New Yorkers seek solar energy amid skyrocketing energy bills

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- With energy bills skyrocketing these days, some New Yorkers are looking for alternative energy sources ... like the sun.

"It's been almost like an EKG, like a heart EKG, but right now we're starting to see it's going to top of that thing again and it's great," CEO of Sunation Scott Maskin said.

While COVID has left some industries struggling, solar has been seeing a recent boom on Long Island. Maskin, the CEO of Sunation in Ronkonkoma, says there's been a business surge especially over the past few months

"No, we're seeing a surge really in energy awareness. That's what I like to refer to it as," Maskin said. "It's not just solar, it's backup storage systems, and electric vehicle charging, especially with the climate that we're in right now."

Sunation installs solar panels and batteries and Maskin says the economic uncertainty, especially during the pandemic, is driving more to focus on energy independence.

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"I need to make sure that I have storage and solar so that when the power goes out, you know, I'm ok," Maskin said.

There is an upfront cost to install solar panels, but the goal is to see a return on the initial investment on your energy bill.

"The goal is to get to zero, and to size the solar system to get to zero so that the average savings is their whole electric bill," Maskin said.

Solar panels are in some cases, a big selling point for homes.

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"With the surge of new homes, real estate agents are using solar as a sale tactic," Maskin said. "It used to be the apple pie in the oven to give it this home feel. Now they're putting the energy bill of the home out on the table."

The look of some of the panels is a drawback to some, but the latest designs try to make the panels blend in more with the roofs.

In some cases, those panels can take care of almost all of your energy bill.

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