Green Products Eligible for Tax Credits Through 2016

If you purchase an energy-efficient product or renewable energy system for your home, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit.

Below you will find an overview of the federal tax credits for energy efficiency that are still available.

Some energy efficiency tax credits were also available in 2009 and 2010. These can still be claimed on your 2010 taxes. Learn more about the tax credits that expired at the end of 2010.

NOTE: The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 included changes to home energy efficiency tax credits, beginning after December 31, 2010. This page will be updated with more information; please check back.

How to Claim Your Tax Credit

• Note: Tax forms for the 2010 tax year may not yet be available. Visit the IRS Web site to obtain the latest forms.
• Claim improvements made in 2010 on your 2010 taxes, filed by April 15, 2011.
• Use the 2010 version of the following forms:
  • For renewable and efficiency credits: IRS Form 5695.
  • For alternative motor vehicle credits: IRS Form 8910. Also download instructions for form 8910.
  • For qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle credits: IRS Form 8936
• Save your receipts and the Manufacturer Certification Statement for your records.
• For 2009 taxes, visit the IRS Web site to obtain the 2009 version of these forms.

Products Eligible for Tax Credits Through 2016

Tax credits for these products are available at 30% of the cost, with no upper limit, through 2016 (Select "See Details" for more information on each product, or see the printable version).

Geothermal Heat Pump

Credit: Bruce Green

Credit: 30% of cost, with no upper limit

When and Where:

• Must be "placed in service" by Dec. 31, 2016
• Available on principal home or second home.
• New and existing homes

• See details

  Product	Requirements	More Information
  Geothermal Heat Pump	Closed Loop: EER >= 14.1; COP >= 3.3 Open Loop: EER >= 16.2; COP >= 3.6 Direct Expansion: EER >= 15; COP >= 3.5 Credit includes installation costs.	Learn more about geothermal heat pumps, including: Types of geothermal heat pumps Efficiency ratings of geothermal heat pumps All ENERGY STAR geothermal heat pumps qualify.

Solar Energy Systems

Credit: Cheryl Unger

Credit: 30% of cost, with no upper limit

When and Where:

• Must be "placed in service" by Dec. 31, 2016
• Available on principal home or second home.
• New and existing homes

• See details

  Product	Requirements	More Information
  Solar Water Heating Property	At least half of the energy generated by the "qualifying property" must come from the sun. The system must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC). Credit includes installation costs.	Learn more about solar water heaters. All ENERGY STAR solar water heaters qualify. The water must be used in the dwelling. The credit is not available for expenses for swimming pools or hot tubs. Tax credits are only available for the solar water heating system property, not the entire water heating system of the household.
  Photovoltaic Systems (Solar Electric Property)	Photovoltaic systems must provide electricity for the residence and must meet applicable fire and electrical code requirement.	Learn more about: Small solar electric systems Things to consider when making your own electricity with renewable energy systems

Wind Energy Systems

Credit: Bergey WindPower

Credit: 30% of cost, with no upper limit

When and Where:

• Must be "placed in service" by Dec. 31, 2016
• Available on principal home or second home.
• New and existing homes

• See details

  Product	Requirements	More Information
  Residential Small Wind Turbines	Nameplate capacity of not more than 100 kilowatts. Credit includes installation costs.	Learn more about: Small wind electric systems Things to consider when making your own electricity with renewable energy systems

Fuel Cells

Credit: Capstone Turbine Corporation

Credit: 30% of cost, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity

When and Where:

• Must be "placed in service" by Dec. 31, 2016
• Primary residence
• New and existing homes

• See details

  Product	Requirements	More Information
  Residential Fuel Cell Systems	Efficiency of at least 30% and must have a capacity of at least 0.5 kW. Credit includes installation costs.	Learn more about fuel cells

Vehicle Tax Credits

Tax credits are also available for some vehicles (Select "See Details" for more information on each product, or see the printable version).

Vehicles

Credit: ©iStockphoto.com

Credit: Varies, see below.

When:

• See below; credits phased-out after certain number of vehicles are sold.

