Denton Municiple Electric Energy Incentive

Denton Municipal Electric (DME) offers incentives for its residential and commercial customers to install energy efficient equipment through their EnergySave Program. Rebates are available for qualified HVAC equipment, including central A/C and heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, and room air conditioners and heat pumps.

A separate incentive grants $2,000 to builders and developers of single-family homes, who meet the following energy efficiency criteria set forth by the program:
1.5 ton or above central air conditioner or heat pump having a minimum Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) of 14.
Minimum insulation of:
R49 - ceiling
R30 - under-decking
R30 - cathedral or vaulted ceiling
R30 - floor
R13 - wall cavity

Exterior glass which meets minimum high-efficiency standards
EnergyStar approved programmable thermostats
Must meet radiant barrier decking specifications
Acceptable ventilation
Homebuilders must comply with all applicable restrictions and guidelines set forth by the International residential Code (IRC)
Additional information, including program guidelines and letters of enrollment may be found on the website listed above.

Original Source: DSIRE Database

DSIRE Federal Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

Printable Version Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction

Last DSIRE Review: 10/07/2008

Incentive Type:
Corporate Deduction
Eligible Efficiency Technologies:

• Equipment Insulation
• Water Heaters
• Lighting
• Lighting Controls/Sensors
• Chillers
• Furnaces
• Boilers
• Heat pumps
• Air conditioners
• CHP/Cogeneration
• Caulking/Weather-stripping
• Duct/Air sealing
• Building Insulation
• Windows
• Doors
• Siding
• Roofs

Applicable Sectors:
Commercial, Construction

Amount:

$0.30-$1.80 per square foot, depending on technology and amount of energy reduction

Maximum Incentive:

• $1.80 per square foot
• Equipment Requirements:
  Must meet certification requirements.
  Website:
  http://www.efficientbuildings.org
  Authority 1:
  26 USC § 179D
  Date Enacted:
  
• 8/8/2005 (Amended 2008)
  Effective Date:
  1/1/2006
  Expiration Date:
  12/31/2013
  Authority 2:

H.R. 1424: Div. B, Sec. 303 (The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008)
Date Enacted:
10/3/2008
Expiration Date:
12/31/2013

Summary:

• The Energy Policy Act of 2005 established a tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings applicable to qualifying systems and buildings placed in service from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007.
• This tax deduction was subsequently extended through 2008 and then again through 2013 by section 303 of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (H.R. 1424, Division B).
• A tax deduction of $1.80 per square foot is available to owners of new or existing buildings who install (1) interior lighting; (2) building envelope, or (3) heating, cooling, ventilation, or hot water systems that reduce the building’s total energy and power cost by 50% or more in comparison to a building meeting minimum requirements set by ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2001.
• Energy savings must be calculated using qualified computer software approved by the IRS. Click here for the list of approved software.
• Note that the eligible technologies listed above are provided as examples and do not represent an official list specified in the statute.
• Deductions of $0.60 per square foot are available to owners of buildings in which individual lighting, building envelope, or heating and cooling systems meet target levels that would reasonably contribute to an overall building savings of 50% if additional systems were installed.
• The deductions are available primarily to building owners, although tenants may be eligible if they make construction expenditures.
• In the case of energy efficient systems installed on or in government property, tax deductions will be given to the person primarily responsible for the systems’ design. Deductions are taken in the year when construction is completed.
• The IRS released interim guidance (IRS Notice 2006-52) in June 2006 to establish a process to allow taxpayers to obtain a certification that the property satisfies the energy efficiency requirements contained in the statute.
• IRS Notice 2008-40 was issued in March of 2008 to further clarify the rules.
• NREL published a report (NREL/TP-550-40228) in February 2007 which provides guidelines for the modeling and inspection of energy savings required by the statute.

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions provided by the Commercial Building Tax Deduction Coalition. For more information, visit the Energy Star Web site.

