More and more Long Islanders are switching to solar energy to reduce the cost of living here, eliminating rising electric bills.
Rather than continuing to pay every-increasing power costs, residential solar lets you pay once for your photovoltaics (PV) system purchase. During a brief payback period, you redirect the same dollars you would have spent on rising electric bills toward your system purchase at a locked-in rate, so your savings are immediate. Thereafter, free electricity!
And, Long Islanders understand how fortunate we are to enjoy our extraordinary mix of precious natural resources. Switching to solar energy on your home reduces your carbon footprint. You’ll be doing your part to preserve our beautiful seashores and beaches, parks and preserves, wineries and farms and more, thereby making a difference for our children and future generations to come, helping planet Earth.
Is Your Home “Solar Ready”?
If you have south, east or west facing roof areas, few or no shading issues, and your electric bill is higher than $100 per month on average, your home is likely “solar ready,” and you will benefit by making the switch to solar electricity.
Built Well Solar makes the switch to solar energy easy.
We take care of everything, from the first step in evaluating your electricity usage and determining the right size and capacity PV* system for your home to next steps in providing turnkey top-quality design and installation services, including processing of all utility and permitting paperwork, and final steps in scheduling all required post-installation independent inspections.
* A solar-electric system is also called a photovoltaic system (PV for short); “photo” means light and “voltaic” means electricity.
Facts & Features
- Long Island’s electric rates are among the highest in the country, making the savings higher and the payback faster than most anywhere else. See more below, “What’s Unique About Long Island.”
- Your solar-electric system purchase paid for with the money you’re already paying for electricity.
- Quick break-even point! The average residential payback period is 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 years – thereafter, free electricity (use your savings for college, vacation, other home improvements, a new car, whatever).
- Day one, you save… due to locked-in rates (your neighbors have rate hikes!)
- Day one, you save… with pre-tax dollars – for every $100 you now pay PSEG, you need to earn $125 to pay your PSEG bill.
- Solar costs have fallen 82% since 2010
(source: PV Magazine). - Panels have become more efficient per square foot & much more attractive and with longer warranties.
Financial Incentives
- Federal tax credit of 30% of cost. That’s a true dollar-to-dollar credit, not a less-valuable deduction. The 26% tax credit was increased to 30% under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
- New York State tax credit of 25%, capped at $5,000. Again, that’s a real dollar-to-dollar credit, not a less-valuable deduction.
- No sales tax on the purchase of a residential PV system. New York State sales tax as well as Nassau or Suffolk county sales tax exemptions apply.
- No property tax increase. A special real estate property tax exemption is in place in New York State, as well as in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
- Environmental benefits. Reduce your carbon footprint & help our Earth! For every 1 kw of your PV system size, about 1,152 lbs. of CO2 per year are eliminated. That correlates to the carbon absorption capability of more than 20 trees per kW. The average 8 kw residential system on Long Island saves 160 trees every year!
- Increased home resale value.
Homes equipped with purchased solar energy systems sell faster than average, and tend to sell at a premium – oftentimes this premium more than pays back the initial costs of the system – according to several real estate studies as published in the New York Times.Keep in mind that Long Island’s dramatically higher-than-average cost of electricity means much higher resale value, and the attractiveness of low or no electricity costs often expedites the selling process.
NOTE: Consult your own advisor regarding tax and other financial incentives as they apply to your unique circumstances. Built Well Solar does not provide financial or tax advice.
What's Unique About Solar on Long Island?
- Our Geographic Advantages
- We're Not Average
- Why on Long Island?
The geography of Long Island allows for above-average sunshine, making it ideal for solar energy.
When it comes to New York State, Long Island is the area that receives the greatest amount of sunshine – hands down! The sun coming from the south actually reflects off the ocean, thereby generously increasing the light intensity (solar irradiance).
Further, because Long Island is the largest landmass in the north to have extended beaches facing south to the Atlantic Ocean, it receives an extraordinary amount of winter sunlight.
Astonishingly but true, our Long Island coastline faces East/West and is considered by scientists to have the MOST of any reflected winter sunlight in the world! We repeat: in the WORLD!
We’re not average.
Averages about solar don’t apply on Long Island. Costs of solar on Long Island are higher than most anywhere else in the country – have you considered our cost of living? – but, again, that also means electricity costs are significantly higher which also makes our payback much faster.
When you read about average costs, average paybacks, average anything, please get the facts specific to Long Island. Prices – AND benefits – are greater. It’s just a fact.
Why solar makes even greater sense on Long Island.
High electric rates. Long Island’s electric rates are among the highest in the nation and have climbed an average of 5% to 7% annually over the past 20 years as the cost of fossil fuels that generate our electricity has skyrocketed and Long Islanders’ usage has exploded.
Only Hawaii and some towns in California have higher electricity rates than Long Island — that means we are the third highest in the nation. Only solar energy can alleviate those staggering and ever-increasing costs!