• See details

  Product	Requirements	More Information
  Hybrids, battery-powered, plug-in electric, advanced lean burn, fuel cell, or alternative fuel vehicles	Credit is based on a formula determined by vehicle weight, technology, and fuel economy compared to base year models.	There is a 60,000 vehicle limit per manufacturer before a phase-out period begins. See Fueleconomy.gov to find out which vehicles are still eligible. Use IRS Form 8910 (PDF 86 KB) for vehicles purchased for personal use. Use IRS Form 3800 (PDF 144 KB) for vehicles purchased for business. The 2009 forms will be available late 2009 or early 2010. Also see credits for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property.
  Plug-in Electric Vehicles	Credit: $2,500-$7,500, based on capacity of the battery system.	The first 200,000 vehicles sold get the full tax credit before the credit begins phasing out. Use IRS Form 8936 (PDF 78 KB). See the IRS information on the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Credit.

You May Be Eligible for Additional Incentives

The tax credits listed here are federal tax credits.
These can be combined with other state, local, and utility incentives.

• Visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency to find out if you are eligible for other incentives.
• If you are purchasing appliances, learn about the state rebates for ENERGY STAR appliances.

Related Links

• Tax Incentives Assistance Project
• ENERGY STAR Summary of Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency
• IRS Audio Podcast on Home Energy Tax Credits. Download Windows Media Player or iTunes.
  • English (MP3 3.1 MB) text version
  • Espanol (MP3 3.6 MB) text version

Note: This summary is for informational purposes only and should not be considered official tax information. Please see the IRS web site for official tax guidance.

• IRS Notice 2009-53 Interim guidance for Section 25C: Nonbusiness Energy Property
• IRS Notice 2009-41 Interim guidance for Section 25D: Credit for Residential Energy Efficient Property

True Figures Dirty Coals Costs in Environmental and Public Health

Study Shows the True Costs of Dirty Coal at $250 Billion Dollars - Hidden Cost Add Millions More-

Fully accounting for coal's costs in environmental and public health damage would triple the cost of coal-generated electricity and make less-polluting fuels more competitive, according to a new study by Harvard University researchers.

The study, by the Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment, is scheduled to be published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Researchers tried to take a broader look at the full cost of coal, following its life cycle from mining and processing, to transportation and burning. They estimated that coal is costing the U.S. between $174 billion and $523 billion a year.

"Coal carries a heavy burden," the researchers said in a summary of their detailed publication.

"Energy is essential to our daily lives, and for the past century and a half we have depended on fossil fuels to produce it," they said. "But, from extraction to combustion, coal, oil and natural gas have:

• multiple health, 
• environmental and 
• economic impacts 

that are proving costly for society."
The researchers put their "best" estimates of costs from coal's annual air pollution at $188 billion and costs from its contributions to global warming at $62 billion ($250 Billion Dollars Combined).

Researchers also examined deaths from coal-mining accidents and $74 billion a year in early deaths that other studies by West Virginia University have said appear to be linked to pollution from coal-mining sites. They also looked at economic subsidies for coal, deaths from coal-hauling railroad accidents, and a host of other impacts.

The study was funded in part by the Rockefeller Family Foundation, and was being promoted by a news release issued by the group Greenpeace.

"The public is unfairly paying for the impacts of coal use," said Dr. Paul Epstein, associated director of the Harvard center.

"Accounting for these 'hidden costs' doubles to triples the price of electricity from coal per kWh, making wind, solar, and other renewable very economically competitive," Epstein said. "Policy-makers need to evaluate current energy options with these types of impacts in mind. Our reliance on fossil fuels is proving costly for society, negatively impacting our wallets and our quality of life."

CHARLESTON, W.Va. --Harvard study details coal's true costs by:Ken Ward Jr.
Feb. 17, 2011 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex)
Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kward@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0226-100781549

Big Energy-Environmental Issues-House to Vote Friday

Some of the biggest energy and environmental policy votes in years are set for Friday – or Saturday – on the House floor.

Votes expected include amendments to the continuing resolution on: EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions; offshore oil and gas drilling permits; mountaintop mining removal; and expanding the use of ethanol in gasoline.

