2023 Solar Incentives Guide for East Stroudsburg, PA - Tax Credits & Rebates
In this guide, we'll cover the latest solar incentives and rebates available in East Stroudsburg.
You'll learn about:
- Local & State Solar Incentives
- Federal Tax Credits (Updated for 2023 and beyond)
- Ways to optimize your solar investment
Solar installers are experts in maximizing your solar tax credits and rebates.
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Updated May 04, 2023
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What Solar Tax Credits, Incentives, and Rebates are Available in East Stroudsburg?
High Performance Buildings Incentive Program
Commercial loans/loan guarantees: $2 million
Grants: Lesser of 10% of project costs or $500,000
Wind and Geothermal Incentives Program
Manufacturer grants: $5,000 per job created within 3 years
Loans for geothermal systems: $3 per square foot of space served up to $5 million; also limited to 50% of eligible costs for residential systems.
Loans for wind energy production projects: $5 million
Grants for wind energy production projects: $1 million
Grants for feasibility studies: 50% of cost up to $175,000
Loan guarantee grants: Up to 75% of deficient funds up to $5 million
Solar Alternative Energy Credits
High Performance Building Incentives Program
First Energy (MetEdison, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn Power) - Residential Solar Water Heating Program
FirstEnergy (MetEdison, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn Power) - Residential Energy Efficiency Programs
Refrigerator: $75
Clothes Washer: $25- $50
Clothes Dryer: $50
Freezers: $25
Dehumidifiers: $25
Fridge/Freezer Recycling: $50
HVAC
HVAC tune up: $50
Furnace Fan Motor: $150
Ductless Minisplit AC : $200
Central AC: $100 - $200
Air Source Heat pump: $250 - $500
Geothermal Heat Pump: $600
Packaged Terminal AC: $75
Packaged Terminal Heat Pump: $150
Programmable Thermostat: $25
Others
Solar Water Heat: $500
Heat Pump Water Heater: $500
Home Energy Audit: $250
Lighting: Available as in-store discount in participating stores
Federal Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
Source: https://www.dsireusa.org/
Solar incentives are designed to make renewable energy usage more affordable via financial incentives for those who install solar panels on their homes. Incentives may include things like discounts, cash back or monthly utility bill credits. Some incentives are handled federally, while others are handled by the state of Pennsylvania or your specific utility company, county or municipality. Some solar incentives you might qualify for are:
- Rebates: Solar rebates may be provided by your county or state, or by your local utility company. These rebates are essentially partial refunds that are applied after you purchase solar panels and before tax credits are calculated.
- Tax Credits: These credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions (not deductions) in how much in taxes you owe the federal government.
- Net Metering: You can sign a net metering agreement with your East Stroudsburg utility company, that may apply to all or a percentage of the excess electricity that is generated by your solar panels. Your utility company will then subtract this value from your utility bill each month.
- Tax Exemptions: Your solar panel system may qualify for exemptions on both sales and property tax. Sales tax exemptions are effective at the time of purchase. Property tax exemptions let you exclude the value that solar panels add when calculating property taxes on your house.
- Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC): SRECs and similar other performance-based incentives may be available to you if you have a solar system that produces over a specified (generally small) amount of electricity. Performance-based incentives are typically handled by the state government. You can sell SRECs to your utility company or other buyers, and the money you make is normally considered part of your taxable income.
Federal Solar Incentives
When someone says "solar incentives," you likely think of federal incentives first. The Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC, is probably the most well-known federal solar incentive. The ITC allows you to claim a tax credit for a specific percentage of the cost of your solar system.
The ITC applies towards solar systems installed after January 1, 2006 and lets you deduct from your taxes a percentage of the total cost of solar panels, equipment, accessories and labor. You can receive this credit for a solar panel system installed on a primary or secondary residence in the United States that you own. The original claim amount was 30% of the total cost, although certain projects may qualify for only 26%, depending on the details. There is no maximum claim amount.
To more fully understand how the ITC will apply to you, call your local East Stroudsburg 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 now runs until 2035. American homeowners can now receive a 30% credit for solar systems that began installation after January 1, 2022 and are completed by the end of 2032. The total credit will then decrease annually until its expiration. Starting in 2023, the expansion to the program will also make credits for energy storage systems even easier to claim.
Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. The best way to understand how the new Clean Energy Credit applies to you is to speak with your local East Stroudsburg solar panel installers directly.
State & Local Solar Incentives
There are more than just federal solar incentives; rebates, tax credits and more might also be offered at the state and local level. These incentives — which might be handled by the state of Pennsylvania, or by your county or municipality — might be offered on an ongoing basis, or for only a limited time.
Next Steps for Installing Solar in East Stroudsburg
Nationwide solar energy use has gone up significantly in the last 15 years, in part thanks to the proliferation of solar incentives. You may get these incentives from your local utility company, the federal government or the Pennsylvania government. When you're ready to make the change to solar energy, calling your local East Stroudsburg solar panel installation expert is a great first step.
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EcoWatch's East Stroudsburg, PA Solar Incentives FAQs
How do I learn if I qualify for different solar incentives?
Typically, solar incentives apply to:
- a new solar panel system
- installed on property you own
- within the U.S.
- within the date range specified by a particular incentive.
Specific incentives, including those run by the Pennsylvania government or by your county/municipality, could have additional qualifications. Talk to your local East Stroudsburg solar installer to learn more about what incentives your project may qualify for.
If I already have a solar system installed on my house, can I still claim incentives?
An excellent idea would be to talk to a representative from the company that installed your solar panels — or reach out to a local East Stroudsburg solar installer — to clarify which incentives you might qualify for. If your solar panels were installed after January 1, 2022, you likely qualify for the newly increased 30% tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. Systems installed between 2006 and 2021 may qualify for a tax credit of 26-30%.
What are some of the environmental benefits of switching to solar energy?
You can decrease your carbon footprint by 250 pounds of CO2 a year by installing solar panels. This adds up to approximately 5,000 pounds over 20 years. In addition, solar power is a renewable energy source, which means that making the switch reduces the drain on our planet's resources.
How long until the federal solar tax credit ends?
The Clean Energy Credit (formerly called the federal solar tax credit, or ITC), currently ends on January 1, 2035. Currently set at 30%, the credit will drop to 26% in 2033 and to 22% in 2034.
Can I claim incentives both towards the up-front cost of solar panels, and later as reimbursement?
The order your incentives will be applied in may vary depending on which incentives you are claiming but usually yes, you can receive multiple types of incentives for your solar project. Talk with your solar installer or a local tax professional to ensure you are claiming all possible incentives and applying them in the correct order.
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.