kWh in Con Edison territory and $200 per kWh elsewhere, and an Inclusive Storage Incentive. We could not confirm current residential amounts, so check the NYSERDA Energy Storage Program page before you count on any of it. Prices and sizing: home battery cost and home batteries.
EV charging in New York
New York has the strongest public network of the states on this page: 21,697 public ports at 5,632 locations for 209,300 battery-electric cars (plus 125,100 plug-in hybrids), or about 10 electric cars per public port (AFDC). That matters in the city, where most drivers have no driveway and rely on public Level 2 (18,182 ports) and DC fast charging (3,506 ports).
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in New York: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
If you can charge at home, our estimate at 29.90¢ and about 30 kWh per 100 miles (a fueleconomy.gov-style assumption) is roughly $8.97 per 100 miles, about $90 for 1,000 miles a month. That is still well under the $14.88 per 100 miles of a 30-mpg car at the U.S. average of $4.465 a gallon (EIA, late September 2026), and time-of-use rates can narrow the cost further. Run your own numbers in the EV charging cost calculator and see home EV charging. A Level 2 charger needs a licensed electrician and a permit. The federal 30C charger credit ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026.
Off-grid, small wind and micro-hydro
Off-grid cabins in the Adirondacks, Catskills and Southern Tier face short winter days, so they usually need a larger battery bank and a generator alongside solar; plan with off-grid power systems and the off-grid planner. Small wind is a hard sell inland: NASA data shows about 4.8 m/s at 50 m and only 2.5 m/s at 10 m in central New York, below the 4 to 4.5 m/s DOE suggests at hub height. The coast is windier (NASA’s grid point for New York City shows about 6.9 m/s at 50 m), but measure any site before you buy. Read wind energy and hydroelectric power; we have not checked state sources on micro-hydro.
Licensing and permits in New York
New York has no statewide electrician license. Electricians are licensed locally: in New York City by the Department of Buildings (licensed master electricians), and elsewhere by cities and counties that require a license. Search the Department of Buildings website for a New York City license, or ask your city or county for its list. NYSERDA keeps a list of contractors that take part in NY-Sun. Permits come from your city, town or village, and your utility must approve interconnection before solar or a grid-tied battery is switched on.
Local guides in New York
Utilities, rates, outage records, permit offices and local programs for each area:
Where we cover in New York
- New York City: New York City and its boroughs
- Lower Hudson Valley: Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle
- Long Island: Hempstead, Huntington, Brookhaven, Islip
- Capital Region: Albany, Saratoga Springs
- Buffalo: Buffalo, Amherst
- Rochester: Rochester
- Syracuse: Syracuse
Local pages will follow as we verify local information and installers.
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New York energy FAQ
Is there still a solar tax credit in New York in 2026?
Yes, the state one. New York’s Solar Energy System Equipment Credit covers 25% of qualified costs, up to $5,000, on your principal residence, claimed on Form IT-255. It is not refundable, but you can carry unused credit forward five years. The federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after 2025.
Does New York have net metering?
Yes, for home-sized systems. Exported power still earns retail-rate credits, but systems interconnected after January 1, 2022 pay a monthly Customer Benefit Contribution, so the savings are slightly lower than for older systems. Larger projects are paid under the Value Stack.
Is balcony solar legal in New York?
Not yet as a special category. The SUNNY Act passed the Legislature in May 2026, but the state Senate’s bill page showed no signature as of October 3, 2026. Until it is signed and in effect, a plug-in system needs your utility’s interconnection approval like any other solar system.
Why did my New York electric bill go up so much?
Statewide, EIA’s average home price rose from 26.22¢ per kWh in July 2025 to 29.90¢ in July 2026, about 14%. Your bill also depends on your utility’s delivery charges and how much you used in the heat. Solar, efficiency and time-of-use rates are the main levers you control.
Can I use a generator in a New York City apartment?
No fuel-burning generator should ever run indoors, on a balcony next to windows, or in a garage, because of carbon monoxide (CPSC). Apartment households should use a battery power station instead; it is safe indoors and covers the essentials through most outages.
Sources
Electricity prices: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Tables 5.6.A and 5.6.B (July 2026, preliminary). Outages, utilities and solar counts: EIA-861 (2024). Sun and wind: NASA POWER climatology 2001–2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025). Electric cars and charging: AFDC (registrations 2025; stations read October 3, 2026). Net metering: NY Department of Public Service. Incentives: NY Department of Taxation and Finance, NYSERDA. Plug-in solar: NY State Senate bill page (checked October 3, 2026). Licensing: NYC Department of Buildings. Generator safety: CPSC. Checked October 2026.