The headliner in the time agreement reached late Thursday night is an amendment from Texas Republicans:

• Ted Poe
• Joe Barton
• John Carter 

to bolster the existing language in the bill that would handcuff EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases — Amendment 466: (page 66 of 220):

The Texas trio’s amendment appears to block funding for any EPA regulation of GHGs(Green House Gas Emissions) from stationary sources for the duration of the seven-month spending bill, while the existing language in the legislation bars such rules only if they are being regulated for their climate effects, according to a Clean Air Act attorney.

None of the Democratic measures that would strike the language in the spending bill that blocks federal funding for EPA’s climate greenhouse gas regulations were included.

There's three big amendments on offshore drilling:

• Louisiana Republican Steve Scalise has one blocking federal funds “to further delay the approval” of offshore energy plans in federal waters, the latest volley in an escalating fight between federal regulators and oil-state lawmakers in both parties following last year's BP spill.

• Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) will offer an amendment that blocks funding for any new leases being granted to companies that own ones that are not subject to royalty relief limits. Markey has long fought to address Interior’s Gulf leases from the late 1990s that mistakenly omitted market-based price limits for the granting of royalty relief, which is meant to suspend such payments when oil prices are high.

• Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) has one blocking federal funds for the rejecting of permits in federal Arctic coastal waters.

On ethanol, Republicans John Sullivan and Jeff Flake will get their chance to cut federal goodies for the ethanol industry. Sullivan’s amendment strips funding for implementation of EPA’s recent decisions to allow the use of E15 in passenger cars and trucks for model year 2001 and up.

Flake’s amendment would block funding for installing blender pumps at gas stations that would be used to carry ethanol-blended fuels.

Other major amendments that will come up Friday:

• Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) blocking funds to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

• Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) blocking funds for implementation of new EPA water-quality guidelines for mountaintop mining that toughened the issuance of permits in six Appalachian states.

• Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) blocking legal funds used to enforce the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act as well as funding for an Interior Department climate change adaptation initiative.

House sets up big energy votes
by Darren Goode,Josh-Politico

Call on Congress to End Oil Subsidies

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 10:42 AM, Steve Kretzmann, Oil Change International <info@priceofoil.org> wrote:

Stay on top of the news and our campaigns to help build this movement to end dirty fossil fuel subsidies! •    Visit our blog, Price of Oil •    Like us on Facebook •     Follow us on Twitter Dear Scotts, The President's budget proposes to cut more than $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies to the oil industry. We need your help to convince Congress to make these cuts. It won't be easy. Over the last two years, Congress received more than $12 million from the oil industry.  And for every $1 that Big Oil invests in campaign contributions to Congress, they get a payback of at least $332 in the form of subsidies. That's an unbelievable bargain.  It's no wonder that Big Oil and their allies in Congress are doing everything they can to keep those subsidies. But it's not their money, after all, it's yours. To make matters worse, these are the same politicians who say we need to stop spending and balance the budget. It's time for them to stop talking out of both sides of their mouths. It's time to pay back the American people, not the oil industry. Please send a letter to your representatives in Congress to demand that our government stop supporting Big Oil and Coal. The oil industry wants you to ignore the way they buy your government, remain ignorant of their massive profits, overlook your pain at the pump, and forget about the environmental consequences caused by this dirty industry. But we won't forget, and neither will you. It's time to take action to eliminate the billions of taxpayers' dollars going into the pockets of Big Oil. That's what Oil Change International is fighting for and here is how you can help: Tell your Senators and Representatives to stop using your tax dollars to support this dirty industry. It's time for some payback of our own, as we remind Congress who they should be working for. Yours, Steve, Traci, Elizabeth, and Lorne – the staff at Oil Change International
Oil Change International campaigns to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitate the coming transition towards clean energy. We are dedicated to identifying and overcoming barriers to that transition. We are a 501c3 organization and all donations are fully tax deductible. Check out our blog at PriceOfOil.org and find out how much oil and coal money your Representatives take at DirtyEnergyMoney.com.

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Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
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