2024 Solar Incentives Guide for El Dorado, AR - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in El Dorado.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2024 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
Solar installers are experts in maximizing your solar tax credits and rebates.
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What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in El Dorado?
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
Solar incentives mitigate the cost of installing solar panels on your home. These financial incentives are designed to encourage more people to switch their home over to renewable energy. Various kinds of incentives, including discounts, cash back or credit towards your monthly utility bill, may be available to you. Certain incentives may be offered by the Arkansas government, by your utility company or by county or municipality, while others are federal. Some broad categories of solar incentives include:
- Tax Exemptions: These could come in the form of property tax exemptions, which would allow you to ignore the value added by your solar panels when calculating the taxes you pay on your home. You could also look for exemptions on sales tax at the time of purchase.
- Rebates: Rebates, or cash back after a purchase, are usually given before any solar tax credits are calculated. Solar rebates may be given by your local utility company, by your state or by your county.
- Tax Credits: Unlike tax deductions, tax credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions in the amount of income tax that you owe the federal government.
- Net Metering: Make sure you talk to your El Dorado utility company about signing a net metering agreement. This allows you to get a credit towards your monthly utility bill for the value of excess energy your solar panels generate. You may receive either a dollar-for-dollar credit or a percentage of the value.
Best National Provider
SunPower
- Most efficient panels on the market
- National coverage
- Cradle to Cradle sustainability certification
- Great warranty coverage
- Expensive
- Customer service varies by local dealer
Best Technology
Tesla Energy
- Price-match guarantee
- Sleek, efficient, and durable solar panels
- Best solar battery on the market
- Some reported issues with customer service
- Customer service varies by local dealer
Federal Solar Incentives
When you think about solar incentives, you probably think of federal incentives first. You might have heard of the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC. This incentive is a tax credit that reduces your taxes by a certain percentage of the money you spend on your solar system.
The ITC can be applied to solar systems installed after January 1, 2006, and allows you to deduct from your taxes a percentage of the total cost of solar panels, labor, equipment and accessories. You can receive this credit for a solar panel system installed on a primary or secondary residence that you own in the United States. The original amount you could claim was 30% of the total cost, although certain projects may qualify for only 26%, depending on the details. There is no maximum amount you can claim.
Your local El Dorado solar panel installation expert can provide you with more information about the ITC and how it may apply to your situation.
The ITC was renewed and increased in scope after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022. It's also now called the Clean Energy Credit. Now, solar installation projects started after January 1, 2022, and completed by the end of 2032, can qualify for a 30% tax credit. This percentage will then decrease slightly each year until the current Clean Energy Credit expires in 2035. Starting in 2023, the expansion will also make credits for energy storage systems even easier to claim.
More information about the new Inflation Reduction Act can be found here. The best way to understand how the new Clean Energy Credit applies to you is to reach out to your local El Dorado solar panel installation expert with your questions.
State & Local Solar Incentives
Some solar incentives are often also offered at the local or state level. Like with federal incentives, these may include rebates, tax credits and more. Incentives may be handled by your county or municipality, or by the state of Arkansas. Certain incentives may be available for only a limited time, while others are ongoing.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in El Dorado
Solar energy use nationwide has increased enormously in the past 15 years, in part due to the proliferation of solar incentives. You might receive these incentives from the federal government, the Arkansas government or your local utility company. Your local El Dorado solar panel installation expert can help you learn more about which incentives you may qualify for, and get you on track to switch to renewable energy today.
EcoWatch's El Dorado, AR Solar Incentives FAQs
If I already have solar panels, can I still claim incentives?
If your solar system was installed after January 1, 2022, you may qualify for the recently increased 30% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. If you installed your system between 2006 and 2021, you might qualify for a tax credit between 26% and 30%, depending on the date of installation. Talking to the company that installed your system, or any local El Dorado solar installer, can help you understand what incentives you can apply for.
What are some environmental benefits of installing solar panels on my home?
Solar energy is a renewable energy source — by switching where you get your energy, you can help reduce the strain on our planet's resources. A solar system can also lower your home's CO2 emissions by 350 pounds annually, or roughly 7,000 pounds over 20 years.
I want to switch my appliances out for ones that are more energy-efficient. Are there any benefits I can claim?
The new Inflation Reduction Act creates a number of new financial incentives for making eco-friendly improvements to your home. More details regarding these incentives, including information about incentives for purchasing new appliances, can be found here.
Can I qualify for incentives both towards the initial cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
Yes, you can claim both rebates and tax credits towards the cost of your solar panels. Depending on which incentives you are claiming, they may apply in a different order. Be sure to talk to your solar installer or a local tax professional to confirm that you are claiming incentives correctly and that you're getting the most money you can.
Can I use multiple types of renewable energy to power my home?
You can use multiple types of renewable energy, or a combination of renewable and non-renewable energy, to power your home. Be sure to talk through your plan with your local El Dorado solar installer. They can help you plan your project and give you an understanding of various incentives that you might or might not qualify for.
Our goal is to reach as many people as we can with sensible solutions like solar energy. Our team of full-time local researchers collects solar price and installation data for every city in America then compiles it to create these digestible city guides. If you want to read our solar expert's opinion on the top solar companies featured here, follow this link.
Solar incentive research was conducted by Melissa Smith and Karsten Neumeister. Local data analysis was conducted by James Savino. See something we missed or could do better? Email the editor.