COMMUNITY SOLAR FAQs
ELIGIBILITY
Who is eligible to enroll in a Community Solar farm?
Anyone who pays a Con Edison bill is typically eligible to subscribe to one of our Community Solar Farms – this includes renters, homeowners, small businesses, schools and houses of worship. Residents do not need to own their own home and many of our subscribers are NYC renters.
Can I participate in Community Solar if I do not own my property?
Absolutely! Many of our existing customers are in fact NYC renters.
Can I participate in Community Solar if I have a third party supplier (ESCO)?
Absolutely! Your ESCO may lower the supply portion of the bill. Our community solar credits will reduce the cost of the ENTIRE bill. So if you are happy with your current ESCO, we encourage you to enjoy the benefits of both!
Do I need to install any solar panels on my property?
No. The best part of Community Solar is that you receive all the same benefits of solar energy, without having to install anything.
Who is eligible to enroll in a Community Solar farm?
Anyone who pays a Con Edison bill is typically eligible to subscribe to one of our Community Solar Farms – this includes renters, homeowners, small businesses, schools and houses of worship. Residents do not need to own their own home and many of our subscribers are NYC renters.
Can I participate in Community Solar if I do not own my property?
Absolutely! Many of our existing customers are in fact NYC renters.
Can I participate in Community Solar if I have a third party supplier (ESCO)?
Absolutely! Your ESCO may lower the supply portion of the bill. Our community solar credits will reduce the cost of the ENTIRE bill. So if you are happy with your current ESCO, we encourage you to enjoy the benefits of both!
Do I need to install any solar panels on my property?
No. The best part of Community Solar is that you receive all the same benefits of solar energy, without having to install anything.
BILLING
What is a Solar Credit?
1 Solar Credit is equivalent to $1 USD. Solar Credits are accrued as solar energy offsets traditional electricity costs.
If there is no cost to sign up, why must I provide payment info.
Your account will be charged after you receive Solar Credits on your Con Edison bill. For 10% savings, we charge 90% of the solar credits. This is a zero risk payment model as it guarantees you always receive savings.
Let’s give two hypothetical scenarios:
1) You received $50 in solar energy credits, saving $50 on your Con Edison bill. OnForce Solar then charges your account $45, so that month you save a total of $5.
2) You received $0 in solar energy credits. OnForce Solar does not charge your account because 90% of $0 is still $0.
How and When will I be billed?
You will be billed via Automated Clearing House (ACH) using the bank account submitted during the sign-up process. The ACH process will directly debit your bank account 30 days after credits have been applied to your Con Edison bill.
Does this mean I will receive two electricity bills?
Yes. You will continue to receive a Con Edison bill the same as always. Then, once credits are reflected on your Con Edison bill from the Community Solar farm, you will be billed by OnForce Solar for the discounted rate.
What is a Solar Credit?
1 Solar Credit is equivalent to $1 USD. Solar Credits are accrued as solar energy offsets traditional electricity costs.
If there is no cost to sign up, why must I provide payment info.
Your account will be charged after you receive Solar Credits on your Con Edison bill. For 10% savings, we charge 90% of the solar credits. This is a zero risk payment model as it guarantees you always receive savings.
Let’s give two hypothetical scenarios:
1) You received $50 in solar energy credits, saving $50 on your Con Edison bill. OnForce Solar then charges your account $45, so that month you save a total of $5.
2) You received $0 in solar energy credits. OnForce Solar does not charge your account because 90% of $0 is still $0.
How and When will I be billed?
You will be billed via Automated Clearing House (ACH) using the bank account submitted during the sign-up process. The ACH process will directly debit your bank account 30 days after credits have been applied to your Con Edison bill.
Does this mean I will receive two electricity bills?
Yes. You will continue to receive a Con Edison bill the same as always. Then, once credits are reflected on your Con Edison bill from the Community Solar farm, you will be billed by OnForce Solar for the discounted rate.
COST & SAVINGS
What is a Solar Credit Worth?
1 Solar Credit is equivalent to $1 USD. Solar Credits are accrued as solar energy offsets traditional electricity costs.
What does Community Solar Cost?
There is no upfront cost to enroll in our Community Solar program. We will charge your account on file 90% of the Solar Credits you receive, this means you will save 10% on electricity costs month to month. Your first charge from us will only take place after your assigned Community Solar farm begins generating electricity and you have received Solar Credits to your Con Edison bill.
Let’s give two hypothetical scenarios:
1) You received $100 in solar energy credits, saving $100 on your Con Edison bill. OnForce Solar then charges your account $90, so that month you save a total of $10.
2) You received $0 in solar energy credits. OnForce Solar does not charge your account because 90% of $0 is still $0.
How much money will I be saving?
You will save 10% off the discounted solar credits you receive.
Where can I see how much I’m saving with OnForce Solar?
After initial enrollment is verified, you will be emailed a link to the Customer Portal webpage. When you login, you will see your client member dashboard which includes a Savings widget, showing how much you saved on any given day. Under the daily total, you can click on the lifetime link to see how much you have saved in total.
Why is Solar Energy cheaper than the utility rate?
The majority of New York City’s energy comes from nuclear and natural gas, both of which require vast amounts of infrastructure to operate and work to maintain. Solar energy has long had the advantage of receiving ‘free’ energy from the sun following a solar installation, but it has only been over the past few years that the cost of solar panels themselves drastically decreased. This is due to improved technology and panel efficiency. As a result, solar energy has surpassed grid parity.
