2023 Solar Incentives Guide for Lansing, NY - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in Lansing.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2023 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
Solar installers are experts in maximizing your solar tax credits and rebates.
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Updated September 15, 2023
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What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Lansing?
State of NY Commercial PACE Financing Program
Residential Solar Tax Credit
Refundable Clean Heating Fuel Tax Credit (Corporate)
NY-Sun Loan Program
Small Business and Not-for-Profit Organizations:
Participation Loans: up to $100,000 (at low interest rate)
On-Bill Recovery loans: $50,000 at 2%
Residential Wood Heating Fuel Exemption
Local Option - Solar Sales Tax Exemption
Solar Sales Tax Exemption
Local Option - Real Property Tax Exemption for Green Buildings
Energy Conservation Improvements Property Tax Exemption
Local Option - Solar, Wind & Biomass Energy Systems Exemption
NY-Sun PV Incentive Program (Residential, Low-Income, and Small Business)
Residential:
Long Island Region: $0.00/W (MW blocks have been fully subscribed)
Con Edison Region: $0.30/W
Upstate Region: $0.35/W
Low-to-Moderate income customers: $0.80/W (up to 10 kW)
Small Commercial (Non-Residential): Long Island Region: $0.00/W (MW blocks have been fully subscribed)
Con Edison Region: $0.60/W
Up State Region: $0.45/W
Multifamily Affordable Housing Adder: additional $0.40/W (up to 50 kW)
Ground Source Heat Pump Rebate Program
Large Systems (> 10 cooling tons): $1,200/cooling ton
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR
Refundable Clean Heating Fuel Tax Credit (Personal)
On-Site Wind Incentive Program
Tier II: 10,000 kWh - 125,000 kWh of expected annual energy production: $1.00/annual kWh
Tier III: 125,000 kWh - 1,000,000 kWh of expected annual energy production: $0.30/ annual kWh
Tier IV: Greater than 1,000,000 kWh of expected annual energy production: $0.15/ annual kWh
These incentives are additive.
Anaerobic Digester Gas-to-Electricity Rebate and Performance Incentive
- Capacity Incentive: Varies on the construction and design of the system
- Performance Incentive: $0.025/kWh production payment for new systems for up to 10 years (estimated using a capacity factor of 75%)
- Interconnection Incentive: up to 75% of the costs exceeding $5,000
- Project Enhancement Incentives: Available for Black Start Capability, Hydrogen Sulfide reduction, design for accepting food waste and others
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
Solar incentives are meant to help mitigate the cost of installing solar panels on your home. These financial incentives are intended to encourage more people to make the switch to renewable energy. Various types of incentives, including cash back, discounts or credit towards your monthly utility bill, may be available to you. Some incentives may be provided via the state of New York, by your utility company or by county or municipality, while other incentives are federal. Categories of solar incentives include:
- Net Metering: Make sure you speak to your Lansing utility company about signing a net metering agreement. This will allow you to get a credit towards your utility bill every month for the value of excess energy your solar panels generate. You could receive either a dollar-for-dollar credit or a percentage of the value.
- Tax Credits: Different from tax deductions, tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, the amount of income tax that you owe the federal government.
- Tax Exemptions: Your solar panels could qualify for exemptions on both sales and property tax. Sales tax exemptions are applied at the time of purchase. Property tax exemptions allow you to ignore the value added by your solar panels when calculating property taxes on your home.
- Rebates: Rebates, or partial refunds after a purchase, are usually given before any solar tax credits are calculated. Rebates might be provided by your local utility company, by your state or by your county.
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Momentum Solar
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Federal Solar Incentives
Federal incentives are the type of incentives that you are most likely to have heard of. An incentive that most people are likely familiar with is the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). This is a tax credit for a predetermined percentage of your solar system's cost.
The ITC can be applied to solar panels installed on your primary or secondary residence in the United States. The solar panels must have been installed on a property you own after January 1, 2006 for you to claim the credit. Initially, the ITC applied to 30% of all system costs (panels, accessories, equipment and labor), although the amount has fluctuated slightly over the years between 26-30%. The amount you qualify for will depend on when your solar system was installed. There is no cap on the amount you can claim.
To understand exactly how much the ITC could save you, speak with your local Lansing solar panel installer.
The ITC has been renewed and expanded following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022. It's also now called the Clean Energy Credit. Under the new program, solar installation projects that are completed between 2022 and 2032 can qualify for a 30% tax credit. This percentage will then decrease slightly each year until the current Clean Energy Credit expires in 2035. Starting in 2023, the expansion will also make claiming credit for energy storage systems easier than ever before.
Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. Your local Lansing solar panel company is the best resource for answering your questions regarding the new Clean Energy Credit and how it applies to you.
State & Local Solar Incentives
Some solar incentives are often also provided at the state and local level. Like with federal incentives, these could include rebates, tax credits and more. These solar incentives — which may be given by the state of New York, or by your county or municipality — may be offered on an ongoing basis, or for only a limited time.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in Lansing
Nationwide solar energy use has significantly increased in the last 15 years, in part thanks to the increase in availability of solar incentives. You might receive these incentives from the federal government, the New York government or your local utility company. Speaking with your local Lansing solar panel installation expert is a great first step towards making sure you get all the incentives you qualify for when you switch to solar energy.
EcoWatch's Lansing, NY Solar Incentives FAQs
How much can I save on my electric bill annually if I install solar panels on my Lansing home?
Typically, homeowners in Lansing who install solar panels save around $652.49 per year, or around $12,397.23 over 20 years after they make the switch.
What are the highest-rated solar panel installation companies near me?
To learn about the top solar panel installation companies near you, take a look at our article on Lansing's top solar panel companies.
What are some of the environmental benefits of switching to solar energy?
Solar energy is renewable — by changing where you get your energy, you help lessen the strain on our planet's resources. You can also lower the CO2 emissions from your home by 100 pounds a year, or roughly 2,000 pounds over 20 years.
How long until the federal solar tax credit ends?
The federal solar tax credit, formerly called the ITC and now called the Clean Energy Credit, is set to end January 1, 2035. The current 30% credit will end in 2032, replaced by a 26% credit in 2033 and a 22% credit in 2034.
Can I receive incentives both towards the initial cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
Yes, you can claim both rebates and tax credits towards the cost of solar panels. Depending on which incentives you are receiving, they may apply in a different order. Be sure to speak with your solar installer or a local tax professional to confirm that you are claiming the correct incentives and that you're getting the most money you can.
Our goal is to reach as many people as we can with sensible solutions like solar energy. Our team of full-time local researchers collects solar price and installation data for every city in America then compiles it to create these digestible city guides. If you want to read our solar expert's opinion on the top solar companies featured here, follow this link.
Solar incentive research was conducted by Melissa Smith and Karsten Neumeister. Local data analysis was conducted by James Savino. See something we missed or could do better? Email the editor.