2023 Solar Incentives Guide for Waynesboro, VA - Tax Credits & Rebates

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

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

Solar incentives are designed to make renewable energy usage more affordable via financial incentives for individuals who install solar panels on their homes. You might qualify for several types of incentives, including discounts, cash back 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 Virginia and others from the federal government. Some solar incentives you might qualify for are:

• Net Metering: You may be able to sign a net metering agreement with your Waynesboro utility company. This agreement may apply to all or a percentage of the excess electricity that is generated by your solar panels. They will then subtract this value from your monthly utility bill.
• Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC): SRECs are credits that can be sold to your utility company (or other buyers) for cash that is generally considered part of your taxable income. In most cases, there is a small threshold of energy production to meet before your solar system is eligible for SRECs or similar performance-based incentives. These kinds of incentives are typically handled by your state government.
• Tax Credits: Different from tax deductions, tax credits reduce, dollar-for-dollar, the amount of income tax that you owe the federal government.
• Tax Exemptions: Tax exemptions may come in two forms. The first is sales tax exemption, which is applied at the time you purchase your solar panels. The second is property tax exemption. This allows you to exclude the added value of your solar system when calculating property tax for your home.
• Rebates: Solar companies may help you claim a rebate, or partial refund after purchase, for your solar system. Counties or states will also offer limited-time rebates at various times. If you receive a rebate, that amount will usually come off your total price before any tax credits are calculated.

Federal Solar Incentives

Federal incentives are the kind of incentives that you are most likely to have heard of. The Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit, or ITC, is the most well-known federal solar incentive. The ITC allows you to claim a tax credit for a predetermined percentage of the cost of your solar system.

The ITC initially applied to 30% of the total cost of solar panel 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 labor, equipment and accessories. 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 in the United States and owned by you.

Your local Waynesboro solar panel installation expert can give you more information about the ITC and how it might apply to your situation.

In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act made revisions to the ITC, now referred to as the Clean Energy Credit. The new Clean Energy Credit now runs until 2035. You are now eligible for a 30% credit for solar systems installed between 2022 and 2032. The credit will then see a slight annual decrease until it expires. The expansion to the program also makes credits for energy storage systems even easier to claim, starting in 2023.

Click here to learn more about the new Inflation Reduction Act. Your local Waynesboro solar panel installers are the best people to answer your questions about the new Clean Energy Credit and how it may apply to you.

State & Local Solar Incentives

Tax credits, rebates and more can be provided at multiple levels. On top of federal solar incentives, there are often state and local ones as well. Certain incentives are ongoing, while others are available for a limited time. They might be given by your county or municipality, or by the Virginia government.

Next Steps for Installing Solar in Waynesboro

There are a variety of solar incentives: those given by local utility companies, those given by the federal government and those given by the Virginia government, to name a few. Solar energy use has increased enormously in the last 15 years, partially due to these incentives. Speaking with your local Waynesboro solar panel installation company is a great first step towards making sure you get all the incentives you qualify for when you switch to solar energy.