Where to Get Financial Assistance

The financial assistance that most people know about is rebates, where the local utility, state government, or federal government pays you a part of the cost of your solar system. Tax breaks are another form of financial incentive. The best place to get up-to-date information is the “Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency” (DSIRE), brought to you by the North Carolina State University Solar Center. Their website is http://www.dsireusa.org/. Contact information for the people that provide the funding is provide in the DSIRE web site.

Rebates and tax incentives vary widely. Make sure you contact the local utility before you start your project. Professional installers specialize in getting the paperwork done and you can usually sign over the rebate to them for part of the payment. Rebates are available for energy efficiency improvements too, and you are going to want to do that first.

More information about financial assistance is in the Solar Basics book.