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New York Energy Resource Bureau
An independent homeowner guide to NY energy incentives
Source quality: Primary

NY-Sun (NYSERDA Solar Program)

Administered by: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Status: Active in 2026 Verified: May 27, 2026 against NY-Sun Program Page, NYSERDA Source quality: Primary

What it is

NY-Sun is the state's main upfront solar incentive. NYSERDA runs it. The program covers residential rooftop and ground-mounted installs, community solar subscriptions, small businesses, multifamily buildings, and municipalities.

There is no single flat-rate figure because the incentive is location-specific. Which utility serves your address, which Megawatt Block your project falls into, and how much capacity remains in that block all affect what you actually receive. NYSERDA's incentive calculator takes your address and returns the current number. The NYSERDA Contractors Dashboard is where installers and homeowners check live block status.

The upfront NY-Sun payment is one of three levers on a New York residential solar install. The second is the NY State Solar Energy System Equipment Credit — 25% of net cost up to $5,000 on your state income tax. The third, the federal 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit (§25D), expired December 31, 2025 and is not available for systems placed in service in 2026. See Federal Residential Energy Credits: Program Ended.

Who qualifies

  • Homeowners with rooftop or ground-mounted systems on their primary or secondary residence
  • Small businesses and commercial property owners
  • Multifamily building owners
  • Municipalities and nonprofit organizations
  • Renters who cannot install panels: a community solar subscription through NY-Sun Community Solar pays into a local array and credits your electric bill
  • Income-eligible households who want a community-solar pathway can also look at Solar for All

The program does not pay renters directly for rooftop solar, because renters do not own the roof. Community solar is the path in.

What you get

The amount depends on your address. You have to use the rebate finder to get a real number.

EnergySage (a secondary source, not NYSERDA directly) has published the following Megawatt Block rates as of early 2026:

  • Standard residential customers: $150 per kW
  • Low-to-moderate income (LMI) customers: $800 per kW

These rates step down as blocks fill. The figures above may be outdated by the time you read this. Treat them as a ballpark, not a contract. Pull the live figure from NYSERDA's tool before signing with any installer.

On top of the NY-Sun rebate, the NY State Solar Energy System Equipment Credit gives you 25% of net installed cost back, capped at $5,000, on your state income tax return for the year the system is placed in service. Your installer should provide itemized documentation for both. If you need to finance the out-of-pocket portion, NYSERDA Residential Financing carries loan products for energy upgrades on owner-occupied homes.

How to apply

  1. Go to nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/NY-Sun and run the address-based rebate finder to see your current Megawatt Block rate.
  2. Get quotes from at least two NYSERDA-approved installers. Confirm approval on the NYSERDA Contractors Dashboard before signing. The installer files the NY-Sun rebate paperwork on your behalf at the time of install.
  3. Confirm interconnection costs in writing. NY-Sun pays the rebate; your utility handles the interconnection agreement, and the cost is not always rolled into the installer's bid.
  4. Claim the NY State 25% solar tax credit (up to $5,000) on Form IT-255 when you file your state income tax return for the year the system is placed in service.
  5. Do not file IRS Form 5695 for residential solar placed in service in 2026. Section 25D expired December 31, 2025. Verify against current IRS guidance if a contractor tells you otherwise.

How this stacks with other programs

  • NY-Sun + NY State Solar Tax Credit. These run in sequence. NY-Sun reduces your installed cost up front. The 25% state credit is then calculated on the net out-of-pocket cost, capped at $5,000. For most full-size residential rooftop systems, the cap still binds after the NY-Sun reduction, so you typically get the full $5,000. Confirm the math with your tax preparer using the actual rebate amount on your invoice.
  • NY-Sun + utility solar rebates. In almost every case there is nothing extra to stack. Most New York utilities fund their share of solar incentives through NY-Sun itself, so the "utility portion" is already inside the NY-Sun rebate your installer applies. If a utility advertises a separate solar rebate on top of NY-Sun, confirm in writing that it is genuinely additive and not the same money repackaged.
  • NY-Sun + NYS Clean Heat. These are separate programs administered through different incentive structures, but a household doing both should sequence them deliberately. Size the solar array to the load you will actually have after the heat pump is installed, not before. The heat pumps buyer's guide walks through the load math.
  • NY-Sun + federal credit. No longer relevant. Section 25D expired December 31, 2025. For 2026 installs, the state tax credit is the only tax-credit layer.

