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Rebates and Tax Incentives

Federal Tax Incentive

Solar consumers are eligible for federal tax incentives for the purchase and installation of eligible solar systems, including both solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar hot water (solar thermal) systems, as well as other renewable energy investments.

The following information regarding taxes, tax credits and depreciation is meant to make the reader aware of these benefits, risks and potential expenses, and help avoid claims by aggressive salespeople. It is not tax advice. Please seek professional advice from a qualified tax advisor to check the applicability and eligibility before claiming any tax benefits or exemptions.

Solar tax credits were enacted in 2008 as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, which included $18 billion in incentives for clean and renewable energy technologies, as well as for energy efficiency improvements. The 2008 legislation extended the solar investment tax credit (ITC) through December 31, 2016 and made other modifications to the tax credits. The solar ITC offers:

• A federal investment tax credit for both residential and commercial consumers is available for both photovoltaics and solar water heating systems.
  
• A consumer must have a federal tax liability to take advantage of the solar investment tax credit.
• Prior to 2009, residential solar installations had a per project cap of $2,000 tax credit. As of 2009, the solar ITC for residential system owners is 30% of the total system cost.
• The federal tax credit is a one-time credit, but may be carried forward (and possibly back) if not completely useable in the system installation tax year. Rules about carrying forward and backward may vary between residential and commercial tax filers; please consult a tax professional for the current rules.
• The solar system owner has the ability to take advantage of the solar tax credit. Entities without a federal tax liability sometimes use third-party system owner arrangements to install solar since a third-party can take advantage of the solar investment tax credit, passing along some savings to the solar system host customer.
• Bonus Depreciation was expanded to 100% for solar projects placed in service in 2011, and 50% for projects placed in service in 2012. "Bonus Depreciation" means acceleration of the otherwise applicable depreciation (not "more" depreciation, but "sooner" depreciation). 100% Bonus Depreciation means that the whole project's applicable tax depreciation is accelerated to 2011.

Bland Solar and Air, Inc. is dedicated to taking on the tedious task of rebate paperwork for our customers. Generally, all that's needed of our customer is a few signatures. We'll take care of the rest.