- April 13, 2026
- 11:37 am
By Solar Pro Roofing | SolarProRoofing.net | 631-901-6144
You invested in rooftop solar on Long Island to take control of your energy costs. You did the research, you made the commitment, and you expected your home solar system to deliver the savings you were promised. So why does your PSEG Long Island bill still feel like it’s working against you? The answer might be two words: Time-of-Day.
If you’re a Long Island homeowner with solar panels and you haven’t heard about PSEG Long Island’s new Time-of-Day billing structure — or worse, if you’ve already been automatically switched onto it without understanding what it means for your solar energy credits — this article could save you hundreds of dollars a year. Read it, share it with every solar customer you know on Long Island, and then call us.
PSEG Long Island began migrating residential customers to Rate 194, their new Time-of-Day Off-Peak plan, starting in 2024, with solar net metering customers moved over in 2025. Under this rate plan, peak hours run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and electricity during those hours can cost up to twice the standard flat rate. Off-peak hours — nights, weekends, and federal holidays — cost roughly the same as the old PSEG Rate 180 flat rate most Long Island homeowners were used to. For the average household that can shift laundry, pool pumps, and EV charging to overnight hours, the math might work out fine. For Long Island solar customers, it quietly and consistently doesn’t.
Here’s the problem. Rooftop solar panels produce their strongest output during midday hours — roughly 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Under the old flat Rate 180, every excess kilowatt-hour your Long Island solar system sent back to the grid was credited at the same full retail rate, no matter when it was generated. That’s how solar net metering on Long Island was designed to work, and for years it did. Under Rate 194, everything changes. Solar energy credits are split into separate time-period banks — one for peak hours, one for off-peak. Energy you generate during off-peak hours can only offset off-peak usage. So your solar panels are working hard all day, sending clean power to the grid, but those credits stack up in the off-peak bank. Then when you pull power from the PSEG Long Island grid during or after the 3–7 p.m. peak window, you’re being charged at the expensive peak rate from a completely separate bank. You produced the energy. Your solar system did its job. You just can’t use the credit where it costs you the most. In fact, a PSEG representative acknowledged directly to one Long Island solar customer that the Time-of-Day rate doesn’t work for solar panel users — which raises the obvious question: why were Long Island solar customers automatically enrolled in it at all?
The fix is straightforward. Opt out of Rate 194 and return to PSEG Rate 180. It is not mandatory to stay on the Time-of-Day plan — PSEG Long Island allows customers to switch back at any time by calling 800-490-0025 or through the My Account section of their website. Under Rate 180, solar net metering on Long Island works the way it was always intended: every kilowatt-hour your rooftop solar system overproduces is credited at the full retail rate, with no time-period banks, no manual credit transfers, and no monthly paperwork to stay on top of. For the vast majority of Long Island solar customers, opting out of Rate 194 and returning to Rate 180 is the single most impactful step they can take right now to protect their solar ROI and maximize their long-term solar savings.
Now, what about battery storage? A home solar battery system can theoretically solve the Rate 194 problem — store your midday solar production, then deploy it during the 3–7 p.m. peak window instead of drawing from the PSEG Long Island grid at the expensive peak rate. When the battery is owned outright and fully under your control, it’s a legitimate and powerful strategy for Long Island homeowners looking for true energy independence. But the “free battery” and zero-down solar battery storage offers flooding the Long Island market right now deserve a hard, honest look before you sign anything. In many lease-based or third-party-managed programs, the energy stored in your home battery is partially controlled by an aggregator who can dispatch it to the grid during peak demand events. You may be enrolled in a utility rewards program where your stored solar power is used by the grid a few times each year — automatically, without your involvement, with payment terms set by the aggregator. In some program structures, the battery’s primary designated function is backup power during a grid outage, meaning it isn’t freely available to offset your everyday peak-hour energy costs. You’re making monthly payments on a sophisticated piece of Long Island solar technology that spends most of its life waiting for the next nor’easter. Backup power during a Long Island storm is genuinely valuable — nobody argues that. But it is a fundamentally different product than the energy independence and daily bill management that Long Island homeowners are often being sold on.
The bottom line is this: if you have rooftop solar on Long Island and you’re currently on PSEG Rate 194, check your bill today. If you haven’t already opted out, there is a strong chance you are leaving real money on the table every single month. Call PSEG Long Island at 800-490-0025 and ask to be returned to Rate 180. Then call Solar Pro Roofing.
We give Long Island homeowners the straight story on solar installation, solar net metering, home battery storage, and everything in between — not the sales pitch designed to get you to sign before you’ve asked the right questions. Whether you’re exploring rooftop solar for the first time, considering adding a battery system you actually own and control, or just want a second opinion on your current solar setup and PSEG billing situation, we are here for you.
