Find a Contractor

The more you learn about solar, the better prepared you will be to have an informed conversation with a contractor. To learn more about the basics of solar energy, check out our FAQs and learn about your solar options.

• Know your payment options. There are multiple payment options available for commercial solar customers. It’s important to understand the details of each option offered by your participating contractor, and what the pros and cons are.
• Confirm your options. If your property isn’t ideal for solar panels, there may be community solar projects in your area.

To access incentives, you must choose one of the hundreds of available independent participating contractors. Visit one of the participating contractor maps below to get started.

• Check their references. Before hiring a contractor, check the contractor’s references and talk to people who have previously hired the contractor. It is important that you find a contractor that is responsive to your needs and questions.
• Request proposals. Ask contractors that work in your area for proposals. You will need to tell the contractor’s representative how much your business is currently paying per kilowatt-hour of electricity, including all fees and taxes. You will also need to give the representative a year’s worth of your business’s electricity usage data. This data often appears as a chart on your most recent electric bill.

• Take time to carefully review and compare the proposals, including the financing options. The proposals may contain unique payment options—be sure to understand the terms of the offer. Discuss who is responsible for obtaining and paying for any and all permits, inspections, and approvals with your contractor before you sign. These responsibilities should be addressed in a written agreement with your contractor.
• Verify all numbers used in the energy analysis and proposal. Have an accountant or tax professional verify if you are eligible for any possible tax credits.
• Determine whether installing solar will affect your property taxes. New York State Real Property Tax Law (RPTL) 487 provides a 15-year real property tax exemption for renewable energy systems. However, some municipalities and school districts have opted out of the exemption, meaning residents who install solar may have to pay additional property taxes. To determine if your municipality has opted out of RPTL 487, call your local tax assessor’s office. See the list of municipalities that have opted out.

After you decide which participating contractor you want to work with, the contractor will provide you with a customer purchase/lease agreement addendum to protect you, the customer, and the project application. The contractor will file the application.

Energy Assessment. Commercial customers can expect their contractor to complete an energy assessment as part of the application process. Customers are encouraged, but not required, to implement energy efficiency measures identified by their participating contractor.

Your participating contractor will be notified directly by NY-Sun of the approval or denial of each project application and must notify you about the status of your application.

• A notice of approval will specify the amount of the incentive and the time frame within which your system must be installed. Small to medium-sized projects must be completed within 12 months from the day of NYSERDA approval. Large projects must be completed within 30 months from the day of NYSERDA approval. (The size of a project is based on energy capacity, not the size of a site or property.) It is important that you, the customer, keep track of this deadline to avoid cancellation of the incentive. NY-Sun may grant extensions on a case-by-case basis.
• A notice of denial will detail deficiencies in the application, allowing you and your contractor to make corrections and resubmit it

Your participating contractor will set up a required inspection and interconnection of your system to the electric grid. Once your system is up and running and all the necessary paperwork is complete, you can start lowering your electric bill and enjoying the other benefits of clean energy.