Ways to help decrease the cost when you decide to go solar

Making the decision to go solar is more popular than ever before and there are plenty of federal and state programs that can help homeowners offset the cost of installing solar panels. No matter what the cost or what state the homeowner lives in, everyone can save money on the cost of going solar. You don't have to foot the bill alone. 

The federal solar panel installation tax credit

The biggest solar panel installation incentive is the Federal Tax Credit, also known as the investment tax credit (ITC) which enables you to decrease 30 percent of the cost of solar panel installations. That means for every $10,000 spent on solar panels there is a tax deduction of $3,000. This credit applies to both residential and commercial solar systems and there is no cap on the amount that qualifies for the tax credit. This is a big reason why both business and residential solar continues to get more popular year after year. 
 

More news about the solar panel installation tax credit 

So even if you don’t decide to go solar this year, you can install them next year and still offset the cost by deducting 30 percent of the cost on your taxes. When Congress approved its spending bill back in 2016, the members included an extension of the ITC until 2022. The 30 percent tax credit is also in effect through 2019, in 2020 the credit drops to 26 percent, 22 percent in 2021, and down to a 10 percent tax deduction in 2022.
 

Incentive programs are also available in different cities and states for solar panel installations

Some of them are tax credits, and some of them are a break on the rate of electricity when they do need power from the grid. The point is no matter what state you live in, there are plenty of ways to offset the cost of installing solar panels.

Individual states and cities also have incentive programs that offset the cost of going solar. For example, California has 212 different programs and incentives for homeowners or businesses who install solar panels, and it’s not just California.

Even Louisiana, which is where many oil and gas companies are headquartered have 28 solar panel installation incentive programs available. All 50 states have solar panel installation incentive programs, and states that don’t have many programs still have some available.

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years.

For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.