This past summer was hot and expensive and many families faced record-high energy bills trying to keep their homes cool. Unfortunately, this issue isn’t going away as long as we remain hooked on costly, polluting fossil fuels. Too often, the climate and affordability crises are falsely portrayed as competing priorities in direct conflict with one another. And while policymakers fight about how to solve these crises, regular New Yorkers are just trying to figure out how to get by.
But right now, Gov. Hochul has a chance to sign legislation that would help lower utility bills while reducing emissions and expanding access to renewable power. We think she should.
As chair of the Senate Finance Committee and speaker of the New York City Council, we are working hard with colleagues at the state and local level to lower costs and create a healthier, more sustainable future for our constituents. We represent some of the most densely-populated neighborhoods in the state, where our residents are paying record-high energy bills and are eager to find ways to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
The SUNNY Act, which passed the Legislature with broad bipartisan support, is a simple, common-sense way to allow families to fight climate change and lower their energy bills. It legalizes plug-in solar panels, often referred to as “balcony solar,” which can be safely and easily installed in houses and apartments alike — but which are currently blocked by outdated rules that require the same complicated interconnection agreements necessary for full rooftop solar arrays.
Signing the SUNNY Act would let New Yorkers take power back into our own hands while giving us some relief in the process. That’s especially important for our constituents. While many households across the state are installing rooftop solar panels, the renters and apartment owners who make up our districts often don’t have that option.
Plug-in solar panels are the perfect solution. These devices can be placed onto a balcony, backyard, or patio, and easily set up to start powering homes right away. One plug-in panel can generate up to hundreds of dollars of savings each year, helping offset 10-20% of electricity bills.
If this sounds too good to be true, don’t take it from us: look at the red and blue states across the country who just passed legislation doing the same thing, including our neighbors in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont. In the last year, lawmakers in Colorado, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Utah, Virginia, and most recently California, all adopted similar legislation to embrace balcony solar so their residents can benefit, and bills have been introduced in 24 other states. Abroad, other countries including Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom have seen successful mass adoption of plug-in solar.
Of course, balcony solar panels alone can’t solve skyrocketing utility bills or the climate crisis. But the SUNNY Act is exactly the kind of pragmatic, concrete, common-sense action that lawmakers can and should be taking to give New Yorkers some immediate relief. Thankfully, the Legislature has already passed the bill, meaning the governor just needs to sign it.
The governor has declared that she is committed to using all the tools available to confront the energy affordability crisis. Plug-in solar is one more tool that can make an immediate difference. We hope the governor will follow through on her commitment to fight for a cleaner, more affordable New York and usher in a SUNNY-er future for all New Yorkers.
Krueger chairs the state Senate Finance Committee. Menin is speaker of the New York City Council.