- Orange and Rockland is a Con Edison subsidiary serving about 233,000 New York residential electric customers across Rockland, Orange, and Sullivan counties, separate from Con Edison’s downstate area and from O&R’s New Jersey arm (NYSERDA O&R utility profile, as of June 2026).
- New York residential power averages about 28.55 cents per kWh (EIA, as of March 2026), and O&R’s own basic service charge is $22.50 a month under rates effective January 1, 2026 (O&R rate news, as of 2026).
- A standard O&R home is credited through Phase One net metering, which nets your exports at the retail rate each month and runs for a 20-year term, though year-end excess is cashed out at the lower wholesale price (O&R net-metering FAQ, as of June 2026).
- New York’s state credit is 25% of system cost, capped at $5,000, and it is separate from the federal credit that ended (NY Dept. of Taxation and Finance, as of 2026).
- The 30% federal homeowner credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025 (IRS, as of 2026), so a 2026 buyer cannot claim the federal credit, but New York’s own benefits still apply.
If Orange and Rockland is your electric utility in the lower Hudson Valley, this is how rooftop solar actually credits you in 2026, including a couple of New York details that trip people up. O&R is a Consolidated Edison subsidiary serving Rockland, Orange, and Sullivan counties, and its New York rules are different from both Con Edison’s downstate territory and O&R’s own New Jersey side. A standard home is credited through net metering rather than the Value Stack, there is a monthly charge unique to New York solar, and while the federal tax credit ended for 2026 buyers, New York’s own state credit did not. This page covers O&R’s rate, how its net metering works, the charge that surprises people, what is left of NY-Sun, how you connect, and how to tell whether your roof is a good fit. For the wider state picture, see our guide to New York solar incentives and net metering.
Orange and Rockland at a glance
O&R is the regulated electric delivery utility for the lower Hudson Valley and the interconnection authority for solar in that territory. Because it is a Con Edison subsidiary that also has a New Jersey arm, it is worth being clear that this page is about the New York side.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Service territory | The lower Hudson Valley: Rockland, Orange, and Sullivan counties, New York (NYSERDA O&R profile) |
| Parent and siblings | A Con Edison subsidiary; distinct from Con Edison (NYC and Westchester) and from O&R’s New Jersey arm, Rockland Electric (O&R corporate facts) |
| Rate context | New York averages about 28.55 cents per kWh (EIA, March 2026); O&R’s basic service charge is $22.50 a month as of January 1, 2026 |
| Default crediting | Phase One net metering: exports netted at the retail rate, a 20-year term, with year-end excess paid at the wholesale price |
| Other option | The VDER Value Stack, a monetary tariff you can opt into instead |
| New York charge | A Customer Benefit Contribution, billed monthly per kW of installed solar and not offset by your credits |
| Before you switch on | O&R must grant Permission to Operate first |
Why solar pays on an Orange and Rockland bill
New York power is expensive, which is the core reason rooftop solar pays here. New York residential electricity averages about 28.55 cents per kWh (EIA, as of March 2026), and O&R is a higher-cost downstate territory, so every kilowatt-hour your roof makes offsets a pricey one from the grid. O&R’s bill has a fixed $22.50 monthly basic service charge plus per-kWh delivery and a Market Supply Charge, all set in its New York tariff under the rate plan that took effect January 1, 2026 (O&R rate news, as of 2026). Because O&R publishes the per-kWh pieces as tariff statements that change through the year, the simplest way to see the rate your solar offsets is to divide the total on your O&R bill by the kWh you used. The fixed monthly charge stays even after you add solar, so a solar bill is rarely exactly zero.
Your production drives the savings, so estimate it before you commit. A Hudson Valley roof makes less power in the short days of December than in June, and the exact yearly figure depends on your roof’s pitch, orientation, and shade. We do not publish a fabricated production number here. Estimate your roof’s likely annual output with NREL’s free PVWatts calculator, then have your installer confirm it with a site-specific model. That production figure drives both your net-metering credits and whether the system fits your usage.
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How Orange and Rockland credits your rooftop solar
A standard O&R home is credited through net metering, not the Value Stack, and the details have a couple of New York twists. When your panels send power to the grid, O&R nets it against the power you pull within the same billing month at the retail rate, a bill credit it calls your Private Generation Credit, and this Phase One net metering runs for a 20-year term from the date your system goes into service (O&R net-metering FAQ, as of June 2026). For a plain-English primer on how export credits work in general, see how net metering credits your solar exports.
