NYSERDA's battery storage incentive, county by county.
New York has the richest state layer for commercial storage in the country. It pays a per-kWh incentive, but the rate depends on which utility territory the building is in, and one county line is worth $50 a kWh. Here is the 2026 picture as KEEL reads it from the live block chart and the April 2026 program manual, what a project has to do to claim it, and where KEEL works in the state (New York Service Area).
Rates by territory
| Territory | Counties | Rate (Sep 22, 2026) | Block status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Con Edison, Westchester | Westchester | $125 / kWh | Block 2, 87% of $48.8M remaining |
| Con Edison, New York City | Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island | $75 / kWh | Block 10, 54% of $30M remaining; five step-downs since 2025 |
| Orange & Rockland | Rockland, Orange | $175 / kWh | Block 5, 89% of $102M remaining; Block 6 queued at $150 |
| PSEG Long Island | Nassau, Suffolk | None | Block closed Oct 2021; no successor opened |
| Critical-facility block (statewide, ex-LI) | Any designated disadvantaged-community tract | $350 / kWh | $15.75M budget, opened Apr 2026, unclaimed as of Sep 22 2026 |
Source: NYSERDA retail storage block chart, read September 22, 2026, and the April 2026 program manual. Rates change as blocks fill; KEEL re-reads the chart on the day a project is priced.
The critical-facility block: five tests, all required
The $350/kWh block is the single largest swing in downstate storage economics, and as of September 22, 2026 nobody had claimed a dollar of it. To qualify a project must pass all five tests in the program manual:
- The address is in a designated disadvantaged-community census tract (waived for affordable housing). KEEL runs this lookup on every address.
- The system serves a nonprofit, public or affordable-housing facility.
- The facility is an operating critical facility on the manual's list: houses of worship, schools including parochial, libraries, senior and community centers, affordable multifamily over four units, clinics and nursing homes, emergency services, shelters, food banks, childcare, cooling centers.
- The battery is behind the customer's meter.
- The battery is configured to provide backup power during an outage. No minimum duration is specified; the one-line drawing is the proof.
Disadvantaged-community density is high across the region: about 45% of Westchester tracts, 84% of the Bronx, 53% of Orange County, 28% of Rockland. Nassau and Suffolk are the exception at 13 to 16%, and are excluded from the block regardless.
What every project needs
- A NYSERDA participating contractor on the job. Since April 2026 the larger-project tier requires five years of storage experience and three references over 600 kWh totaling 3 MW; without it, projects are capped at 600 kWh.
- Prevailing wage on projects of 1 MW AC and above.
- Rate lock at Submitted. Apply early; the rate you submit under is the rate you get.
- Permission to operate by December 31, 2030.
What KEEL does with this: confirms the territory and block, runs the disadvantaged-community lookup, checks the contractor's standing, and puts the incentive on its own line in the pricing model with the source cited. If the block steps down before submission, the model is re-run and the owner sees the new number before signing.
Common questions
How much is the NYSERDA battery storage incentive in Westchester?
$125 per kWh of installed capacity for commercial projects in Con Edison's Westchester territory, from a block that was 87% unspent as of September 22, 2026. Rockland and Orange counties are Orange & Rockland territory and sit in a different block at $175 per kWh.
How much is it in New York City?
$75 per kWh as of September 22, 2026. The NYC block stepped down from $125 through $100, $90 and $80 across 2025 and early 2026 as projects claimed it; the current block was 54% unspent. Expect further step-downs and price the project with a cushion.
Is there a NYSERDA storage incentive on Long Island?
No. The Long Island block closed in October 2021 and the utility has not opened a successor. Long Island projects are priced without it.
What is the $350/kWh critical-facility block?
A statewide block (Long Island excluded) for behind-the-meter storage at nonprofit, public or affordable-housing critical facilities in designated disadvantaged-community census tracts, configured to provide backup power. Houses of worship, schools, libraries, community and senior centers, clinics, shelters and affordable multifamily over four units are on the list; for-profit uses and grocery stores are not. It cannot be combined with the standard block. As of September 22, 2026 none of its $15.75 million had been claimed.
Does my contractor need to be approved?
Yes. One party on the project must be a NYSERDA participating contractor, and since April 2026 larger projects require the contractor to show five years of storage experience and three references over 600 kWh. Without that, each project is capped at 600 kWh. KEEL confirms the contractor's standing before a project is priced.
When is the rate locked?
When the application reaches Submitted status. Changing the contractor, the address or the customer after that forces a re-application at whatever rate is then in force. Systems must reach permission to operate by the end of 2030.
Which block is your building in?
Send the address and a bill. KEEL confirms the territory, runs the tract lookup and returns the incentive line with its source.