2024 Solar Incentives Guide for Albany, GA - Tax Credits & Rebates

What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in Albany?

Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/

Solar incentives are intended to make renewable energy usage more affordable via financial incentives to help people install solar panels on their homes. Solar incentives could include upfront discounts, cash back or monthly credits towards your utility bill. Some incentives are given by the federal government, some by the Georgia government and some by your utility company, county or municipality. Some solar incentives you might qualify for are:

• Tax Exemptions: Sales tax exemptions are applied at the point of sale for your solar panels. Property tax exemptions let you exclude the value that your solar panels add when you calculate how much property tax you need to pay on your home.
• Rebates: Your solar installer might help you claim a rebate, or partial refund of your purchase, for your solar panels. States or counties will also sometimes offer limited-time rebates. The value of a rebate will usually be deducted from your total price before any tax credits are calculated.
• Tax Credits: Tax credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions (not deductions) in how much income tax you owe the federal government.
• Net Metering: Net metering is an incentive you can get once your solar panels are up and running. If you have a net metering agreement with your Albany utility company, it will subtract the value of the excess energy produced by your solar system from your utility bill each month. In some places, this credit is dollar-for-dollar, while in other places you may get refunded a percentage of the value.

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Federal Solar Incentives

When thinking about solar incentives, you likely think of federal incentives first. The Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC, is probably the best-known federal solar incentive. The ITC offers a tax credit for a set percentage of your solar system's cost.

The ITC applies to a solar system installed on your primary or secondary residence in the United States. The solar panels have to have been installed on a property you own after January 1, 2006, for you to claim the credit. The ITC originally paid out 30% of all system installation costs (panels, equipment, accessories and labor), although the amount has fluctuated slightly over time between 26-30%. The installation date of your solar system will determine what percentage you are eligible for. There is no cap on the claim amount.

To better understand how the ITC might apply to you, call your local Albany solar panel installer and request more information.

The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August 2022, made some changes to the ITC (as well as renaming it to the Clean Energy Credit). Homeowners can now qualify for a credit of 30% of the total solar system installation costs for projects started after January 1, 2022, and completed before the end of 2032. The percentage will then begin to decrease on a yearly basis until the Clean Energy Credit ends in 2035. The program expansion also makes claiming credit for energy storage systems easier than ever before, beginning in 2023.

Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. Your local Albany solar panel installer can answer your questions and explain how the new Clean Energy Credit may apply to you.

State & Local Solar Incentives

Federal solar incentives are not your only option; rebates, tax credits and more might also be offered at the local or state level. These solar incentives — which might be given by your county or municipality, or by the state of Georgia — could be offered on an ongoing basis, or for only a limited time.

Next Steps for Installing Solar in Albany

You can apply for and receive solar incentives from the Georgia government and the federal government, as well as from your local utility company. Growing availability of solar initiatives in the past 15 years has helped greatly increase nationwide adoption of solar energy. Speak with your local solar panel installer today to discover more about the various programs and to save as much money as possible on solar panels for your Albany home.