The New York wrinkle is the year-end true-up. At the end of the annual cycle, any leftover excess generation is cashed out at New York’s wholesale day-ahead price rather than the retail rate, which is far lower. O&R’s own example values about 1,500 surplus kWh at roughly $34.50 (O&R net-metering FAQ, as of June 2026). So this is retail-rate netting month to month, not unlimited retail banking, and the practical lesson is to size the system close to your own yearly use so most of your output offsets retail-priced power rather than being cashed out cheaply.
| Crediting option | How you are paid | Who it tends to suit |
|---|---|---|
| Phase One net metering (default) | Exports netted at the retail rate each month for a 20-year term; year-end excess paid at the wholesale price | Most homes, where retail-rate netting beats the Value Stack (O&R FAQ) |
| VDER Value Stack (opt-in) | Monetary credits from the wholesale energy price plus capacity and environmental values | Community and larger projects, and homeowners who model it and choose it; the switch is one-time and one-way (O&R NY tariff) |
Note: New York adds a monthly charge to net-metered solar, and your credits cannot erase it. Mass-market solar customers in O&R territory pay a Customer Benefit Contribution, a non-bypassable monthly charge based on the size of your system in kilowatts, set in O&R’s electric tariff (Leaf 185.15) and updated over time (O&R net-metering FAQ, as of June 2026). It is modest relative to your savings, but it is real, it is not offset by your solar credits, and the exact per-kilowatt figure changes, so ask O&R or your installer for the current amount when you model your payback.
New York incentives an Orange and Rockland customer can stack
New York’s incentives do real work in 2026, and they stack on top of net metering. For the statewide picture, see our New York solar incentives hub, and our guide to solar incentives for how these fit together.
| Incentive | What it gives you | The New York detail |
|---|---|---|
| Net metering | Retail-rate monthly netting, a 20-year term, with year-end excess at the wholesale price (O&R FAQ) | A monthly Customer Benefit Contribution applies and is not offset by credits |
| New York State credit | 25% of system cost, up to $5,000, on Form IT-255 (NY Tax and Finance) | Non-refundable, with up to a 5-year carryforward; New York kept it for 2026 |
| State sales-tax exemption | No state sales tax on residential solar equipment (NY Tax and Finance) | Applied at purchase; many localities also waive the local portion |
| Property-tax exemption (RPTL 487) | The added home value from solar is exempt from property tax for 15 years (NY RPTL 487) | Local option: a few jurisdictions opt out, so confirm yours has not |
| NY-Sun rebate | A declining dollar-per-watt rebate, where still open (NYSERDA Upstate dashboard) | The standard residential block has closed in O&R’s region; an income-qualified incentive of about $0.80/W remains |
The headline is that New York’s own credit survived the federal change. New York still offers a state credit worth 25% of your system cost, capped at $5,000 and claimed on Form IT-255, and it applies whether you buy with cash, a loan, a lease, or a PPA (NY Department of Taxation and Finance, as of 2026). On top of that, residential solar equipment is exempt from state sales tax, and New York’s RPTL 487 keeps the added home value off your property tax bill for 15 years unless your local jurisdiction has opted out (NY RPTL 487, as of 2026). Together with retail net metering, that stack is what carries the payback in 2026.
NY-Sun: what is actually open in 2026
Do not count on the old NY-Sun cash rebate as a typical homeowner. New York’s NY-Sun program ran a Megawatt Block incentive that paid a declining dollar-per-watt rebate, but the standard residential block has closed in O&R’s region as the program wound down (NYSERDA Upstate dashboard, as of June 2026). What remains is an income-qualified Affordable Solar incentive, about $0.80 per watt for households that meet the income limits. If your income qualifies, that is real money toward the system; if it does not, plan your numbers without a NY-Sun rebate and lean on net metering and the state credit instead. Because NYSERDA updates these blocks over time, confirm the live status on the NYSERDA dashboard before counting any rebate.
