Find Financial Incentives for Energy Efficiency


State and local governments, the U.S. government and many utility companies offer financial and other incentives to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy.

There are many available, but they change all the time. For example, a lot of federal tax credits available to consumers for buying and installing energy efficient products expired at the end of 2010. However, you can still collect tax credits on some energy-efficient products and renewal energy systems for your home. These include:
  • Biomass stoves
  • Air source heat pumps
  • Central air conditioning
  • Various hot water boilers
  • Various furnaces
  • Various types of insulation
  • Some roofing
  • Some windows and doors
  • Geothermal heat pumps
  • Small residential wind turbines
  • Various solar energy systems
 The available tax credits vary according to the product. These tax credits are currently available until December 31, 2011. Make sure you check on the specific incentives available before you buy. Current detailed information is available at the Energy Star website.

There's also information here from the Tax Incentives Assistance Project, a coalition of public interest groups, government agencies and other organization, on how to make use of the federal income tax incentives The site includes links to key IRS forms you'll need to claim your credit.

The key to finding incentives from the states, local utilities and the federal government is the comprehensive DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency), an ongoing cooperative project run by North Carolina and a variety of U.S. agencies and departments. There are hundreds of individual incentives listed. Be sure to check whenever you plan a project, because incentives change and new ones are added regularly. Find incentives you can use at the DSIRE website.