Contact:

Public Information - IRSInternal Revenue Service1111 Constitution Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC 20224Phone: (800) 829-1040 Web site: http://www.irs.gov

This is from the North Carlina State University DSIRE Web Site

Renewable Energy World Conference

March 10 – 12, 2009
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada




Conference Website

Energy Improvement And Extension Act of 2008 - Another Take

BAILOUT GENERATES ENERGY INCENTIVES.

So, President Bush has signed a bailout for Wall Street that’s only $73 billion less than the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Australia.

With the $700 billion bailout, and others such as the $200 billion for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the US national debt stands at $10.1 trillion, but giving themselves some wiggle room for increasing the debt even further, Congress has raised the borrowing limit to $11.3 trillion from $10.6 trillion. The current debt (that $10.1 trillion) represents about 70 percent of our overall economy and amounts to $33,500 for every man, woman and child in the country.

I’ll just write the Feds a check this afternoon and be off the hook for my share.
All of this has nothing to do about energy, of course, but the bill just signed includes many pot-sweeteners needed to entice enough signers and many of those are aimed at helping out the world of efficient and renewable energy.

It will take quite a while to decipher and define all that’s included in the bill but here’s a list of titles of sections of the legislation to give you an idea of what’s included green-energy-wise in the

Energy Improvement And Extension Act of 2008:
--- Renewable energy credit.
--- Production credit for electricity produced from marine renewables.
--- Energy credit for small wind property.
--- Energy credit for geothermal heat pump systems.
--- Credit for residential energy efficient property.
--- New clean renewable energy bonds.
--- Tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration.
--- Carbon audit of the tax code.
--- Inclusion of cellulosic biofuel in bonus depreciation for biomass ethanol plant property.
--- Credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel.
--- Extension and modification of alternative fuel credit.
--- Credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.
--- Alternative fuel vehicle refueling property credit.
--- Certain income and gains relating to alcohol fuels and mixtures, biodiesel fuels and mixtures, and alternative fuels and mixtures treated as qualifying income for publicly traded partnerships.
--- Transportation fringe benefit to bicycle commuters.
--- Qualified energy conservation bonds.
--- Credit for nonbusiness energy property.
--- Energy efficient commercial buildings deduction.
--- New energy efficient home credit.
--- Modifications of energy efficient appliance credit for appliances produced after 2007.
--- Accelerated recovery period for depreciation of smart meters and smart grid systems.
--- Qualified green building and sustainable design projects.
--- Special depreciation allowance for certain reuse and recycling property

The Rest from Green Energy News

Local City in Maine to Amend Ordinance to allow Wind Towers

Windmill rules are in the works

Mount Desert Islander (ME)October 3, 2008www.mdislander.comBy Robert Levin
BAR HARBOR — Work is under way on a new land-use ordinance that would allow the construction of freestanding wind turbines in many zoning districts here.

The first draft of the windmill ordinance should be completed within the next two months, after which it will go to the planning board, town council, and town department heads for comment, said staff planner Kris Hultgren, who is writing the document. The goal is to have a final draft in place for voters to weigh in on at the annual town meeting in June 2009.

Work on the regulation began after several people expressed an interest in erecting a tower for a turbine, but found that under existing rules they would not be able to do so, Mr. Hultgren said. The subject also was raised last year during discussions surrounding the cell phone tower ordinance, which voters approved in June. At the time, planning director Anne Krieg said an ordinance regulating wind turbines would be next.

Under current zoning rules, residents must comply with a 40-foot maximum height restriction on all structures on their property. Items that, by necessity, extend higher than the roofline, such as antennas, chimneys, and turrets are exempted from the rule. Freestanding towers, like those necessary to support a wind turbine, are not.

Typically, a minimum height of 80 to 100 feet is necessary for a wind turbine to function well. Bar Harbor’s ordinance likely will allow a height in that range, Mr. Hultgren said, following other Maine towns that have enacted such a rule.