Rooftop solar versus Solar for All and community solar
Several of the O&R solar results people find are about Solar for All, REACH, or community solar, which are different from owning panels, so it helps to separate them. Solar for All and REACH are New York bill-assistance programs that give income-eligible customers a credit on their O&R bill from off-site community solar farms, with no panels and nothing to buy (O&R Solar for All, as of June 2026). General community solar, which New York calls community distributed generation, is a paid subscription to a share of an off-site array, again delivered as a bill credit rather than rooftop ownership (O&R community distributed generation, as of June 2026).
| Question | Rooftop solar you own | Solar for All / community solar |
|---|---|---|
| Panels on your roof | Yes, your system | No, an off-site shared array |
| Up-front cost | Cash, a loan, or a $0-up-front lease/PPA where you qualify | None; Solar for All is a bill credit, community solar is a subscription |
| Net metering | Yes, Phase One net metering on your bill | No, you receive a community-solar or bill-assistance credit |
| New York State credit | Yes, the owner can claim the 25% state credit | No, you do not own a system |
| Best for | A sunny, structurally sound roof you plan to keep | Renters, shaded roofs, or income-eligible households |
Owning a rooftop system is the path that earns net metering and lets you claim New York’s state credit, because you own the equipment. If a sunny roof is not an option, Solar for All or a community-solar subscription is a fair alternative to compare.
How to connect solar to Orange and Rockland
Connecting a home system follows New York’s Standardized Interconnection Requirements, administered by O&R, and you cannot turn the system on until O&R issues Permission to Operate. The general path is:
- Interconnection application. Your installer files online through O&R’s PowerClerk portal with the system design and the required documents. Standard residential systems of 50 kW or less generally have no application fee in New York.
- Review and conditional approval. O&R reviews the package, generally within about 10 business days for a standard home, and issues conditional approval. The application details must match the account holder.
- Install and inspect. A licensed contractor installs the system and it passes your local electrical inspection.
- Meter and Permission to Operate. O&R sets the net meter, may run a verification or witness test or waive it, and then returns the executed interconnection agreement, which is your Permission to Operate. Your system can only start banking net-metering credits once it is approved to run.
A licensed installer normally manages this whole process, including the interconnection paperwork and your net-metering enrollment.
What changed federally, and what New York still offers
The federal homeowner credit is gone, but New York’s own programs are not. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so an O&R customer who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim the federal credit (IRS, as of 2026). For the full timeline, see what the end of the federal solar tax credit means in 2026. New York’s own benefits were not affected by that change: the state credit of 25% up to $5,000, the sales-tax exemption, the 15-year property-tax exemption, and retail net metering all still apply in 2026.
One federal exception remains, and it is not yours to claim. A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, is claimed by the business that owns a leased or PPA system, not by the homeowner. On a leased system you do not file for a federal credit yourself, because the company that owns the panels does. The 25D homeowner credit, by contrast, ended after December 31, 2025, so do not let a sales pitch tell a 2026 cash or loan buyer otherwise.
How to choose a solar installer in Orange and Rockland territory
The Hudson Valley has plenty of installers, so vetting matters. Rather than chasing a “best installer” list, screen any company against objective criteria:
- NABCEP certification, the industry’s professional standard for PV installers.
- A valid New York contractor license and proper insurance.
- A clear workmanship and equipment warranty in writing.
- Real experience with O&R interconnection and Permission to Operate, plus eligibility for any NY-Sun incentive you qualify for.
- A written production estimate and a transparent quote that shows the Customer Benefit Contribution, the wholesale year-end true-up, and your bill after solar, rather than a rosy retail-only projection.
For comparison with the rest of downstate New York, see how the credits work under Con Edison net metering in New York City and Westchester. MySolarFY matches you with licensed installers that serve your area so you can compare real local quotes side by side, with no obligation.
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Frequently asked questions
Reviewed by the MySolarFY team. Figures were verified against the linked Orange and Rockland, NYSERDA, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, New York RPTL, EIA, and IRS sources as of June 2026; net-metering terms, the rate, the Customer Benefit Contribution, NY-Sun block status, and electricity rates reset over time, so confirm current terms with Orange and Rockland and NYSERDA before you decide. MySolarFY does not provide tax or financial advice; consult a licensed professional about your own situation. Learn more about the MySolarFY team and how we work.
MySolarFY is a free service that matches homeowners with licensed solar installers. We are not an installer, financing company, or government program. “No up-front cost” refers to qualifying lease or PPA financing, where eligible homeowners may have no out-of-pocket cost at installation. Lease and PPA terms typically run 20 to 25 years, may include an annual price escalator, and total payments may exceed the cost of a cash purchase. Homeowners do not get the federal residential credit that ended after December 31, 2025. Solar panels are not free and monthly payments apply. Eligibility, savings, incentives, and rates vary and are not guaranteed. See our full disclaimer.