Incentives for green building measures
Posted on | May 22, 2009 | 2 Comments
What incentives can you get for green building measures? That’s the $64,000 question. Or maybe it’s a $1,500 tax credit?
Currently, the federal and state government and many municipalities (including NYC!) offer great incentives to encourage people to perform certain sustainable strategies including weatherization, installation of insulation, energy-efficient appliances, boilers, windows, solar panels and solar domestic hot water system among others.
There are several types of incentives.
A rebate typically gets paid directly to the installer to offset the initial construction cost. In New York State, NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research & Development Authority) controls these funds. They have very generous incentive programs but they occasionally run out of money (if your application falls during one of these periods, you get in line on a first-come-first-served basis for whenever funds become available again) The application for the various programs will only be approved after a building permit is obtained and the money paid after the work is completed.
A tax credit can be claimed against your state or federal taxes. However, you need to discuss these possible credits with your accountant to make sure you are eligible to receive them in full.
A property tax abatement is a local tax credit. NYC generously offers a 35% property tax abatement (over 4 years) for solar PV and $4.50/sf for a green roof. You would need to check with your accountant to make sure you would be able to claim the entire credit. In both cases, a separate filing with the Department of Buildings is required to claim the abatement.
Government incentives exist to encourage people to change their behavior. They also serve to give these emerging industries time to ramp up to meet the growing demand. We fully support this government intervention but in practice, these incentives are often difficult to navigate and comply with. That being said, if you are an early adopter and are considering implementing any of the strategies that are being incentivized, I would encourage you to act quickly because most of the programs are only in place for a limited time and don’t have unlimited funding.
Great resources:
Federal Tax Credits: Energy Star - summary of federal incentives with links to required forms. This site seems to be continually updated. Clear and easy to follow.
Rundown of recent changes to incentives – a well-written synopsis of recent changes.
Dsire (Database of State Incentives for Renewable and & Efficiency) my Go-To site for all state, local and federal incentives. You can search by state.
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Established in 1999, Ellen Honigstock Architect PC is a full-service architecture and energy auditing firm based in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
Our solutions are environmentally conscious and the criteria we use are based on national standards developed to bring long-term saving, efficiency and well-being to our clients. Over 35 years combined experience building in New York City gives us an edge in meeting tough schedules and navigating the city's complicated requirements.
About Ellen:
As the Residential Green Building Advocate for the Urban Green Council since 2007, Ellen has been promoting sustainability in the residential marketplace in NYC.
In the position of Chair of the Homes Subcommittee the NYC Greening the Codes Task Force, Ellen has been heavily involved in recommending new green policy in NYC as related to updating building codes, rules and regulations.
Ellen teaches Building Science, Building Envelope, Water Conservation, Indoor Air Quality, Quantifying Energy and Green Building Plans at the 1,000 Green Supers program for The SEIU Local 32 BJ Thomas Shortman Training Fund.
Certifications:
Registered Architect, NY, NJ, CT
LEED Accredited Professional
BPI Certifications:
Building Analyst
Envelope
Energy Efficient Building Operator
Multi-Family Building Analyst
Ellen Honigstock, LEED AP
Ellen Honigstock Architect PC
45 Main Street #806
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(212) 228-1585
ellen@toeprintproject.com
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May 22nd, 2009 @ 11:15 pm
Hi,
I’m just getting started with my new blog. Would you want to exchange links on our blog-rolls?
BTW – I’m up to about 100 visitors per day.
May 23rd, 2009 @ 1:51 am
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