Think solar is expensive? Think again! There are now affordable options for homeowners and renters to supply 100% of your home's electricity

Now is a great time to go solar. There are three different ways to power your home with solar, with options for homeowners and renters. If you purchase a system, incentives for going solar typically cover up to 60-65% of a system's cost. But purchase is not required; there are options to purchase solar power generated locally at prices that are lower than the utilities', including a new free subscription program for income-eligible New York residents.

Learn the Three Ways You can get solar energy for your home in NYS

Our Community Energy Advisors can help you figure out which option may work for you. We are not salespeople, and are here to help you every step of the way. You can also receive support from a partner non-profit, the Southern Tier Solar Works.

(By the way, before considering solar, we recommend getting an energy audit first, and trying to reduce your energy use. By reducing your energy use you may end up needing a smaller solar array, which will also be cheaper.)

Watch the video above or read on for more information about the three solar options, including relevant incentives available, and local contractors:

Illustration of a house with two solar panels on the left side of the roof and a shining sun above in the sky.
Graphic depicts 18 solar panels arranged in a 3 by 6 grid. The leftmost 3 are grouped together and collectively labeled " your neighbor's." The remaining 5 in the top row are labeled "yours," and the remaining 10 are labeled "a small business"
A graphic depicting a piece of paper with "$$" at the top and "solar credit" on the bottom

Residential Solar - solar panels on roof or property

Community Solar - purchase panels on a community solar farm

Subscription Solar - short-term contract for purchasing solar power from solar farm