This is what New York Community Solar looks like...
We’re on a mission to make clean, affordable energy accessible to ALL– not just the select few. Let’s start with you!
Be a part of the solution, not the pollution.
You get a share of the output from a solar farm in your area while earning a credit on your bill, lowering your electricity costs.
We handle the solar.
By subscribing to community solar, you’re increasing demand for renewable energy in your community, directly displacing fossil fuels from the electric grid. That means you can support solar and prevent pollution from fossil fuels without having to install or pay for solar panels.
You see the savings.
New Jersey electricity customers are guaranteed to save 5%-10% off the standard utility rate. Since New York has policy to support consolidated billing, we’ll never charge you anything. You’ll just see a savings report from neighborhood Sun each month. Get started to see how much you can save each month.
Together, we can make a difference.
Each time you pay your electricity bill, you can feel better knowing your payment is supporting your community’s transition to renewables while also saving you money. By choosing Neighborhood Sun, you’re supporting our work to address energy equity and helping us give back to all of our community partner nonprofits and impact-focused organizations.
Switching to clean energy has never been so accessible (or free)
You subscribe online to a local community solar farm- without any fees or installations.
There are no costs, fees, or installations to subscribe, making clean energy available to renters and homeowners alike. Through our quick online sign-up process, we match you with a solar farm in your community that may already be active or still under construction. Just provide us with a sample utility bill to estimate your share size, and we’ll handle the rest so you can sit back and save with solar!
Your share of the solar farm generates clean energy for you each month.
You continue receiving power through your current utility. Each month, your share of the solar farm adds clean energy to the grid, directly displacing the equivalent amount of dirty energy derived from fossil fuels. This improves local air and water quality and allows you to directly combat fossil fuels just by paying your electric bill.
Your guaranteed savings are reflected as clean energy credits on your current utility bill.
Clean energy is cheaper (and safer) than fossil fuels because the sun shines for free. That means you pay for your share of solar energy at a guaranteed discount (between 5%-20%) compared to your current utility rate. These cost savings will be reflected as clean energy credits reflected on your current electricity bill each month.
Community solar is accessible affordable equitable local easy no-rooftop-needed renter-friendly simple solar.
Local Project Spotlight:
Coxsackie
- Currently providing 10% savings to 576 local households
- Generates 10,035,000 kWh of renewable energy each year
- The energy generated by this farm prevents the equivalent of 6,452 metric tons of CO2 per year
- Located in Coxsackie, New York
Local Policy Spotlight:
Consolidated Billing in NY
As of December 2023, more than two gigawatts (GW) of community solar have been installed in New York – enough to power nearly 400,000 homes. Part of its success may be due to the adoption of consolidated billing in 2019 by New York State’s Public Service Commission (PSC), which helped to reduce costs and improve the customer experience. Consolidated billing combines multiple bills for each household into a single invoice, eliminating the need to provide subscription coordinators like Neighborhood Sun with a payment method for the credits.
Benefits of the policy to adopt consolidated billing include:
- Improved billing and enrollment customer experience
- Reduced barriers for Low- and Moderate-Income subscribers
- Helps the state achieve clean energy goals
- Requires minimum 5% savings
Shining a light on Community Solar in New York
- Community Solar in New York
- Neighborhood Sun in the News
- Community Solar in the News
Half of Americans can’t install solar panels. Here’s how they can plug into the sun.
How To Reap The Benefits Of Solar Without Installing Panels
Community Solar Fact Sheet
Frequently Asked Questions
- Looking to Subscribe
- Already a Subscriber
How does billing work?
Consolidated billing was adopted by New York in 2019 to help community solar subscribers save money and simplify the billing process.
Here’s how it works:
Community Solar Subscription: You sign up to get a share of energy from a local community solar farm.
Credit on Your Bill: The community solar farm generates electricity and you receive credits for the energy produced based on your share.
Single Bill: Instead of managing separate bills from both the solar farm and your utility company, you get one bill from your utility.
Savings Applied: The utility company applies the credits from your solar share directly to your utility bill, reducing the amount you owe.
