Updated for 2026.
Yonkers homeowners pay high Con Edison rates, which is exactly what makes a rooftop solar system pay off here. The catch that trips up a lot of Yonkers research is geography: Yonkers is the fourth-largest city in New York, but it sits in Westchester County, not inside New York City, so the headline New York City property-tax abatement you will read about on solar pages does not apply to your home. The good news is that the New York programs that do apply, Con Edison net metering, the state 25% tax credit, NY-Sun, and a 15-year property-tax exemption, are strong, and Westchester’s larger suburban roofs often fit a bigger system than a dense city block allows. This guide covers what solar panels in Yonkers, NY actually cost, how Con Edison credits your power, which New York incentives still apply to a Westchester homeowner, what the end of the 30% federal homeowner credit (Section 25D, which ended after December 31, 2025) means for your 2026 numbers, and how to screen an installer. Then you can check your address in about a minute.
What a Yonkers roof earns in 2026, and the one myth to clear up
- Your Con Edison power is expensive, which is what makes solar pay. New York residential electricity averages about 28.55 cents per kWh (EIA, as of March 2026), well above the national average, and Con Edison’s Westchester rates sit at the high end of that range, with Con Edison bills scheduled to keep rising through 2028 (Con Edison rate case, as of 2026).
- You are in Con Edison’s Westchester zone, not an NYC borough. Yonkers gets its electricity from Con Edison’s Westchester County service territory, a distinct rate zone from Con Edison’s New York City zone (Con Edison service territories; NY Department of Public Service, as of June 2026).
- The New York City solar property-tax abatement does not apply in Yonkers. That abatement is a New York City program limited to the five boroughs (NY Real Property Tax Law Section 499-bbbb, as of June 2026), so a Yonkers homeowner does not get it.
- What you get instead is a 15-year state property-tax exemption. New York’s RPTL Section 487 exempts the added home value from a solar system for 15 years, and as of the state’s March 31, 2026 opt-out list neither Yonkers nor Westchester County has opted out (NY Department of Taxation and Finance, 487 opt-out list, as of March 31, 2026).
- New York’s state tax credit and NY-Sun stack on top. New York gives a state credit of 25% of system cost, capped at $5,000 (NY Department of Taxation and Finance, Form IT-255, as of 2026), and NY-Sun adds a per-watt rebate in the Con Edison region where you qualify (NYSERDA NY-Sun, as of June 2026).
- The 30% federal homeowner credit (Section 25D) ended after December 31, 2025 (IRS, as of January 1, 2026), so a Yonkers homeowner who buys solar in 2026 cannot claim it.
Is solar worth it in Yonkers in 2026?
For most Yonkers homes with a decent roof, yes, because Con Edison’s rates are high and New York’s incentives are strong. New York residential electricity averages about 28.55 cents per kWh (EIA, as of March 2026), among the higher rates in the country, and Con Edison’s Westchester customers sit at the top end once supply and delivery are combined. So every kilowatt-hour your roof makes offsets an expensive one you would otherwise buy. Con Edison net metering credits your exports, the state adds a 25% tax credit up to $5,000, NY-Sun can add a per-watt rebate, and the RPTL 487 exemption keeps your property taxes from rising on the added value. The honest variable is your roof and how you pay, not whether the New York money is there.
Here is the production math, as a cited estimate. Systems in the lower-Hudson and New York City region produce roughly 1,150 to 1,250 kWh per installed kW per year, based on NREL PVWatts-derived capacity factors for the region (DOE/NREL Renewable Energy Data Book, as of 2026). So a representative 7 kW Yonkers rooftop system would make on the order of 8,050 to 8,750 kWh a year. That is a regional estimate, not a quote for your roof, because real output depends on your pitch, shading, and direction, so confirm your own number with NREL’s free PVWatts calculator. Your production drives both your net-metering credits and any NY-Sun rebate.
