In short: Long Island homes get power from the Long Island Power Authority, run by PSEG Long Island, at about 24.6¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA). Long Island has more home solar than any other New York utility area: 88,389 systems. FEMA rates Nassau and Suffolk “very high” for coastal flooding, ice storms and winter weather.
Long Island follows its own utility rules, set by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) rather than the state’s regular utility tariffs. This page covers those rules, battery programs and local risks. For statewide rules (the state solar tax credit, NY-Sun and licensing), see our New York energy guide.
Long Island at a glance
- LIPA (operated by PSEG Long Island): serves Hempstead, Huntington, Brookhaven, Islip and the rest of Nassau and Suffolk, plus the Rockaways in Queens. About 24.6¢ per kWh for homes in 2024. Outages: about 63 minutes per customer with major events, 59 without; 0.75 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024).
- Village utilities: Freeport and Rockville Centre in Nassau and Greenport in Suffolk run their own electric systems. Freeport homes paid about 14.1¢ per kWh in 2024, with 27 minutes of outages per customer (EIA-861).
- Supplier choice: LIPA’s tariff has a Long Island Choice program, but EIA counted only 12 homes buying supply from another company in 2024. In practice, LIPA is your supplier.
- Solar: 88,389 net-metered home systems (629 MW) and 2,013 home batteries paired with solar on LIPA’s grid in 2024 (EIA-861).
- Sun: about 4.0 kWh per square meter per day, a little more than New York City (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,170 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates both Nassau and Suffolk “very high” for coastal flooding, ice storms, lightning and winter weather, and “relatively high” for hurricanes, strong wind and flooding.
- Public charging: the federal station list files Long Island chargers under hamlet and village names, not town names, so we cannot give a reliable count for Hempstead, Huntington, Brookhaven or Islip. Search the AFDC station locator by ZIP code.
Your utility and what it means
- Net metering on Long Island: a home solar system qualifies if it is 25 kW or smaller and no bigger than 110% of your last 12 months of use. Extra power earns a credit on your next bill at the same rate you pay. Once a year, on your anniversary date, LIPA pays out any leftover credit, but at the wholesale “avoided cost” price, which is far lower. On a time-of-use rate, credits are kept separately for each time period (LIPA tariff).
- Monthly solar charge: systems connected since January 1, 2022 pay a Customer Benefit Contribution of $1.13 per kW per month in 2026, about $8 a month for a 7 kW system. It changes every year (NYSERDA).
- Batteries: since 2019, PSEG Long Island has paid battery owners who let their batteries help the grid on summer peak days, through its Dynamic Load Management program; homes join through an approved company or their battery maker’s app. About 450 home batteries took part in 2025, and the program has since passed 600 (PSEG Long Island report to state regulators, November 2025). Check PSEG Long Island for current payments.
- NYSERDA: offers an incentive for batteries paired with new or existing solar on Long Island, with more for lower-income households, through participating NY-Sun contractors. Income-eligible homes can also get $0.40 per watt for solar under NY-Sun’s Affordable Solar program. Check NYSERDA for current amounts and block status.
Backup power on Long Island
In 2024 LIPA’s outage time barely changed when major events were counted, about an hour per customer either way, so it was a quiet year. Long Island’s risk is the big coastal storm: FEMA rates both counties “very high” for coastal flooding and ice storms, and “relatively high” for hurricanes and strong wind. Plan for an outage of a day or more, and for flooding near the shore.
Where you have a yard or garage, every option is open. A home battery with solar switches on by itself and can earn money in the summer program above. A standby generator covers the longest outages; in flood zones, keep the generator, transfer switch and battery above the expected flood level and ask your building department about elevation rules. A portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi and medical devices. Compare them in backup power options.
Run a portable generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away from windows and doors, and never in a garage (CPSC). Connecting one to house wiring needs a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician; see generator installation and size it with the generator sizing tool.
Solar on Long Island
Long Island has the best sun of our New York metros, about 1,170 kWh a year per kW by our rough estimate, and power that cost about 24.6¢ per kWh in 2024. That combination is why LIPA’s grid has more home solar than any other in the state. Because LIPA pays leftover credits at wholesale prices once a year, size a system to the power you use rather than the biggest roof you can fill; the 110% limit points the same way. Check your roof with the solar potential tool and test a quote in the solar savings calculator. More in solar installation and how net metering works.
Batteries on Long Island
Long Island had more solar-paired home batteries than any other New York utility in 2024: 2,013 (EIA). Two things drive that: NYSERDA’s Long Island storage incentive and PSEG Long Island’s peak-day payments, which have been open to batteries since 2019, while most other New York utilities launched theirs only recently or have yet to (NYSERDA, January 2026). Taking part means letting the program discharge your battery during some summer events, so keep a reserve for outages in your settings. See home battery installation and home battery cost, and size one with the battery backup calculator.
EV charging on Long Island
With driveways and garages, most Long Island drivers can charge at home. A Level 2 charger needs a 240 V circuit from a licensed electrician and a permit from your town or village. LIPA offers time-of-use rates; ask PSEG Long Island whether one fits your charging schedule. Estimate your cost with the EV charging calculator and read EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Hempstead: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Towns: the Towns of Hempstead, Huntington, Brookhaven and Islip issue building and electrical permits outside incorporated villages.
- Villages: Long Island has many incorporated villages with their own building departments; if you live in one, that is where you apply.
- Utility: solar and batteries need PSEG Long Island’s interconnection approval (or your village utility’s in Freeport, Rockville Centre or Greenport); installers usually file it.
- Licensing: electricians are licensed locally in New York; ask your town or county for its license list. HOAs and condo boards: get approval in writing first.
Cities we cover
- Hempstead
- Huntington
- Brookhaven
- Islip
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Long Island energy FAQ
What happens to extra solar credits on Long Island?
Month to month, extra power is credited at the same rate you pay. Once a year, on your anniversary date, LIPA pays out what is left at the wholesale avoided-cost price, which is much lower. That is why Long Island systems are sized to use, up to 110% of the last 12 months and 25 kW.
Does PSEG Long Island pay me to use my home battery?
It can. Through the Dynamic Load Management program, open to batteries since 2019, owners are paid when their battery helps on summer peak days, usually by enrolling through the battery maker’s app or an approved company. Over 600 home batteries were taking part by late 2025. Check PSEG Long Island for current terms.
Can I choose a different electricity supplier on Long Island?
LIPA’s tariff includes a Long Island Choice program, but very few homes use it: EIA counted 12 in 2024, against about one in nine Con Edison homes in New York City. For almost everyone, LIPA supplies and PSEG Long Island delivers.
I live in Freeport or Rockville Centre. Do LIPA’s rules apply?
Not if your village sends your electric bill. Freeport, Rockville Centre and Greenport run their own electric utilities, with their own prices and solar rules. Freeport homes paid about 14.1¢ per kWh in 2024. Ask your village utility before you compare solar quotes.
Sources
Utilities, prices, outages, supplier customers, solar and battery counts: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 data for 2024 (LIPA reports outages under its own standard). LIPA Tariff for Electric Service (April 2023 edition), net metering section. PSEG Long Island 2025 Dynamic Load Management Program Report (November 2025, filed with the NY Department of Public Service). NYSERDA 2026 Customer Benefit Contribution rates, Long Island storage incentive page and NY-Sun Long Island dashboard, read October 3, 2026. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Generator safety: CPSC.