Make Green by Going Green

Tax season isn’t over yet – you still have time to take advantage of some government incentives for going green. If you made any changes to your home this year that increase your home’s efficiency, you may qualify for one or more of these great benefits! Take a look at our list of ways you can “make green by going green”. Don’t worry if you’ve already filed your taxes this year or haven’t taken the leap to better home efficiency yet. Most of these programs have not expired, so you may be able to take advantage of the incentives during next year’s tax cycle. (Before filing for any of these incentives, check in with your tax professional to ensure you truly qualify and paperwork is being filed correctly).

How can you make green by going green?

Called Arizona’s Solar Energy Credit, this is a state financial incentive of personal tax credit set forth by the Arizona Department of Revenue. Any Arizona taxpayer who installs a qualified solar or wind energy device at their residence is eligible for the credit. Residents are able to use the credit against their taxable income in the amount of 25% of the total cost of the device – totaling up to $1,000. “Qualifying technologies include solar domestic water heating systems, solar swimming pool and spa heating systems, photovoltaic systems, photovoltaic phones and street lights, passive solar building systems (trombe walls, thermal mass, etc.), solar daylighting systems (excluding conventional skylights), wind turbines, and pumps powered by wind.”

Certain restrictions and regulations exist. For full details the the program, visit azdor.gov

Titled the “Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit” this is a federal financial incentive program for the installation of high efficiency heating and cooling equipment or insulation. The equipment must be installed on the taxpayer’s primary residence and needs to have been installed on 12/31/2016 or prior. Any equipment installed after January 1st, 2017 is not eligible for the credit. For purchases made between 2011-2016, there is a $500 cap on aggregate credit amount for all devices installed in the five years combined. Items purchased in 2009 or 2010 are eligible for a credit amount up to $1,500. These are combined caps, however, there are also caps on how much can be claimed for each type of equipment – for example a main air circulating fan can be credited up to $50, and a central air conditioner up to $300. There are also regulations on the EnergyStar ratings of each device. For more details, click dsireusa.org

The “Renewable Energy Incentive Program” from APS (Arizona Public Service Co.) is available to both residential and commercial taxpayers. For residential solar water heating systems, the incentive is a rebate amount of 0.30/kWh displaced – up to $50,000 or 50% of the system’s total cost – whichever is lower. Solar water heaters must be installed by a licensed contractor and must be tested and certified to the OG-300 standard. For more information on this program, visit aps.com

If you are a permanent SRP (Salt River Project) customer, you could qualify for big savings by installing sun screens on your exterior windows. Solar screens installed on or prior to April 30th, 2017 qualify for a rebate of $0.80 per square foot. Restrictions do exist. One must be an SRP customer, and reside in a single-family detached, single-family attached (duplex, triplex or quadplex) or mobile home to qualify. Homeowners living in attached condos with more than four units do not qualify. Screens must also be professionally installed by contractors that meet SRP’s stringent requirements (like CC Sunscreens). For more information on this rebate program, visit savewithsrp.com

For a full list of all of the tax incentives for efficiency projects, visit dsireusa.org.

We are proud to be one of the industry leaders in Phoenix for solar screens. Reach out to our friendly team today to schedule your free, in-home, no obligation consultation and quote to find out for yourself how we earned such a stellar reputation. Reach out to us at CC Sunscreens and let us help you “make green by going green” today!