At Con Edison’s rates, that production is worth real money. Valued at the 28.55 cent statewide average, the 8,050 to 8,750 kWh a year a 7 kW system makes is worth about $2,300 to $2,500 a year in offset power, before you add NY-Sun and the state tax credit (EIA; DOE/NREL, as of 2026). That is a conservative floor, because Con Edison’s Westchester retail rate runs above the statewide average, so your real offset is likely higher. It is an estimate built from two figures that change, but it shows the scale of the annual benefit on a typical Yonkers roof.
| Yonkers solar economics (estimate, confirm with a quote) | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Annual production, 7 kW system | About 8,050 to 8,750 kWh per year (1,150 to 1,250 kWh per kW) | DOE/NREL, as of 2026 |
| Estimated annual value of that production | About $2,300 to $2,500 a year at the statewide rate, likely higher on Con Edison Westchester | Computed from EIA and DOE/NREL, as of 2026 |
| Average installed cost | About $2.70 to $3.00 per watt, roughly $19,000 to $21,000 before incentives for a 7 kW system | EnergySage New York, as of 2026 |
| New York State tax credit | 25% of cost, capped at $5,000, against your state income tax | NY Tax and Finance, IT-255, as of 2026 |
| Typical payback period | Roughly 7 to 9 years, and Con Edison’s high local rate can shorten it | EnergySage New York, as of 2026 |
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Why the NYC abatement skips Yonkers, and what you get instead
This is the single most important thing to get right about solar in Yonkers. A lot of New York solar content leads with the New York City Solar Electric Generating System property-tax abatement, which returns about 30% of system cost over four years. That program is set in state law for cities of a million or more residents, which in New York means only the five boroughs of New York City, and it is administered by the New York City Department of Finance (NY Real Property Tax Law Section 499-bbbb; NYC Department of Finance, as of June 2026). Yonkers is a Westchester city of well under a million people, north of the city line, so that abatement is not available on a Yonkers home. If you have been counting on it, take it out of your math.
What a Yonkers homeowner gets instead is the statewide 15-year property-tax exemption. New York’s Real Property Tax Law Section 487 exempts the increase in your home’s assessed value that comes from adding a solar system, for 15 years, so your property taxes do not go up because of the panels (NY Department of Taxation and Finance, RPTL 487, as of 2026). The one wrinkle is that a city, county, or school district can opt out of offering it. The good news for Yonkers is that, as of the state’s March 31, 2026 opt-out list, neither the City of Yonkers nor Westchester County has opted out, so the exemption currently applies here (NY Department of Taxation and Finance, 487 opt-out list, as of March 31, 2026).
Note: confirm your jurisdiction’s 487 status before you sign. The state’s opt-out list is updated periodically, and a city, county, or school district can change its position in a future cycle. As of March 31, 2026 Yonkers and Westchester County are not on the opt-out list, so the 15-year exemption applies, but ask your installer or the City of Yonkers assessor to confirm the current status for your address (NY Department of Taxation and Finance, 487 opt-out list, as of March 31, 2026). It is a real benefit on a high-value Westchester home, so it is worth a two-minute check.
Your Yonkers utility is Con Edison, in its Westchester zone
Yonkers is Con Edison territory, but its Westchester zone is its own rate zone. Con Edison serves all of New York City and Westchester County, including Yonkers, and it runs a separate Westchester rate structure from its New York City zone, both filed with the New York Department of Public Service (Con Edison service territories; NY Department of Public Service, as of June 2026). That matters because your exact per-kWh rate, and the value of every solar kilowatt-hour you offset, comes off the Con Edison Westchester tariff, not the statewide average. We do not publish a single Westchester cents-per-kWh figure here because the supply portion resets on a schedule, so to find your own number, add the supply and delivery lines on your Con Edison bill, or look up the Con Edison Westchester residential rate (Service Classification No. 1) and the current supply rate on Con Edison’s rates page (Con Edison rates, as of June 2026).
Con Edison administers your net metering, and a standard home is credited near full retail value. When your panels make more than your home uses, the extra flows to the grid and Con Edison credits your account. For the general mechanics, see how net metering credits your solar exports, and for the full Con Edison rules and the cities it serves, see our Con Edison Westchester net metering and rates guide, which covers your exact service zone. The detail that catches Yonkers homeowners by surprise is that there are two crediting options, and they are worth understanding before you size a system.
