2025 Solar Incentives Guide for Lafayette, LA - Tax Credits & Rebates

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

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

The phrase "solar incentives" refers broadly to financial incentives that are in place to encourage people to use renewable energy by making the installation and use of solar panels more affordable. You may qualify for different kinds of incentives, including cash back, discounts or credit towards your monthly utility bill, depending on your situation. Certain incentives come from your specific utility company, county or municipality, some from the state of Louisiana and others from the federal government. Types of solar incentives might include:

• Net Metering: Net metering factors in after your solar system is up and running. If you've signed a net metering agreement with your Lafayette utility company, the company will subtract the value of the excess energy your solar system produces from your utility bill each month. In some places, this credit is dollar-for-dollar, while in other areas you may make back a percentage of the value.
• Tax Exemptions: Your solar panels could qualify for both sales tax and property tax exemptions. Sales tax exemptions are applied at the time of purchase. Property tax exemptions allow you to exclude the value added by your solar panels when calculating property taxes on your home.
• Rebates: Some solar companies will help you claim a rebate, or partial refund of your purchase, for your solar system. States or counties will also offer limited-time rebates at various times. The value of a rebate will usually be deducted from the total price before any tax credits are calculated.
• Tax Credits: Different from tax deductions, tax credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions in the amount of income tax that you owe the government.

Federal Solar Incentives

Federal incentives are the type of incentives that you are most likely to have some knowledge of. You may have heard of the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC. The ITC is a tax credit that reduces your taxes by a predetermined percentage of the money you spend on your solar system.

The ITC can be credited towards the value of solar panels installed on your primary or secondary residence in the United States. The solar panels must 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 costs (panels, accessories, equipment and labor), although the covered 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.

Wondering how the ITC applies to your specific situation? Get in touch with your local Lafayette solar panel installer to get more information.

In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act laid out new provisions for the ITC, now dubbed the Clean Energy Credit. The Clean Energy Credit re-raises the credit up to 30% for solar installation projects started after January 1, 2022, and completed by the end of 2032. After 2032, the credit percentage will be reduced slightly each year until the end of the program in 2035. Starting in 2023, the expansion to the program will also make it easier to get credit for energy storage systems.

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

State & Local Solar Incentives

Some solar incentives are often also provided by state and local governments. Like with federal incentives, these could include tax credits, rebates and more. Certain incentives are offered for only a limited time, while others are ongoing. Local solar incentives might come from your county or municipality, or from the Louisiana government.

Next Steps for Installing Solar in Lafayette

There are a variety of solar incentives: those offered by the federal government, those provided by the Louisiana government and those offered by local utility companies, to name a few. The use of solar energy has increased enormously in the last 15 years, thanks to these incentives. Your local Lafayette solar panel installation expert can provide you with more details about which incentives you should apply for, and get you on track to switch to renewable energy today.