Simple Savings: This way, you only see one bill with your solar savings already included, making it easy to track and enjoy your savings without extra paperwork or separate payments.
So, consolidated billing streamlines your energy costs and ensures you get the benefits of community solar without any hassle.
How do you assign shares to projects?
During your application, you authorize us to review your historical electrical use. We use the past 12-24 months of your electric history to calculate the average amount of kWh you will need each month. Savings are based on the amount of electricity generated by your portion of the solar farm, not your actual kWh use.
How do I save money?
Each month, you get one bill from your utility company. On this bill, there’s a section showing the community solar credits generated by your share of the solar farm you’re subscribed to. solar subscription. These credits are calculated based on your share of the solar farm’s energy production. The credits are subtracted from your total utility bill. For example, if your usual utility bill is $100 and you receive $20 in solar credits, you’ll only owe $80.
Your bill will clearly display the credits and the adjusted total amount you need to pay, so you can easily see how much you’re saving each month from your community solar subscription.
This setup makes it easy to track and understand your savings, as everything is integrated into your regular utility bill.
Will credits rollover to future months?
Your share of energy generated by the community solar is estimated based on your average monthly energy usage, so some months it may be more or less than the energy you actually end up using. Don’t worry if you use less energy than your share provided because your solar credits will roll forward to the next month without any extra effort on your end. Should you have any rollover credits remaining at the end of your contract period, they will be bought out (repaid) by your utility at that time.
More questions?
Watch our video here to learn more about how a community solar subscription can help you save money and prevent pollution.
Give us a ring at (888) 606-0054 or email us at [email protected]. You can also use our chat feature in the bottom right corner of the screen.
What will credits look like on my electricity bill?
When your farm is actively generating clean energy, community solar credits will appear on your current utility bill as “production credits” which reduce the total cost owed to your utility each month.
Click on your current utility provider below to see how your community solar credits will appear on a sample bill.
How do I log in to MySolar?
Click here to visit MySolar. MySolar is your one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about your subscription. Log in to view past invoices, track your savings, and see the environmental impact of your subscription. You can also find your referral code their to get credit for any friend or neighbors you might refer. You’ll see a new solar panel pop up for each successful referral, and you can earn money too.
How does billing work?
Consolidated billing was adopted by New York in 2019 to help community solar subscribers save money and simplify the billing process.
Here’s how it works:
Community Solar Subscription: You sign up to get a share of energy from a local community solar farm.
Credit on Your Bill: The community solar farm generates electricity and you receive credits for the energy produced based on your share.
Single Bill: Instead of managing separate bills from both the solar farm and your utility company, you get one bill from your utility.
Savings Applied: The utility company applies the credits from your solar share directly to your utility bill, reducing the amount you owe.
Simple Savings: This way, you only see one bill with your solar savings already included, making it easy to track and enjoy your savings without extra paperwork or separate payments.
So, consolidated billing streamlines your energy costs and ensures you get the benefits of community solar without any hassle.
When will I see my community solar credits?
How do I save money?
Each month, you get one bill from your utility company. On this bill, there’s a section showing the community solar credits generated by your share of the solar farm you’re subscribed to. solar subscription. These credits are calculated based on your share of the solar farm’s energy production. The credits are subtracted from your total utility bill. For example, if your usual utility bill is $100 and you receive $20 in solar credits, you’ll only owe $80.
Your bill will clearly display the credits and the adjusted total amount you need to pay, so you can easily see how much you’re saving each month from your community solar subscription.
This setup makes it easy to track and understand your savings, as everything is integrated into your regular utility bill.
Will credits rollover to future months?
Your share of energy generated by the community solar is estimated based on your average monthly energy usage, so some months it may be more or less than the energy you actually end up using. Don’t worry if you use less energy than your share provided because your solar credits will roll forward to the next month without any extra effort on your end. Should you have any rollover credits remaining at the end of your contract period, they will be bought out (repaid) by your utility at that time.
More questions?
Watch our video here to learn more about how a community solar subscription can help you save money and prevent pollution.
Give us a ring at (888) 606-0054 or email us at [email protected]. You can also use our chat feature in the bottom right corner of the screen.
