Solar providing alternative to paying high electric bills
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Homeowners who use solar say that New York state is better for solar energy than many people may think.
“Solar actually works very well in this climate,” said homeowner Sara Schultz. “It works well in cloudy days. You can have some snow coverage and it still works. So, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about solar.”
What You Need To Know
- New Yorkers across the state are frustrated with increasing energy costs after the Public Service Commission approved a three-year rate hike for energy providers, including Central Hudson, NYSEG, RG&E and National Grid in 2023
- Community solar generates renewable energy on behalf of multiple customers who then receive credit on their electric bill for their share of clean energy that is produced, meaning there are ways for everyone to make the switch
- According to NYSERDA, New York leads the nation in community solar capacity with more than 1,300 projects built as of March this year
- You can find out more about accessing the benefits of solar energy without installing panels on your property by going to NYSERDA’s website
And as electricity costs increase, it makes the switch to solar may help more than just the environment.
“We really care about the environment and we want to lower our carbon footprint,” Schultz said. “And then we were looking at our electricity bills because we do have geothermal, which runs on electricity. And it was quite a bit higher than our neighbors.”
Although the Federal Residential Clean Energy Credit to incentivize homeowners to choose solar will end at the end of 2025, New York has its own incentives for using solar.
“It was a little costly upfront, but we were able to get a low-interest loan, from NYSERDA,” Schultz said. “And the beauty of it is that one of these government loans is that it’s on bill payment. So, basically, you’re paying your loan off instead of paying your electricity bill.”
Through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, also known as NYSERDA, the New York state solar tax credit can give homeowners a 25% tax credit on solar system costs up to $5,000.
“The economics of it makes sense,” said Ryan Calalesina, senior sales consultant for Solar Liberty. “We can show people that, even with the specific amount of sunlight that we get, we can make this make sense for you financially.”
Community solar generates renewable energy on behalf of multiple customers who then receive credit on their electric bill for their share of clean energy that is produced. Meaning there are ways for everyone to make the switch.
“It’s so worth it,” Schultz said. “And guess what? You’re helping climate chaos, which is here now. So let’s do it. Come on, people, do it.”