How Con Edison credits your Yonkers solar: net metering versus VDER
A new Con Edison residential system chooses between Phase One net metering and the VDER Value Stack, and for most homes net metering wins. Under Phase One net metering, your exports are credited at the full retail rate, leftover credits bank and roll forward month to month for a 20-year term, and you pay a small monthly Customer Benefit Contribution that your credits cannot erase (Con Edison distributed-generation tariffs, as of June 2026). The VDER Value Stack instead pays a per-kWh blend of wholesale energy and grid-value components, usually below the retail rate, and charges only half the monthly contribution (NYSERDA Value of Distributed Energy Resources, as of June 2026). For a typical Yonkers rooftop home, retail-rate net metering produces the higher total savings, so most homeowners stay on it.
| Con Edison crediting option | How exports are valued | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Phase One net metering (default) | Exports credited at the retail rate; leftover credits roll forward, 20-year term | Most homes, where retail-rate netting wins |
| VDER Value Stack (optional) | A per-kWh stack of wholesale energy plus grid-value components, usually below retail, with half the monthly contribution | Larger or specialized projects, and owners who model it and choose it |
Note: why a Con Edison solar bill is rarely exactly zero. Even with net metering you still pay the fixed monthly customer charge, and New York applies a monthly Customer Benefit Contribution to net-metered solar that your credits cannot offset. It is billed per kilowatt of installed solar, reported near $0.94 per kW a month, so a 7 kW Yonkers system runs roughly $6.58 a month, about $79 a year (SolarReviews, Con Edison solar, as of June 2026). Con Edison updates this charge, so ask your installer for the current amount and confirm it against the Con Edison tariff. It is small next to a typical home’s savings, but it is the honest reason a solar bill is not zero.
New York incentives a Yonkers homeowner can stack in 2026
Beyond net metering, a Yonkers homeowner stacks several statewide New York benefits, and most go to whoever owns the system. On a lease or PPA the company that owns the panels keeps these, while the net-metering bill credit still follows your Con Edison account. The headline is the state credit: New York offers 25% of your system cost, capped at $5,000, claimed on Form IT-255, with any unused amount carried forward up to five years (NY Department of Taxation and Finance, IT-255; DSIRE, as of 2026).
| New York benefit | What it is worth | The honest caveat |
|---|---|---|
| New York State tax credit | 25% of system cost, up to $5,000, on Form IT-255 (NY Tax and Finance) | Non-refundable, with a 5-year carryforward; for systems you own, not lease |
| RPTL 487 property-tax exemption | 15-year exemption on the added home value from solar (NY Tax and Finance) | Local opt-out is possible; Yonkers and Westchester have not opted out as of March 31, 2026 |
| NY-Sun rebate (Con Edison region) | A per-watt rebate where you qualify (NYSERDA) | The downstate residential block is income-targeted; confirm your tier on the live dashboard |
| State sales-tax exemption | No 4% New York State sales tax on the solar equipment and installation (NY Tax and Finance) | Statewide; your installer applies it to the quote |
The NYC abatement is gone for you, but the state credit and the 487 exemption are not, and that combination is strong. A Yonkers homeowner who owns the system can claim 25% of the cost up to $5,000 on the state return, skip the sales tax on the equipment, and keep property taxes flat on the added value for 15 years. For the statewide picture, see our New York solar costs and incentives guide, and to weigh the long-run numbers, see the financial case for whether solar panels are worth it.
Note: NY-Sun in the Con Edison region is income-targeted. New York’s NY-Sun program still has a residential incentive in the Con Edison region, but the downstate residential block is largely aimed at income-eligible households, with an enhanced per-watt rate for those who qualify (NYSERDA NY-Sun, as of June 2026). Confirm whether your household qualifies on NYSERDA’s live Con Edison dashboard before counting on it. If you qualify it is real money off the price; if not, plan your numbers around net metering, the state credit, and the 487 exemption.
What the end of the federal tax credit means for Yonkers
The federal homeowner credit is gone, but none of New York’s programs are. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so a Yonkers homeowner who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim that 30% federal credit (IRS Residential Clean Energy Credit; SEIA, as of 2026). You will still see installer pages and search results asking whether the 30% credit is going away; the accurate answer for 2026 is that the homeowner version already ended after 2025. For the full picture, see what the federal solar tax credit change means in 2026.
One federal credit still exists, but 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 (IRS Clean Electricity Investment Credit, as of 2026). So on a lease or PPA, the company that owns the panels takes that credit, and it may show up as a lower monthly price rather than a check to you. The 25D homeowner credit, by contrast, ended after December 31, 2025. The federal change did not touch Con Edison net metering, the New York State credit, NY-Sun, or the 487 exemption, and at Yonkers’s high rates the local case still holds. MySolarFY does not provide tax advice; confirm your situation with a tax professional.
