Go Solar, Save on taxes

[Jimmy C.]

Knock $ off your taxes for going solar  
 
Save even more by adding state incentives to those in the new federal energy bill, the first in 20 years.

 
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/Savemoney/P126521.asp

[Amanda_931]

Hmmm.  I wonder if the electricity part is just the grid-tied.  It has been in the past.  Article doesn't say.

[spinnm]

Anyone find a place with more info?  I've been looking for several weeks.  Have found the text of the entire bill, press releases, pretty good info on whitehouse.gov and energy.gov, affordablesolar.com, and msnmoney.

I still don't feel like I understand the homeowner credits.  Hybrid car thing, I think, is clear.  We've put the brakes on our project until we understand exactly what's going on.  Can't find whether the expenditures can be made in '05 or must be '06 as the car purchase is.  This shouldn't be that hard.

Email to congressman got no response.  Tmo, a call to my senator's office.  Pete Domenici, the chair of the Energy Committee.

I'd love to know anything that you all have found.  Homepower doesn't even mention it.  Go figure.

We went out and filled all the cars and jerry cans today.  Figure it'll be $3/gal by the weekend.  Articles here say that natural gas for Sept will be .93/therm.  Highest ever charged was .76/therm in 2001.  Wish I knew what natural gas has to do with crude.

[Bart_Cubbins]

Don't know if this will help you or anyone else, but this is a summary by tax accountants...
 http://ria.thomson.com/newlaw/energyact.asp

Seems that the focus is on when the equipment/property was purchased or put into service.

This section of the Act made me wonder...

SEC. 1827. STUDY OF LINK BETWEEN ENERGY SECURITY AND INCREASES IN VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED.

      (a) In General- The Secretary shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the Academy shall conduct a study to assess the implications on energy use and efficiency of land development patterns in the United States.

      (b) Scope- The study shall consider--

            (1) the correlation, if any, between land development patterns and increases in vehicle miles traveled;

So anybody think urban sprawl encourages driving at the expense of walking or biking? Nah...

[spinnm]

Thanks Bart.  That was the most complete and concise synopsis that I've read.  Pretty much dovetails with what the intern in Domenici's office told me today.

[glenn-k]

Don't forget that they have to take it from you before they can give it back to you and somewhere in there are efficiency losses.

Here they require you to tie to the grid to get the benefit of the rebates.  Want to do it on your own-- no rebate.  I'm sure there is a reason for that.

I should probably point out that I have a bad attitude and was sometimes reprimanded in school for not being a team player. :-/