National Grid (New York): how it credits the solar power you send to the grid
1:1 net metering for upstate customers, with a Customer Benefit Contribution of $1.49 per kW each month (2025).
Checked November 12, 2026. Utilities change these rules; check the current tariff before you sign.
How it works
Exported power earns the full retail price, kWh for kWh.
National Grid's Niagara Mohawk company serves Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and much of upstate New York.
An 8 kW system pays about $11.92 a month in Customer Benefit Contribution on top of the regular basic service charge.
If you buy supply from a competing company, New York credits that part one-for-one as well.
Fixed solar charge. Customer Benefit Contribution: $1.49 per kW DC each month (2025). Solar credits can't pay it.
What it means for a typical New York home
An average New York home uses about 7,032 kWh a year. A 5 kW system costs about $12,850 at the 2026 median price and makes about 6,455 kWh in its first year, of which we assume about 3,873 kWh goes out to the grid because no one is home to use it.
| First-year savings | Payback | 25-year savings, after the price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| With National Grid (New York)'s credit and monthly charge | $1,614 | 8 years | $35,948 |
| Without the monthly charge | $1,703 | 8 years | $39,002 |
The monthly charge costs a typical system about $3,054 over 25 years. Uses New York's average electricity price; National Grid (New York)'s own prices may be higher or lower. Paid in cash, no federal credit, prices rising 2.5% a year, one inverter replacement.
Also in New York: Con Edison (full retail credit), PSEG Long Island (full retail credit).
All 55 utilities · Solar in New York · Lease and PPA terms by company
Sources: NYSERDA: 2025 Customer Benefit Contribution rates; Palmetto: New York utility guide; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), final 2025 data: Annual State Historical Spreadsheets (Form EIA-861, released October 7, 2026) and Electric Power Annual (October 21, 2026); EnergySage: median quoted price, first half of 2026.