What is a Solar Credit Worth?
1 Solar Credit is equivalent to $1 USD. Solar Credits are accrued as solar energy offsets traditional electricity costs.
What does Community Solar Cost?
There is no upfront cost to enroll in our Community Solar program. We will charge your account on file 90% of the Solar Credits you receive, this means you will save 10% on electricity costs month to month. Your first charge from us will only take place after your assigned Community Solar farm begins generating electricity and you have received Solar Credits to your Con Edison bill.
Let’s give two hypothetical scenarios:
1) You received $100 in solar energy credits, saving $100 on your Con Edison bill. OnForce Solar then charges your account $90, so that month you save a total of $10.
2) You received $0 in solar energy credits. OnForce Solar does not charge your account because 90% of $0 is still $0.
How much money will I be saving?
You will save 10% off the discounted solar credits you receive.
Where can I see how much I’m saving with OnForce Solar?
After initial enrollment is verified, you will be emailed a link to the Customer Portal webpage. When you login, you will see your client member dashboard which includes a Savings widget, showing how much you saved on any given day. Under the daily total, you can click on the lifetime link to see how much you have saved in total.
Why is Solar Energy cheaper than the utility rate?
The majority of New York City’s energy comes from nuclear and natural gas, both of which require vast amounts of infrastructure to operate and work to maintain. Solar energy has long had the advantage of receiving ‘free’ energy from the sun following a solar installation, but it has only been over the past few years that the cost of solar panels themselves drastically decreased. This is due to improved technology and panel efficiency. As a result, solar energy has surpassed grid parity.
ENERGY ALLOCATION
How is my allocation from the Community Solar farm determined?
Energy allocation is intended to offset 75% – 100% of your total consumption. We project your average annual energy consumption based on information from the previous year.
What if my electric consumption exceeds the solar energy I’ve been allocated?
We will strive to cover 100% of your electric consumption, however sometimes depending on the weather, we may fall short of 100%. For any months where the solar credits do not cover your entire electric bill, you will pay the difference to Con Edison at their usual rate. We will only charge you a percentage of the solar credits you did receive.
What if my electric consumption is less than the solar energy I’ve been allocated?
In this case, you would receive more solar energy credits than your Con Edison balance and the extra credits will be applied to the next month’s bill.
How is my allocation from the Community Solar farm determined?
Energy allocation is intended to offset 75% – 100% of your total consumption. We project your average annual energy consumption based on information from the previous year.
What if my electric consumption exceeds the solar energy I’ve been allocated?
We will strive to cover 100% of your electric consumption, however sometimes depending on the weather, we may fall short of 100%. For any months where the solar credits do not cover your entire electric bill, you will pay the difference to Con Edison at their usual rate. We will only charge you a percentage of the solar credits you did receive.
What if my electric consumption is less than the solar energy I’ve been allocated?
In this case, you would receive more solar energy credits than your Con Edison balance and the extra credits will be applied to the next month’s bill.
OTHER
Are you an ESCO (Energy Services Company/Supplier)? How is Community Solar different?
No, OnForce Solar is NOT an ESCO.
ESCO’s, such as Green Mountain Power, act as a mediator in the supply and demand chain of Renewable Energy. They buy Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from renewable energy projects around the world (this is the supply), and then sell the RECs based on how many individuals are demanding it (aka the ESCO’s total number of customers). You may even pay a little bit more to support these renewable energy projects.
Community Solar is far more direct, far more local, and guarantees that you will never pay extra for renewable energy. When you sign up to our Community Solar program, we connect you to a New York City Community Solar farm and you receive solar energy directly to your business or home from that solar farm. Savings are guaranteed because our contracts are based off of a discount to your electricity rate.
What if I live in two different locations?
When you sign up for the Community Solar program, you will only be able to enroll one utility account, however you will have the capability to add more later. In order to do so, you can either give us a call or using your Customer Portal webpage, which will be provided to you via email after initial enrollment, click the “Enroll for More” option.
All accounts will be visible in your dashboard and provide data specific to each individual account. The emissions, kWh, and savings widgets will reflect the total of all utility accounts.
Are you an ESCO (Energy Services Company/Supplier)? How is Community Solar different?
No, OnForce Solar is NOT an ESCO.
ESCO’s, such as Green Mountain Power, act as a mediator in the supply and demand chain of Renewable Energy. They buy Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from renewable energy projects around the world (this is the supply), and then sell the RECs based on how many individuals are demanding it (aka the ESCO’s total number of customers). You may even pay a little bit more to support these renewable energy projects.
Community Solar is far more direct, far more local, and guarantees that you will never pay extra for renewable energy. When you sign up to our Community Solar program, we connect you to a New York City Community Solar farm and you receive solar energy directly to your business or home from that solar farm. Savings are guaranteed because our contracts are based off of a discount to your electricity rate.
What if I live in two different locations?
When you sign up for the Community Solar program, you will only be able to enroll one utility account, however you will have the capability to add more later. In order to do so, you can either give us a call or using your Customer Portal webpage, which will be provided to you via email after initial enrollment, click the “Enroll for More” option.
All accounts will be visible in your dashboard and provide data specific to each individual account. The emissions, kWh, and savings widgets will reflect the total of all utility accounts.
