Solar Panels: The Pros and the Actual Cons
Most pros and cons lists are written by people selling panels, so the cons are things like "the initial cost". Here are the ones that actually matter.
Solar's main advantages in New York are lower electricity bills against some of the highest rates in the country, price protection against future increases, and added home value exempt from property tax for 15 years. The real drawbacks are upfront cost, dependence on roof suitability, and a long commitment that complicates a near-term house sale.
The genuine advantages
You stop buying expensive electricity
New York rates are among the highest in the country, so each kilowatt hour you generate displaces an expensive one. This is the whole case.
Protection against rate increases
You fix a large share of your electricity cost for 25 years while grid rates continue to move.
Home value, untaxed for 15 years
Owned systems generally add value at sale, and New York exempts that added assessment from property tax for 15 years.
Very little maintenance
No moving parts. Rain does most of the cleaning in this climate.
Net metering locked for 20 years
A system interconnected today keeps its arrangement for two decades regardless of later programme changes.
It pairs with what comes next
An EV or a heat pump raises your electricity use, which makes an existing array more valuable, not less.
The drawbacks that are actually real
The upfront cost is substantial
Even after NY-Sun and the state credit, this is a significant purchase. Financing helps cash flow but adds cost.
Your roof decides, not you
Orientation, pitch and shade determine whether it works. Some properties simply are not suitable and no equipment fixes that.
Roof age forces the order of work
If shingles need replacing within about ten years, do the roof first or pay to remove and refit the array later.
It complicates a near-term sale
Owned is manageable. A lease or PPA has to transfer to the buyer, which adds friction.
The inverter will likely need replacing
Panels outlast their warranty routinely. Inverters usually do not. Budget for one replacement.
No federal residential credit any more
Section 25D ended for installations completed after 31 December 2025, which weakened the cash purchase case.
Things people list as cons that mostly are not
| Common objection | The actual position |
|---|---|
| "They do not work in winter" | They produce less because days are short, not because it is cold. Cold slightly improves efficiency. Annual estimates already model this. |
| "Snow will cover them" | On a steeper pitch it usually slides off within a day or two as the dark glass warms. On a shallow pitch, in a sustained freeze, or where ice has bonded it to the surface, it can sit far longer. Either way, do not climb up to clear it. |
| "They will damage my roof" | A correctly installed array will not. Leaks come from poor workmanship, which is why the installer's warranty matters. |
| "They need constant cleaning" | Rain handles it in this climate. Cleaning is worth doing where pollen, sap or leaf litter accumulate. |
| "The technology will be obsolete" | Panel efficiency improves incrementally, not in leaps. Waiting costs you a year of full-price electricity. |
Questions people ask about this
The upfront cost, and the fact that suitability is decided by your roof rather than by your preference. Heavy shading or a roof near end of life are the two situations that most often make a property unsuitable.
A correctly installed system should not. Mounts are sealed and flashed into the roof structure. Leaks nearly always trace to workmanship rather than the concept, which is why the installer's workmanship warranty deserves as much attention as the panel warranty.
Often not. Owned systems add resale value but a short holding period rarely recovers the outlay, and a lease or PPA adds complication to the sale because it must transfer.
Yes. Output drops in winter because daylight is shorter, not because of cold, and panels are marginally more efficient at low temperatures. Snow generally clears itself from tilted panels within a day or two.
Very little. There are no moving parts. The useful habit is checking your monitoring occasionally, because a failing panel or inverter is easy to miss from the ground.
How to check any solar contractor
This is a new site with no customer reviews, so we are not going to show you any. What we can do is tell you exactly what to verify about whoever contacts you, and where to look it up. That applies to the installer we refer you to and to every other quote you get.
NABCEP certification
The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners is the industry standard credential for solar installers. It certifies the individual professional who holds it, not the company, so a firm advertising it may have one certified person and twenty who are not.
How to check. Ask which named individual holds it, then search that name in the directory.
Search the NABCEP directoryNYSERDA participation
Registration in the state's NY-Sun programme. This one is not a nice to have: the New York State incentive is only available through an approved contractor, so using an unregistered installer forfeits it. Some also hold the Quality Solar Installer designation, which requires at least 12 NY-Sun projects in the past year and an average of 4 out of 5 on NYSERDA's own field inspections.
How to check. Search the company name in NYSERDA's list before you sign anything.
Check NYSERDA's contractor listLicensing and insurance
Appropriate electrical licensing for the work, plus general liability and workers compensation cover. A contractor without workers compensation can leave you personally exposed if someone is injured on your roof.
How to check. Ask for certificates of insurance naming you, and check the licence with your town or county before work starts. Do not accept a policy number alone.
Local experience
Interconnection is where most New York solar timelines slip, and it is handled very differently by Con Edison, National Grid, NYSEG, RG&E and PSEG Long Island. Permitting varies again by town.
How to check. Ask how many systems they have energised on your specific utility in the past year, and for two addresses in your county you can drive past.
NY Solar Finder is operated by RBR Growth Consulting. We are not a solar installer, we hold no industry certification, and we do not guarantee the credentials of the company that contacts you. We name these standards, and link to the bodies that issue them, so that you can check that company yourself before you sign anything.
Related reading
See what solar would look like on your roof
One local installer, one free consultation, one written proposal. Your details are never sold.