Solar for Multifamily Buildings

Install solar on your roof or property 

You can install solar on the roof or in the ground on your property. The solar panels would help you meet the building’s energy needs, but your electric utility company would continue to provide energy at night, on cloudy days, or when the building’s energy demand is too high for the solar panels to support.

The monetary savings are distributed depending on whether the building has one electricity meter (often called a master metered building) or multiple meters (for example, separate meters for common areas and tenants). When the solar panels generate more electricity than the building is using, the excess energy is sent back to the grid and is then reflected as bill savings in the form of credits on your electric utility bill. Working with a solar contractor will help you determine how to best install solar so you and your tenants receive the most benefits.

Take advantage of offsite solar 
If installing solar is not viable on your multifamily building’s roof or property, you can access clean energy through community solar or, in some cases, remote crediting. 

Community solar is a large array of solar panels at an offsite location that allows you to access the benefits of solar and save money without installing solar panels on your roof or property. You can subscribe to a community solar project and receive credits on your electric utility bill for the energy produced by the project. Both master meters and individual meters can connect to one community solar project. For more information on community solar, visit NY-Sun's Community Solar for Business page.

Through remote crediting, larger buildings may be able to have an entire offsite solar project dedicated to their energy needs. Working with a solar developer will help you determine whether community solar or remote crediting is best for your building. For more information on remote crediting, visit NY-Sun’s Solar Options page. 

Multifamily building owners and managers can access incentives for solar installations by working with a participating contractor. Incentives are provided directly to your selected contractor and vary throughout the State. Work with a NYSERDA-approved participating contractor to find out if you are eligible for NY-Sun incentives. 

MW Block Program

NY-Sun’s main incentives are structured through the Megawatt (MW) Block Program and the incentive amount depends on the size and location of a project. The incentives are designed to decrease as certain solar markets develop and become self-sustaining. Therefore, it is important to check the MW Block dashboard for real-time incentive rates and availability.

Multifamily Affordable Housing Incentives 

Additional incentives are available for affordable housing. The Multifamily Affordable Housing Incentive is available for nonresidential solar installations sited on regulated multifamily affordable housing in the Con Edison, Upstate, and Long Island regions. Incentive rates for the Multifamily Affordable Housing Incentive are listed in the following table:

Con Edison CDG projects that receive the Community Credit will receive $1.00/W. CDG projects on eligible properties owned by a public housing authority or nonprofit organization can receive an additional $0.15/W if no less than 60% of project capacity will be dedicated to low-to-moderate income subscribers, with a minimum bill credit discount of 20% or equivalent; and with any remaining capacity dedicated to an eligible affordable housing building within the same affordable housing portfolio or development.

Below is an example of how the additional incentive works with NY-Sun’s MW Block incentive:

	Sample Estimated Incentive Con Edison 25 kW CDG System Regulated Affordable Housing Property
_	$110,000	Total System Cost Before NYSERDA Incentives
	$50,000	MW Block Incentive + Multifamily Affordable Housing Adder (combined $2.00/Watt)
=	$60,000	Total System Cost After NYSERDA Incentives

 

Below are some questions specific to multifamily buildings. To find answers to other common questions related to how solar works, the benefits, how to pay for solar, and so on, visit NY-Sun’s Frequently Asked Questions page. 

Are there any restrictions on the meter type and a community solar project?

Yes. Electricity meters over 25 kW (often called demand-metered accounts) can offtake a maximum of 40% of a community solar project’s generation capacity. Electricity meters below 25 kW (non-demand meters) can offtake their entire demand. This is to ensure that a community solar project is benefiting as many subscribers as possible. Additionally, a community solar project must have at least 10 subscribers (excluding projects sited on master metered multifamily buildings with at least 10 residential units).

Can one building or electricity meter take the entire capacity of a community solar project?

Yes. If a master metered multifamily building has at least 10 residential units, then it may offtake the entire capacity of a community solar project. Alternatively, a multifamily building can subscribe to a remote crediting project and offtake the entire capacity of that project, regardless of the buildings size. Remote crediting and community solar offer the same service, but there are three main differences:

• the number of subscribers allowed: remote crediting projects cannot have more than 10 subscribers, whereas community solar projects must have a minimum of 10 subscribers (excluding projects sited on master metered multifamily buildings with at least 10 residential units).
• the ability to have onsite solar: customers may have onsite solar and subscribe to a remote crediting project, however, customers cannot have onsite solar and subscribe to a community solar project.
• the ability to subscribe to multiple projects: remote crediting subscribers may participate in multiple remote crediting projects, but community solar subscribers can only participate in one community solar project at a time. Customers subscribed to a remote crediting project cannot also participate in a community solar project, and vice versa.

What is the average installed cost for solar?

The cost is typically described in $/Watt and is dependent upon the size and the location of the project.

In the ConEdison region:

• Residential (single-family) costs approx. $4.40/W ($18,000 - $35,000 before incentives)
• Multifamily/Small-Commercial costs approx. $4.30/W

In the Upstate region:

• Residential (single-family) costs approx. $3.50/W ($16,000 - $45,000 before incentives)
• Multifamily/Small-Commercial costs approx. $2.65/W 

Multifamily affordable housing providers, community organizations or agencies, and technical service providers can access grants of up to $200,000 through the Predevelopment Program to support the development stages of community led solar and energy storage projects that benefit low- to moderate-income households and/or disadvantaged communities. Funding is available to projects located in the Con Edison, Upstate, and Long Island regions.