Empire Solar Is Now Serving Homeowners Across Pennsylvania 

If you own a home in Pennsylvania and your electric bill went up this last summer, you might want to wait before you start policing the thermostat. That’s because the way your family uses power probably didn’t change at all. In June of 2026, power companies across Pennsylvania reset their supply rate sheets, and on the same day, nearly every major electric company increased their rates at once. 

That shift is a big reason why Empire Solar Solutions is now installing solar for homeowners across Pennsylvania. Almost immediately after this rate increase took effect, we started getting calls from neighboring counties in Pennsylvania. But what surprised us even more was that homeowners from as far as Harrisburg were reaching out for help.  

After over a decade of helping thousands of homeowners in New York take control of their energy costs, we’re now making it possible for Pennsylvania homeowners to do the same. 

But solar works a little differently in Pennsylvania than it does in New York. Not only do systems need to be designed differently to accommodate longer winters, but the incentives and programs available to homeowners are different too. In the sections below we will cover why Pennsylvania rates are climbing, who Empire Solar is, and exactly how going solar works in Pennsylvania.

Why Are Pennsylvania Electric Bills Going Up? 

Pennsylvania electric bills are rising because of three things driving up prices all at once…

• Supply costs What you pay for the electricity itself.
• Delivery charges What you pay to get that electricity to your house.
• Grid demand How much power everyone needs at once. More demand means higher prices.

Each of these alone has the ability to increase electricity prices slightly, but when all of these three factors increase at once, you end up with a much higher electric bill than you expected. 

But where you live in Pennsylvania also changes how much this could impact you. Penelec, the power company serving most of central and northwest Pennsylvania, sends power to nearly 600,000 customers across 12,600 square miles. That’s only about 34 customers per square mile! So the cost of maintaining every mile of power lines gets split among fewer households. This is why homeowners in rural parts of the state can end up paying more for delivery than in cities like Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. 

Since there’s more demand on the power grid than ever, PJM (the organization that runs Pennsylvania’s power grid) is now paying power plants to stay on standby for when the grid is under peak demand. And in June of 2026, that standby cost is now more than 11 times higher than it was just two years ago, and utilities pass it right down to homeowners. 

We’ve seen the same thing happen in New York over just the last few years. In 2023, the average New York homeowner paid about $0.22 per kWh. Today, that number is around $0.30/kWh, one of the highest rates in the country.

And now, in 2026, Pennsylvania homeowners are now paying about $0.21/kWh… almost exactly where New York was just three years ago. Pennsylvania isn’t far behind.

Who Is Empire Solar Solutions?

Empire Solar Solutions is a residential solar installer that has been serving homeowners since 2015. We’ve helped more than 8,000 homeowners take control of their energy costs, and we’ve completed over 1,000 projects in just the last 12 months alone. We hold NYSERDA’s Platinum Installer Award, which means our installations are randomly audited and have consistently exceeded quality standards.

And now, Empire Solar installs solar and roofing for homeowners across all of Pennsylvania, from Erie to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to Scranton. Wherever you live in the state, you get the same team and the same process behind more than 8,000 completed projects. If you want to see what that looks like for a real customer of ours, read how Jeff locked in $174,871 in solar savings.

When choosing the right solar company for your home, experience matters. Because no two homes are the same and after thousands of installations, we’ve installed solar on every type of home under the sun (pun intended). Our team has worked on steep roofs, metal roofs, flat roofs, ground-mounted systems and we’ve navigated the permitting and approval process for some of the most challenging cities and power companies in the country.

That experience matters even more in Pennsylvania. A 2026 report graded all 50 states on how easy they make it to issue a building permit for rooftop solar and gave Pennsylvania an F, primarily because every town sets its own rules and regulations for solar installations. With some towns even requiring multiple inspections, which, if not planned accordingly, could cause projects to stall unnecessarily. 

After installing solar for over a decade, there aren’t many scenarios that our team hasn’t already seen. We know what questions each town asks, which documents your power company needs, and how to keep inspections and projects on schedule.

How Does Solar Work In Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, homeowners can use a program called “net metering”, which is offered by all major power companies in the state. Net metering lets you send any excess energy your panels make back to the grid. That energy gets sent to your neighbors and, as a thank you, your power company will give you 1:1 retail credit for that energy. This means every kWh your panels overproduce will cancel out a kWh that you need at night or even in the winter. 