Going solar on a Yonkers home: roofs, permits, and the suburban advantage
Yonkers housing gives many homeowners an easier solar project than a dense city block. Yonkers mixes single-family and two-family homes with pitched roofs that often fit a full-size array, alongside condos and apartment buildings where a shared roof needs agreement first. On an owner-occupied house, the main questions are your roof’s age, pitch, shading, and direction, which is a simpler starting point than a flat brownstone roof carved up by fire-access setbacks. A roof that needs work in a few years is worth re-shingling before panels go on, so a good installer will assess that up front.
Note: Yonkers permitting runs through the city, not the NYC process. Residential rooftop solar in Yonkers is permitted through the City of Yonkers Building Department, outside the New York City Department of Buildings and FDNY fire-code process that governs the five boroughs. Many New York municipalities outside the city have adopted the streamlined New York State Unified Solar Permit to speed small residential PV (NYSERDA Unified Solar Permit, as of June 2026). Ask your installer whether Yonkers uses the Unified Solar Permit or its own building-permit process, and how many Yonkers and Westchester projects they complete a year, since a local installer will manage the city permit, the Con Edison interconnection, and your Permission to Operate.
Paying for solar in Yonkers: cash, loan, lease, or PPA
How you pay decides who keeps the incentives. If you own the system with cash or a loan, the New York State credit, the NY-Sun rebate, and the 487 exemption work in your favor. A lease or PPA can mean no up-front cost for eligible homeowners, but it is a long-term agreement with monthly payments, solar panels are not free, and the company that owns the panels keeps the state credit and any federal commercial credit. To weigh the long-run numbers, see the financial case for whether solar panels are worth it, and for how solar changes your monthly bill, see how solar lowers your electricity bill.
| Path | Up-front cost | Who keeps the state credit and incentives | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash purchase | Full system cost | You, the owner | You want the fastest payback and the most lifetime value |
| Solar loan | Little to none, financed | You, the owner | You want ownership without paying cash up front |
| Lease or PPA | $0-up-front where eligible | The third-party owner | You prefer no up-front cost and a simpler, fixed monthly bill |
How to choose a solar installer in Yonkers
Yonkers has an active local installer market, which is good for you because it means real competition. Aggregator directories rank at the top of search on domain authority, but the company that actually wires your roof should be screened on objective criteria, not a “best installer” list:
- NABCEP certification, the industry’s professional standard for solar installers.
- A valid New York Home Improvement Contractor license and proper electrical licensing.
- Real experience with Con Edison Westchester interconnection, City of Yonkers permitting, NY-Sun, and the New York State tax credit, so the paperwork and your Permission to Operate go smoothly.
- A clear roof-condition assessment and a written workmanship and equipment warranty.
- A written production estimate and a transparent quote that shows the Customer Benefit Contribution and your bill after solar, uses today’s NY-Sun value, and does not count the federal homeowner credit that ended after December 31, 2025.
For a fuller checklist, see the right questions to ask a solar installer. MySolarFY matches you with licensed installers that serve the Yonkers area so you can compare real local quotes side by side, with no obligation. For a nearby contrast, our Brooklyn solar guide covers the very different New York City borough market, where the property-tax abatement and FDNY setbacks do apply.
See which licensed Yonkers installers serve your ZIP →
Weighing your options across the area? Compare nearby solar markets with our local guides for Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Hicksville, and White Plains.
Frequently asked questions
Is solar worth it in Yonkers, NY in 2026? For most Yonkers homes with a usable roof, yes. New York residential electricity averages about 28.55 cents per kWh (EIA, as of March 2026), among the higher rates in the country, and Con Edison’s Westchester rates sit at the top of that range, so every kilowatt-hour your roof makes offsets an expensive grid one. A typical 7 kW system produces roughly 8,050 to 8,750 kWh a year (DOE/NREL, as of 2026), worth about $2,300 to $2,500 a year before incentives. Con Edison net metering credits a home near full retail value, the state adds a 25% credit up to $5,000, and the RPTL 487 exemption keeps property taxes flat on the added value. The main variable is your roof and how you pay.
