In 2025 and 2026, the CNY Regional Planning & Development Board will be actively conducting a community campaign series within the five counties of Central New York (Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego) as part of its “EnergySmart CNY” programming, effectively relaunching its solar and heat pump outreach and education programs (formerly known as Solarize CNY and HeatSmart CNY). The community campaigns will be open to anyone of any income located within the CNY region (Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego Counties) to participate. There will be a targeted focus of partnership and outreach in at least one municipality or region within each of the five counties, primarily focusing on NYSERDA-designated Disadvantaged Communities (DAC). Community selection is happening concurrently with the RFP process.
We are aware that these are challenging times as incentives continue to shift. It is our hope that the community campaigns will help sustain interest and help the public be aware of currently available incentives.
Date of issue: 8/25/25
Response Due Date: 9/19/2025
Vendors who seek to participate should review the RFP and submit responses and inquiries to Aaron Otis at aotis@cnyrpdb.org
An informational webinar was held on 9/2/2025 and can be viewed on the EnergySmart CNY YouTube channel
The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB), lead contractor for New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)’s Central New York Regional Clean Energy Hub, is releasing this request for proposals (“RFP”) for rooftop solar installers and community solar providers to provide installation services or subscription opportunities to homes and businesses in Central New York (Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego Counties) as part of CNY RPDB’s EnergySmart CNY Community Campaigns.
CNY RPDB, in partnership with other organizations including the Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE) and Greater Syracuse Works (GSW) (collectively the CNY RPDB’s “EnergySmart CNY” program) and local community partners will encourage the installation of solar panels and subscription to community solar. Over the course of the next year, the EnergySmart CNY Community Campaigns will seek to increase the number of homes and businesses in Central New York connecting to solar energy through either installing on-site solar or subscribing to community solar farms.
CNY RPDB is seeking proposals from contractors that are interested in participating in the EnergySmart CNY Community Campaigns as trusted campaign partners to serve campaign participants, support on-site and community solar installations and technologies, and expand awareness of these technologies over the course of the program. The goals of the Solar portion of the EnergySmart CNY Community Campaigns include:
CNY RPDB invites responses from businesses (“installer/contractors”) who can provide services relating to subscribing accounts to community solar and on-site solar installations. CNY RPDB may select multiple installer/contractors to ensure adequate coverage of all Central New York.
The selected installer/contractor(s) will work collaboratively with the CNY RPDB’s EnergySmart CNY program to design and implement a 12-month campaign, which is expected to commence in October 2025. The selected installer/contractor(s) will be the recipient(s) of customer leads from the EnergySmart CNY Community Campaigns within their assigned campaign area and will be actively promoted as the EnergySmart CNY Community Campaigns’ competitively selected installer/contractor(s).
Respondents to the RFP that meet key criteria will be included in our larger reference guide to companies in the region doing this work and will be the foundation of any future partnership, even if not selected as a partner for this campaign.
Q1: How many on-site solar installers will be chosen as partners for the campaign?
A: CNY RPDB will select partner installers based on how well their submission meets the evaluation criteria. There may be multiple on-site solar contractors selected, as we want to ensure full coverage of the region in terms of service area and offerings. CNY RPDB also plans to create an installer guide for the CNY region, including respondents that are not selected as campaign partners at CNY RPDB’s discretion. The installer guide will include names of installers in the region, their offerings, area served, etc. with the goal of helping connect CNY residents with opportunities that work best for them.
Q2: Is there an expectation from CNY Regional Planning and Development Board that on-site solar projects through the campaign will be completed by the end of 2025 to take advantage of the available federal tax credits?
A: No. CNY RPDB recognizes that it is a very tight timeline and installers may not have the capacity to install projects through the campaign by the end of the year. CNY RPDB does not have any expectations as far as number of installs by any set timeframe, just 500 enrollments and 200 contracts signed by August 31, 2026 between all campaign technologies (on-site solar, community solar, energy efficiency, and heat pumps).
Q3: Does EnergySmart CNY anticipate dedicating any staff to outreach roles as part of this effort?
A: CNY RPDB will have several staff working to support outreach and enrollment efforts. Aaron Otis is CNY RPDB’s Community Campaign Manager who will plan community events and outreach, including educational workshops, open house events, tabling, etc. as needed. Our team will also be working with our partners at Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), including Energy Advisors and a dedicated Volunteer Coordinator who are in the process of building up a volunteer network. This network will include previous partners from Soalrize CNY and HeatSmart CNY in addition to volunteers tied deeply to the campaign’s target communities to help get the word out.
Q4: What if we already have relationships or an active community campaign within one of the target municipalities?
CNY RPDB will select final contractors and installers based on coverage needs and capacity. It is encouraged that organizations with pre-existing relationships or active community campaigns continue their RFP application and make a notation of any active campaigns in CNY. If selected, we will discuss the best path forward. It may be possible to combine efforts, or it may make sense to select a different partner municipality for the purposes of CNY RPDB’s campaign.
RFP to be released September 2025, stay tuned! If you want to ensure you receive notice of the release of this RFP, email Aaron Otis, aotis@cnyrpdb.org