This applies to residential solar installations up to 50kW and is offered by PECO, PPL, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, and West Penn Power.

The goal is to overproduce in the spring, summer and even part of the fall and build enough credits to carry you through the winter. But it’s important to mention that a system doesn’t need to cover 100% of your annual usage to be worth it. 

For more information on how net metering credits build and carry through the winter, visit our How Solar Works page on our website. 

Are There Solar Incentives For Homeowners In Pennsylvania? 

Pennsylvania homeowners can earn one SREC (State Renewable Energy Credit) for every 1,000 kWh their system produces. The value of an SRECS tends to fluctuate from year to year and they typically trade between $25-$40 each. 

A 10kW system under ideal conditions produces around 12,000 kWh per year, which works out to 12 credits annually. At this time Pennsylvania’s SREC program has no end date in place, so you can earn SREC credits as long as your system produces power. 

Solar panels will slowly lose a little bit of production every year, but our flagship panel, the REC Alpha Pure 460W, is guaranteed to produce 92% of its year-one production in year 25. Even when considering an 8% loss, that same 10kW would still be producing 11,040 kWh annually. 

Assuming that SREC value stays between $25-$40, that could mean between $7,200 and $11,520 in SREC income over the 25-year warranty period. And since these panels will keep producing power for 30+ years, that total could add up to $13,600 at $40/SREC. When you go solar with Empire you get to keep 100% of your SREC income.

Is There Still a Federal Tax Credit for Solar in Pennsylvania?

Yes, the 30% federal tax credit is still available in some capacity to Pennsylvania homeowners through third-party-owned solar, even though the residential credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. 

The 30% credit is still available under Section 48E. This is when a financing partner owns the system for the first few years and they claim the credit on your behalf. And in return the 30% gets applied as an upfront discount, reducing your monthly payment. 

That’s how Empire Solar structures projects in Pennsylvania. This means homeowners can still benefit from the 30% tax credit without needing the tax liability to qualify for it. This is extremely good news for people who previously didn’t qualify for the tax credit because they didn’t pay enough income taxes to claim it. 

Empire also met the federal safe harbor deadline in July 2026. Many installers missed it. We did not, so our customers can keep benefiting from this credit while it remains available. 

Additionally, projects with enough American-made equipment can qualify for an additional 5% on top of the 30% incentive. 

Can You Get a New Roof With Solar in Pennsylvania?

Yes, Empire Solar does install roofs in Pennsylvania. But only when that roof is combined with a solar installation. That’s because if you install solar panels on a roof that needs to be replaced in the near future, that  means you need to pay to have those panels removed and reinstalled when the roof is replaced.

In that scenario we give our customers two options. 

1. Roll in the cost of the roof into their solar upgrade. This is especially beneficial because you can use your solar savings to cover the cost of the reroof with still plenty of room for savings over time. 
2. Wait until the roof needs to be replaced and we will remove and reinstall their panels at no cost as long as we are selected to perform the reroof. 

Both of these options save you thousands of dollars. Hiring a company to remove and reinstall your panels can cost between $250-$400 per panel. That means a 20 panel system could cost $5,000 (on the low end) to remove and reinstall. 

The great thing about combining both projects is that one company is handling everything. Additionally, your savings from the solar panels will offset the cost of the new roof. Generally both projects combined will cost the same monthly as your average electric bill before solar. 

Learn more about getting a new roof when you go solar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Energy prices in Pennsylvania are on the same path as New York and New Jersey, just a few years behind. In the next 5 years, rates could reach $.30/kWh or more. For the average home using around 1,000kWh per month, that means another $1,000 per year for the same amount of energy. 

This is why so many Pennsylvania homeowners have started exploring alternatives to buying energy from the grid. The only thing we can count on is that rates will continue to increase. 

Solar is the best way to protect yourself from rising electricity costs by replacing your electric bill with a lower and predictable payment to make your own power. And now, we’re bringing our 11+ years of experience to help homeowners across Pennsylvania do just that. 

To see if solar is a good fit for your home, just answer a few simple questions on the next page. If your home is qualified, we will build a free savings plan that shows where the panels would go and exactly how much you could save over time. 

Check How Much You Can Save