Who is my electric utility for solar in Yonkers? Con Edison. Yonkers sits in Con Edison’s Westchester County service territory, which is a distinct rate zone from Con Edison’s New York City zone (Con Edison service territories, as of June 2026). It is not served by NYSEG, Orange and Rockland, or Central Hudson. Your interconnection, your net-metering credits, and your Customer Benefit Contribution all run through Con Edison on its Westchester tariff, so the exact value of each solar kilowatt-hour comes off that tariff rather than the statewide average rate.
Does the New York City solar property-tax abatement apply in Yonkers? No. The New York City Solar Electric Generating System property-tax abatement, worth about 30% of cost over four years, is a New York City program limited to the five boroughs (NY Real Property Tax Law Section 499-bbbb, as of June 2026), and Yonkers is in Westchester County, outside the city. What a Yonkers homeowner gets instead is New York’s statewide RPTL 487 exemption, which keeps your property taxes from rising on the added solar value for 15 years; as of the state’s March 31, 2026 opt-out list, neither Yonkers nor Westchester County has opted out (NY Department of Taxation and Finance, as of March 31, 2026). Confirm your jurisdiction’s current status before you rely on it.
What New York solar incentives can a Yonkers homeowner still get in 2026? Several. New York’s state tax credit returns 25% of system cost up to $5,000 on Form IT-255, with a five-year carryforward (NY Tax and Finance, as of 2026). The state sales-tax exemption removes the 4% New York sales tax on the equipment and installation (NY Tax and Finance, as of 2026). The RPTL 487 exemption keeps property taxes flat on the added value for 15 years. And NY-Sun adds a per-watt rebate in the Con Edison region, though the downstate residential block is largely income-targeted, so confirm your tier on NYSERDA’s live dashboard (NYSERDA, as of June 2026).
Is the 30% federal solar tax credit gone for 2026? Yes, for homeowners. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so a Yonkers homeowner who installs solar in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS; SEIA, as of 2026). You will see search results asking whether the credit is being taken away; the accurate answer is that the homeowner version already ended after 2025. A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, can apply to a leased or PPA system, but the business that owns it claims it, not you. New York’s net metering, state credit, NY-Sun, and the 487 exemption were not affected. MySolarFY does not provide tax advice; confirm your situation with a tax professional.
How does net metering work with Con Edison in Yonkers? When your panels make more than you use, the extra flows to the grid and Con Edison credits your account. A standard home defaults to Phase One net metering, which credits exports at the retail rate and rolls leftover credits forward month to month for a 20-year term (Con Edison distributed-generation tariffs, as of June 2026). The VDER Value Stack is an optional alternative that pays a per-kWh blend usually below retail, with half the monthly contribution, so most homes stay on Phase One because retail-rate netting wins. One catch: a monthly Customer Benefit Contribution, reported near $0.94 per kW of installed solar, applies and is not erased by your credits, which is why a Con Edison solar bill is rarely exactly zero.
Can I get solar with no up-front cost in Yonkers? Some homeowners can, through a lease or power purchase agreement (PPA) where eligible, which can mean no out-of-pocket cost at installation in exchange for monthly payments. This is not free solar; it is a long-term agreement, typically 20 to 25 years, that may include an annual price escalator, and total payments may exceed the cost of a cash purchase. On a lease or PPA the third-party owner, not you, keeps the New York State credit and any federal commercial credit, while your benefit is a lower or fixed power price. If you want to own the system and capture those incentives yourself, a cash purchase or solar loan keeps them. Check what you qualify for before deciding.
Reviewed by the MySolarFY team. Figures were verified against the linked EIA, Con Edison, NY Department of Public Service, NY Department of Taxation and Finance, NYSERDA, DSIRE, DOE/NREL, and IRS sources as of June 2026; the Con Edison Westchester rate and Customer Benefit Contribution, NY-Sun block status, the RPTL 487 opt-out list, and net-metering values can change, so confirm current terms with Con Edison, NYSERDA, the City of Yonkers assessor, and your installer 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, tax advisor, or government program, and we do not provide tax advice. The federal residential solar tax credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, so homeowners who install solar in 2026 cannot claim it. “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, and on a lease or PPA the New York State credit and any federal commercial credit go to the company that owns the system, not the homeowner. Solar panels are not free and monthly payments apply. Incentives, savings, and rates vary, change over time, and are not guaranteed. See our full disclaimer.
