2024 Solar Incentives Guide for Watertown, NY - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in Watertown.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2024 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
Solar installers are experts in maximizing your solar tax credits and rebates.
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What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Watertown?
State of NY Commercial PACE Financing Program
Residential Solar Tax Credit
Refundable Clean Heating Fuel Tax Credit (Corporate)
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. This category of financial incentives is intended to encourage more Americans to convert their home partially or fully to renewable energy. You might qualify for various types of incentives, including discounts, cash back or credit towards your monthly utility bill, depending on your situation. Some incentives come from your specific utility company, county or municipality, some from the state of New York and others from the federal government. You might qualify for any of the following types of solar incentives:
- Rebates: Solar rebates might be offered by your local utility company, or by your county or state. These rebates work as partial refunds that are applied after you pay for solar panels and before tax credits are calculated.
- Tax Exemptions: Your solar panel system could qualify for both sales tax and property tax exemptions. Sales tax exemptions are effective at the time of purchase. Property tax exemptions let you exclude the value added by your solar panels when calculating property taxes on your house.
- Net Metering: Net metering factors in after your solar panels are up and running. If you have a net metering agreement with your Watertown utility company, the company will subtract the value of the excess energy your solar system produces from your monthly utility bill. In some areas, this is a dollar-for-dollar credit, while in others you may get refunded 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.
Best National Provider
SunPower
- Most efficient panels on the market
- National coverage
- Cradle to Cradle sustainability certification
- Great warranty coverage
- Expensive
- Customer service varies by local dealer
Best Regional Coverage
Momentum Solar
- Great warranty coverage
- Representatives are experts on local policies
- Concierge service ensures steady communication
- Slightly limited service offerings
Best for Leasing
Sunrun
- Expansive service area
- Many financing options
- Some reported issues with customer service
- Some reported issues with door-to-door sales
Federal Solar Incentives
When people think of solar incentives, federal incentives might be the first thing that comes to mind. The solar incentive that you're most familiar with is probably the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which gives you a credit on your taxes equal to a specified percentage of your solar system's cost.
The ITC applies to a solar system 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 be eligible for the credit. The ITC initially covered 30% of all installation costs (panels, accessories, labor and equipment), although this amount has fluctuated 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 claim amount.
Reaching out to your local Watertown solar panel installer is the best way to understand how the ITC could apply to you.
In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act laid out new provisions for the ITC, now referred to as the Clean Energy Credit. Homeowners can now receive a credit equal to 30% of the total costs of solar system installation for projects that began after January 1, 2022, and will be finished by the end of 2032. The credit percentage will then begin to decrease annually until the Clean Energy Credit ends in 2035. The expansion to the program also makes claiming credit for energy storage systems easier than ever before, beginning in 2023.
More information about the new Inflation Reduction Act can be found here. To understand how the new Clean Energy Credit will apply to you, get in touch with your local Watertown solar installers.
State & Local Solar Incentives
Not all solar incentives are federal; rebates, tax credits and more are often offered at the local or state level. Incentives may be offered by the state of New York, or by your county or municipality. Some incentives may be available for only a limited time, while others are ongoing.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in Watertown
Solar incentives might be provided by your local utility company, the federal government or the New York government. The variety of available solar incentives has contributed to a large increase in solar energy use in the last 15 years. It is a good idea to talk to your local Watertown solar installation expert to learn more about these incentives and to ensure that you're getting the most money possible for your solar system.
EcoWatch's Watertown, NY Solar Incentives FAQs
How do I know if I qualify for specific solar incentives?
It's best to speak with your local Watertown solar installer to get an understanding of which incentives your project may qualify for. Typically, solar incentives apply to new solar panel systems installed on property you own (in the U.S.) between the dates specified by the incentive. Some incentives, like those offered by the government of New York, may have other requirements.
How much will a solar system save me annually on my electric bill in Watertown?
After adding solar panels to your Watertown home, you can anticipate savings of around $703.35 per year, or about $13,363.59 over the next 20 years.
What are the environmental benefits of switching to solar energy?
You can lower your carbon footprint by 100 pounds of CO2 a year when you install solar panels. This adds up to around 2,000 pounds over 20 years. In addition, solar power is a renewable energy source, meaning that switching your home over lessens the drain on our planet's resources.
Can I apply for incentives both towards the up-front cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
The order your incentives will be applied in could vary depending on which incentives you are eligible for but generally yes, you can receive multiple types of incentives for your solar project. Speak to your solar installer or a local tax professional to ensure you are claiming all the incentives you qualify for and applying them in the correct order.
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.