Solar Pro Roofing
Long Island’s Trusted Solar Installation and Roofing Specialists — Suffolk and Nassau Counties
631-901-6144 | SolarProRoofing.net
GAF Certified Plus (Residential) | GAF GoldElite (Commercial) l #1 Solar Company on Long Island By Forbes
You invested in rooftop solar on Long Island to take control of your energy costs. You did the research, you made the commitment, and you expected your home solar system to deliver the savings you were promised. So why does your PSEG Long Island bill still feel like it’s working against you? The answer might be two words: Time-of-Day.
If you’re a Long Island homeowner with solar panels and you haven’t heard about PSEG Long Island’s new Time-of-Day billing structure — or worse, if you’ve already been automatically switched onto it without understanding what it means for your solar energy credits — this article could save you hundreds of dollars a year. Read it, share it with every solar customer you know on Long Island, and then call us.
PSEG Long Island began migrating residential customers to Rate 194, their new Time-of-Day Off-Peak plan, starting in 2024, with solar net metering customers moved over in 2025. Under this rate plan, peak hours run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and electricity during those hours can cost up to twice the standard flat rate. Off-peak hours — nights, weekends, and federal holidays — cost roughly the same as the old PSEG Rate 180 flat rate most Long Island homeowners were used to. For the average household that can shift laundry, pool pumps, and EV charging to overnight hours, the math might work out fine. For Long Island solar customers, it quietly and consistently doesn’t.
Here’s the problem. Rooftop solar panels produce their strongest output during midday hours — roughly 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Under the old flat Rate 180, every excess kilowatt-hour your Long Island solar system sent back to the grid was credited at the same full retail rate, no matter when it was generated. That’s how solar net metering on Long Island was designed to work, and for years it did. Under Rate 194, everything changes. Solar energy credits are split into separate time-period banks — one for peak hours, one for off-peak. Energy you generate during off-peak hours can only offset off-peak usage. So your solar panels are working hard all day, sending clean power to the grid, but those credits stack up in the off-peak bank. Then when you pull power from the PSEG Long Island grid during or after the 3–7 p.m. peak window, you’re being charged at the expensive peak rate from a completely separate bank. You produced the energy. Your solar system did its job. You just can’t use the credit where it costs you the most. In fact, a PSEG representative acknowledged directly to one Long Island solar customer that the Time-of-Day rate doesn’t work for solar panel users — which raises the obvious question: why were Long Island solar customers automatically enrolled in it at all?
The fix is straightforward. Opt out of Rate 194 and return to PSEG Rate 180. It is not mandatory to stay on the Time-of-Day plan — PSEG Long Island allows customers to switch back at any time by calling 800-490-0025 or through the My Account section of their website. Under Rate 180, solar net metering on Long Island works the way it was always intended: every kilowatt-hour your rooftop solar system overproduces is credited at the full retail rate, with no time-period banks, no manual credit transfers, and no monthly paperwork to stay on top of. For the vast majority of Long Island solar customers, opting out of Rate 194 and returning to Rate 180 is the single most impactful step they can take right now to protect their solar ROI and maximize their long-term solar savings.
Now, what about battery storage? A home solar battery system can theoretically solve the Rate 194 problem — store your midday solar production, then deploy it during the 3–7 p.m. peak window instead of drawing from the PSEG Long Island grid at the expensive peak rate. When the battery is owned outright and fully under your control, it’s a legitimate and powerful strategy for Long Island homeowners looking for true energy independence. But the “free battery” and zero-down solar battery storage offers flooding the Long Island market right now deserve a hard, honest look before you sign anything. In many lease-based or third-party-managed programs, the energy stored in your home battery is partially controlled by an aggregator who can dispatch it to the grid during peak demand events. You may be enrolled in a utility rewards program where your stored solar power is used by the grid a few times each year — automatically, without your involvement, with payment terms set by the aggregator. In some program structures, the battery’s primary designated function is backup power during a grid outage, meaning it isn’t freely available to offset your everyday peak-hour energy costs. You’re making monthly payments on a sophisticated piece of Long Island solar technology that spends most of its life waiting for the next nor’easter. Backup power during a Long Island storm is genuinely valuable — nobody argues that. But it is a fundamentally different product than the energy independence and daily bill management that Long Island homeowners are often being sold on.
The bottom line is this: if you have rooftop solar on Long Island and you’re currently on PSEG Rate 194, check your bill today. If you haven’t already opted out, there is a strong chance you are leaving real money on the table every single month. Call PSEG Long Island at 800-490-0025 and ask to be returned to Rate 180. Then call Solar Pro Roofing.
We give Long Island homeowners the straight story on solar installation, solar net metering, home battery storage, and everything in between — not the sales pitch designed to get you to sign before you’ve asked the right questions. Whether you’re exploring rooftop solar for the first time, considering adding a battery system you actually own and control, or just want a second opinion on your current solar setup and PSEG billing situation, we are here for you.
Solar Pro Roofing
Long Island’s Trusted Solar Installation and Roofing Specialists — Suffolk and Nassau Counties
631-901-6144 | SolarProRoofing.net
GAF Certified Plus (Residential) | GAF GoldElite (Commercial) l #1 Solar Company on Long Island By Forbes