What to ask your contractor

  • Are you on the current NYSERDA-approved installer list, and can you show me your contractor ID on the NY-Sun Contractors Dashboard?
  • What is the current Megawatt Block rate at my address, and which block is my project being submitted into?
  • Is the NY-Sun rebate applied at the point of install (deducted from my contract price), or paid out afterward? Most installers apply it up front.
  • Will you handle the NY-Sun paperwork on my behalf, and will you also provide the itemized invoice I need for Form IT-255?
  • What happens if the Megawatt Block fills between contract signing and install completion? Is my rebate locked in at the block rate on the date of submission, or at the rate when the project closes out?
  • Is the utility interconnection cost included in your bid, or billed separately by the utility?
  • Will the system be placed in service this calendar year for tax-credit purposes? Placed in service means installed and operational, not just contracted.

Common pitfalls

  • Block exhaustion. Megawatt Blocks fill and close on a rolling basis without advance notice. A project quoted at one rate can drop into the next block at a lower rate if the install drags. The block status on the Contractors Dashboard is the only number that matters; ignore older marketing.
  • Signing with an installer who is not NYSERDA-approved. No approval, no rebate. Verify the installer's status on the NY-Sun Contractors Dashboard before the contract is signed, not after.
  • Confusing community solar with rooftop solar. They are different products inside the same NY-Sun umbrella. Community solar subscribers do not own panels and do not claim the state tax credit. If you want the tax credit, you need an owned system at your residence.
  • Expecting a federal credit on a 2026 install. Section 25D expired December 31, 2025. Some contractor proposals still show a 30% line item out of habit. Ask for the proposal to be rewritten without it before you compare quotes.
  • Double-counting the NY-Sun rebate when claiming IT-255. The 25% state credit is calculated on net out-of-pocket cost. Including the NY-Sun rebate as part of your reported expenditure is a common audit trigger.

Important dates

No published deadline for NY-Sun as of May 27, 2026. The program runs on a block-based structure, so rebate availability depends on remaining capacity in your local block, not a calendar cutoff. Blocks fill and close without advance notice. Earlier is safer.

Source

NYSERB.com is an independent research site. It is not affiliated with NYSERDA, the State of New York, or any utility. Verify all program details and incentive amounts directly with NYSERDA before making any financial decision.

Verified against www.nyserda.ny.gov, www.nyserda.ny.gov, www.tax.ny.gov, www.irs.gov on July 1, 2026.

More New York State (NYSERDA) to check

  • Appliance Upgrade Program (NYSERDA)NYSERDA's Appliance Upgrade Program covers heat pump clothes dryers (up to $840) plus accompanying electrical upgrades (panel up to $4,000) for income-eligible NY households.
  • Drive Clean Plus (Income-Eligible EV Rebate)An income-qualified track within NYSERDA's Drive Clean EV rebate framework. Standalone program documentation is pending verification. See Drive Clean Rebate for the active universal version.
  • Drive Clean Rebate (NYSERDA EV Point-of-Sale Rebate)NYSERDA's Drive Clean Rebate pays up to $2,000 at the dealer when you buy or lease an eligible new electric vehicle in New York. Not income-limited. Tiered by EV range.
  • NY Green BankNY Green Bank is NYSERDA's wholesale clean-energy lender. It finances developers, multifamily owners, and other lenders — not individual homeowners directly. Homeowner loans run through NYSERDA Residential Financing.

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