Read more @ SouthWest Wind

U.S. Federal government endorses small wind turbines with tax credit

New law gives up to $4,000 to consumers who purchase Windpower

Press release from SkyStream

Southwest Windpower’s Skystream 3.7

Flagstaff, Ariz. — Southwest Windpower, the leading manufacturer of small wind turbines, played a leadership role in the passage of new legislation creating a federal-level tax credit for qualified small wind turbines – a significant leap for the small wind industry as a whole. This legislation marks the first federal incentive for small wind systems since 1985.

On Friday, Oct. 3, 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, H.R. 1424 was passed which included a new federal-level investment tax credit (ITC) for qualified small wind turbines. The ITC is worth up to $4,000 and available for units installed through 2016. The U.S. small wind industry projects that the enactment of this federal credit, combined with a forthcoming equipment certification program, will provide thousands of new jobs and could foster U.S. market growth of more than 40 percent annually.

“Cutting edge small wind systems can play an important role in our efforts to expand the production of clean, homegrown energy,” said Senator Ken Salazar. “These tax credits will provide America’s consumers, small business owners, and farmers and ranchers the opportunity to bring down their energy costs, while helping to advance us toward an energy independent future.”

Senator Salazar of Colorado and Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, long-time champions of renewable energy, played a key role in fighting for legislation such as H.R. 1424 to be passed. Upon realizing small wind was not included in similar 2005 legislation, both Salazar and Blumenauer separately introduced bills into their respective House governments. Working alongside Salazar and Blumenauer, Andy Kruse, co-founder of Southwest Windpower, worked hard to bring this legislation to life and make small wind more accessible to the general public.

"Since working with me on the Rural Wind Energy Development Act in 2007, through the passage of the credit as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act last week, Andy Kruse and Southwest Windpower have done a tremendous job demonstrating the many benefits of small wind,” said Blumenauer. “With this tax credit in place, more consumers around the country will be able to generate their own clean, renewable energy while at the same time reducing their energy bills."

The new tax credit reduces the cost of residential scale wind generators making the technology more accessible for consumers. This includes Southwest Windpower’s Skystream 3.7. Launched in late 2006, Skystream is the first fully integrated backyard-sized, grid-connected, wind turbine designed for residential use.

• Depending on the wind resource, Skystream generates between 30-80 percent of the power required by a typical home.
• Early adopters have reported a savings of more than 50 percent on their energy bills.
  “With the new federal tax credits and several State incentive programs, small wind is now an increasingly more affordable solution for consumers who want to reduce their environmental impact and their energy bills,” said Kruse.
• For years, Kruse and other industry leaders and organizations such as the American Wind Energy Association, have advocated for a 30 percent federal investment tax credit for small wind systems, 100 kW and smaller, to put the industry on equal policy footing with the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, as the two technologies share the same market.
• This also gives consumers a choice of technologies depending on their wind and solar resources. The broad legislation passed last Friday also extends and expands a similar credit for the solar industry. Residential and commercial solar PV installations can receive a 30 percent credit, for residential applications and uncapped for commercial uses.
  
• Small Wind Tax Credit FAQs
  About Southwest WindpowerFlagstaff, Arizona-based Southwest Windpower is the world’s largest producer of small-scale wind generators (400 to 3000 watts). The 21-year old company has been a pioneer in the development of wind technology and has produced more than 130,000 small wind generators that provide power to everything from sailboats to telecommunications towers to residential homes and commercial retailers. Southwest Windpower’s newest wind turbine, the Skystream 3.7, is the first fully-integrated wind generator designed specifically for the grid-connected residential market. Southwest Windpower distributes in more than 88 countries. To locate a Skystream dealer in your area or to inquire about becoming a certified Skystream dealer visit www.skystreamenergy.com.

Who benefits from the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008?

The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 should provide funds to finance projects led by companies like Trinity Green Services, LLC which provides Onsite distributed Renewable Generation Services in several forms.

The next step is to see which local communities are willing to amend their codes to encourage such micro generation sites.

-Editor