Uncle Sam Wants YOU to Use Clean Energy
Greentips: December 2009
Second in a two-part series
In the November issue of Greentips we told you about the $1,500 federal tax credit for improving your home’s energy efficiency. To complement your energy conservation efforts you can tap into renewable energy to provide heat, hot water, and electricity—and save money in the process.
As part of the federal stimulus package, the government is offering a 30 percent tax credit for the cost and installation of eligible products “placed in service,” or put into use, in existing, new, or non-primary residences between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2016. Unlike the energy efficiency tax credit, there is no upper limit to the renewable energy credit you can receive (unless otherwise noted below) and you can carry forward any unclaimed portion of the tax credit to future years through 2016. And best of all, the two tax credits are separate so you can be eligible for both at the same time.
Here is a brief summary of basic eligibility requirements; the Energy Star website (see the Related Resources) provides more detailed information as well as resources to help you choose the right products for your home.
- Geothermal heat pumps. These highly efficient systems use the ground’s thermal energy (instead of fossil fuels) to heat and cool your home. All Energy Star-rated units qualify (including closed loop, open loop, and direct expansion systems), and water-to-water geothermal heat pumps purchased after December 1, 2009, are eligible as well.
- Solar panels. All solar photovoltaic systems are eligible as long as they provide electricity to your home and meet applicable fire and electrical codes.
- Solar water heaters. All Energy Star-rated units are eligible. However, qualifying systems must be certified by the Solar Rating Certification Corporation, a third-party performance-rating system. (For a list of eligible products, see the Related Resources.) They must also provide hot water only for use inside your house (not for swimming pools or hot tubs), and at least half of the energy used by the system to heat the water must be solar-generated.
- Residential small wind turbines. Eligible systems require a maximum energy output no higher than 100 kilowatts.
- Fuel cells. Fuel cells generate electricity from the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, with water as the sole byproduct. Eligible systems must have an efficiency of at least 30 percent and a capacity of at least 0.5 kilowatt. The 30 percent tax credit is capped at $500 per 0.5 kilowatt of power capacity, and only systems installed in primary residences qualify.
States and utilities may offer additional incentives for the products listed above or those excluded from the federal tax program, allowing you to save even more money. To learn more about these incentives, or to read last month’s Greentips on the energy efficiency tax credit, see the Related Resources.
