2024 Solar Incentives Guide for Gardner, KS - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in Gardner.
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 Gardner?
Renewable Energy Property Tax Exemption
Wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, solar thermal, solar PV, and other solar energy systems: the assessed value of the system
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
Solar incentives are designed to mitigate the cost of installing a solar panel system on your home. Financial incentives like these are intended to encourage more people to switch their home over to renewable energy. Different types of incentives, like discounts, cash back or credit towards your monthly utility bill, may be available to you. Certain incentives may be provided via the state of Kansas, by your utility company or by county or municipality, while other incentives are federal. Categories of solar incentives include:
- Rebates: A solar rebate is a partial refund credited to your account after you've paid for your solar system. These might be offered by your local utility company, your state or your county. The discount that rebates offer is normally applied to the price of solar panels before tax credits are calculated.
- Tax Exemptions: Your solar panel system may qualify for exemptions on both sales and property tax. Sales tax exemptions are applied at the time of purchase. Property tax exemptions allow you to exclude the value that solar panels add when you are calculating property taxes on your home.
- Net Metering: Don't forget to speak to your Gardner utility company about signing a net metering agreement. This will allow you to receive credit towards your monthly utility bill for the value of excess energy generated by your solar panels. You may receive either a dollar-for-dollar credit or a percentage of the value.
- Tax Credits: Tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, the total amount of tax you owe the federal government. These are different from tax deductions.
Best Solar Financing
Blue Raven Solar
- Industry-leading in-house financing
- Competitive pricing
- Excellent reputation
- Doesn't offer solar batteries
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
Federal solar incentives are probably the first thing that you think of when thinking about solar incentives. The solar incentive that you're most likely to have heard of is the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which gives you a credit on your taxes equal to a specified percentage of your solar system's cost.
The ITC originally covered 30% of the cost of solar system installation, although that number has fluctuated slightly over the years between 26-30%. The installation date of your solar system will determine what percentage you qualify for. The total cost of installation includes the panels themselves as well as the cost of accessories, labor and equipment. There is no maximum claim amount. The ITC can be applied to solar panels installed after January 1, 2006, on your primary or secondary residence. The residence must be owned by you and in the United States.
To better understand how the ITC may apply to your situation, reach out to your local Gardner solar panel installer and ask for more information.
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August 2022, made some changes to the ITC (as well as retitling it the Clean Energy Credit). The new Clean Energy Credit extends until 2035. American homeowners are now eligible for a 30% credit for solar systems that began installation after January 1, 2022, and are completed by the end of 2032. The credit will then decrease annually until its expiration. The expansion to the program also makes it easier to get credit for energy storage systems, beginning in 2023.
Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. The easiest way to understand how the new Clean Energy Credit applies to you is to talk with your local Gardner solar panel installers.
State & Local Solar Incentives
Some solar incentives may be provided at the state and local level. Like with federal incentives, these could include tax credits, rebates and more. Certain incentives are ongoing, while others are offered for only a limited time. Your local solar incentives might come from the Kansas government, or from your specific county or municipality.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in Gardner
There are many types of solar incentives: those offered by the federal government, those offered by the Kansas government and those given by local utility companies, to name a few. The use of solar energy has grown tremendously in the last 15 years, partially due to these incentives. Your local Gardner solar panel installation company can help you learn more about which incentives you can apply for, and get you feeling good about making the change to renewable energy today.
EcoWatch's Gardner, KS Solar Incentives FAQs
If I already have a solar system installed on my house, can I still claim incentives?
You should plan to talk to someone from the company that installed your system – or reach out to a local Gardner solar installer — to learn about which incentives you might qualify for. If your solar panels were installed after January 1, 2022, you likely qualify for the recently increased 30% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. Solar panels installed between 2006 and 2021 may qualify for a tax credit of 26-30%.
How much will a solar system save me on my electric bill in Gardner annually?
Generally, Gardner homeowners who install solar panels save approximately $1,003.49 per year, or approximately $19,066.35 over 20 years after they make the switch.
How long until the federal solar tax credit ends?
The federal solar tax credit, formerly known as the ITC and now called the Clean Energy Credit, is scheduled to end on January 1, 2035. The current 30% credit will end in 2032, replaced by a 26% credit in 2033 and a 22% credit in 2034.
Can I apply for incentives both towards the initial cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
The order your incentives will be applied in might vary depending on which incentives you are claiming but generally yes, you can receive multiple types of incentives for your solar project. Check with your solar installer or a local tax professional to verify you are claiming all the incentives you're eligible for and applying them in the correct order.
What if I want to add a solar system to a rental property, vacation home or commercial property? Will I still qualify for incentives?
Many solar incentives apply to a property you own that is located within the United States, and most secondary residences will fall into this category. There may be other solar incentives available for commercial properties, depending on the details. We recommend reaching out to your local solar installer and/or tax professional to fully understand what incentives apply to your specific situation.
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.