Con Edison Lighting Incentives: A Contractor's Guide
Con Edison lighting incentives run through the contractor, not the customer, and that changes how you quote. Under the Instant Lighting Incentive Program, reimbursement is paid to the approved Participating Contractor, the incentive must appear on the customer invoice, and at least $1 per lamp and $2 per fixture or retrofit kit has to be passed through. You need approved status before any of it applies. There is also a hard date this year: projects must be complete and paperwork submitted by October 15, 2026 to be guaranteed 2026 incentive rates. Here is what to confirm before you put a number in front of a customer.
Deadline: October 15, 2026
Every 2026 Con Edison C&I project has to be completed, with documents in and ready for post-inspection, by October 15, 2026 to lock 2026 incentive rates. That's closer than most quoting timelines account for.
Last verified: July 2026
Start here
Which Con Edison path applies to your job.
Con Edison runs three distinct tracks for lighting incentives, and they don't overlap. Picking the wrong one at the quoting stage means re-doing the math later.
If your project is · Path · What it means for the quote
Standard LED measure listed in the NY TRM Prescriptive Run through the Con Edison C&I Lighting Calculator. Baseline wattage is standardized by fixture type, not your measured wattage.
Non-standard or complex measure not in the TRM Custom Needs a custom engineering calculation. Capped at 50% of project cost or 100% of measure cost, whichever is lower.
Small business or nonprofit in an eligible territory Neighborhood Program Lighting incentives are only available here for small business customers, and can cover up to 100% of eligible cost.
Prescriptive and custom paths
The numbers behind the main C&I program.
Oct 15, 2026
Completion and documentation deadline to guarantee 2026 incentive rates. Projects finishing after this date risk a different rate structure.
50% cap
Maximum share of eligible project cost the incentive can cover, or 100 percent of a single measure's cost, whichever is lower.
$1M / $250K
Annual incentive cap per customer: $1 million for electric measures, $250,000 for gas measures.
90 days
Time allowed to complete installation and submit paperwork once Con Edison issues the Notice to Proceed.
Controls, calculated in the same tool
Where lighting controls fit into a Con Edison quote.
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calculator
Bi-level, occupancy, and daylight-responsive controls are factored into the same prescriptive and custom incentive calculation rather than paid as a separate flat rebate. Because control-specific incentive values change with each program manual update, confirm the current figures directly in the Con Edison C&I Lighting Calculator before you put a controls number in a proposal, rather than reusing last year's assumption.
Two paths worth knowing
Southeast Queens bonus, and the small business lighting rule.
$2,000/kW
Additional Neighborhood Bonus for buildings in the Jamaica area of Southeast Queens, covering up to 100% of installation cost. Applications run May 1 to September 30, 2026, with installation and inspection deadlines that follow shortly after. Capped at $500,000 in total bonus incentives per contractor or customer.
Neighborhood only
For the Small Business & Nonprofit program, general efficiency upgrades can reach up to 70% of installation cost, but lighting specifically is listed as Neighborhood Program only. Don't assume a small business customer outside an eligible territory qualifies for a lighting rebate.
How to put a Con Edison rebate in a proposal without overpromising.
The final incentive isn't set until Con Edison reviews the application, issues a Preliminary Incentive Offer, inspects the site before and after installation, and confirms the standardized baseline wattage for each fixture type, which may not match what you measured on the walk-through. That's a lot of moving parts to fold into one number. Show your estimate, name the path it assumes, and mark it clearly as pending Con Edison's review. LumaQuote tracks that assumption per project and marks every incentive line in the exported PDF or Word proposal as an estimate.
Before you send the quote
Quoting checklist for a Con Edison lighting job.
1
Confirm the customer is a directly metered Con Edison commercial or industrial account.
2
Confirm the project is a retrofit or gut renovation in an existing facility; new construction isn't eligible.
3
Confirm the customer hasn't already received or applied for an incentive from NYSERDA or another utility for the same measure.
4
Determine prescriptive versus custom based on whether the measure is listed in the NY State TRM.
5
Run the project through the Con Edison C&I Lighting Calculator and use its standardized baseline wattage, not your measured wattage.
6
If the building is in Southeast Queens, check Neighborhood Bonus eligibility and its own application window.
7
For small business or nonprofit quotes, confirm the property is inside a Neighborhood Program territory before promising a lighting incentive.
8
Confirm all proposed lighting is ENERGY STAR or DLC listed at the time of installation.
9
Build the pre-approval timeline into your schedule: application, Preliminary Incentive Offer, 30-day signature window, pre-inspection, then 90 days to complete after Notice to Proceed.
10
Target completion and paperwork submission by October 15, 2026 to guarantee 2026 incentive rates.
Build a Con Edison ready proposal in LumaQuote.
Canada and US utility rates built in, rebate assumptions tracked per project, and a PDF or Word proposal out the other end.
FAQ
Con Edison lighting incentives: common questions.
What is the deadline to guarantee 2026 Con Edison incentive rates?
All projects must be completed, with all documents received and the project ready for post-installation inspection, by October 15, 2026 to be guaranteed 2026 incentive rates. Projects that miss this date may be subject to different terms under a later program version.
What is the difference between the prescriptive and custom path?
The prescriptive path covers measures listed in the New York State Technical Resource Manual and uses standardized TRM methodologies, run through Con Edison's C&I Lighting Calculator. The custom path covers measures not listed in the TRM and requires a custom engineering calculation. Incentives under either path cannot exceed 50 percent of the customer's project cost for eligible measures, or 100 percent of each measure's cost, whichever is lower, with total incentives capped at $1 million for electric or $250,000 for gas per customer per year.
Can I count on my measured existing wattage for the incentive calculation?
No. Con Edison's prescriptive lighting incentive uses standardized baseline wattages for the existing luminaire type being replaced, not the actual wattage measured on site. Build your proposal math on the standardized baseline the C&I Lighting Calculator assigns, or the incentive figure won't match Con Edison's calculation.
Does every Con Edison small business qualify for a lighting incentive?
No. Con Edison's Small Business and Nonprofit program lists lighting incentives as Neighborhood Program only, meaning they're limited to eligible territories such as the Jamaica area of Southeast Queens. Confirm the customer's location against the current Neighborhood Program map before including a lighting rebate in a small business quote.
Can I show the Con Edison incentive amount in my customer proposal?
Yes, but label it as an estimate. The final incentive depends on Con Edison's review of your application, a Preliminary Incentive Offer, a pre-installation inspection, and a post-installation inspection before any check is issued. LumaQuote tracks the rebate assumption per project and flags every incentive figure in the exported proposal as an estimate, not a guarantee.
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More rebate guides: Save on Energy (Ontario) · BC Hydro · National Grid (MA) · National Grid (NY)