Renewable Energy Incentives

February 23, 2007 11:21 AM

Want to increase your energy efficiency and use more renewable energy? Want to install solar panels on your roof, buy a hybrid car, put in new storm windows, or make any number of other green improvements to your home or business? Want to save money doing it? DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Just click on your state and take it from there.
posted by alms (13 comments total)

Don't forget to check the Federal Incentives, too.
posted by alms at 11:23 AM on February 23, 2007

Efficiency? Save money? I don’t know. I just don’t know. I don’t think it’s been proven that saving money is something mankind can control.
posted by Smedleyman at 11:28 AM on February 23, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

damn you, now I must wank
posted by DU at 11:36 AM on February 23, 2007

(grumpy comment about american-centric posts and whether I should pull a dios and start posting about every country's energy efficiency government grant programs)
posted by GuyZero at 11:39 AM on February 23, 2007

Ever since that competition of solar powered homes that they had set up out on the national Mall here in DC, I've been thinking that it'd be great to be able to buy a copy of the winning entries, and plop it out in the middle of the mountains in West Virginia. A 21st century cabin to call my own. I could become a sort of bizarro Ted Kozinski ... but then I guess that would mean I'd have to send bombs to myself... or something.
posted by Dave Faris at 11:51 AM on February 23, 2007

GuyZero, if you have pointers to information about incentives in countries other than the US, that would be great.
posted by alms at 11:52 AM on February 23, 2007

In Canada the Pembina Institute isn't a bad place to start.
posted by jimmythefish at 12:10 PM on February 23, 2007

Huh, well, sure, I could be useful and not just complain. Fine.

ecoEnergy Retrofit to improve the energy efficiency of Canadian homes. This is a direct-to-the-homeowner rebate program that subsidizes home improvements.

Photovoltaic Rebate Program for solar energy upgrades in Australia.

Energy saving grants and offers for UK homeowners.

Unfortunately, as a life-long Anglophone, I cannot give MeFites who reside in non-English speaking countries much help.
posted by GuyZero at 12:10 PM on February 23, 2007

Cool -- thanks. Best of The American Internet.
posted by turducken at 1:55 PM on February 23, 2007

Man, that Smedleyman is insightful and funny!
posted by slogger at 2:38 PM on February 23, 2007

Am I the only person, who read the first 3/4ths of the first sentence of this post -- Want to increase your energy efficiency and use more... -- and thought it was the subject line to some pen1s -enlarging spam?
posted by Avenger at 4:19 PM on February 23, 2007

Am I reading this right? It looks like my city would pay most of the cost of solar panels for my house ( as much as $13,500 ). So on a $17,000 install, I'd pay around $4k. How can I possibly lose? The electric bills here are bananas.
posted by popechunk at 6:33 PM on February 23, 2007

Popechunk, it looks good to me. There's even a net metering provision, which allows you to sell any electricity you generate back onto the grid.

The biggest possible catch I see is that there might not be sufficient funding to cover everyone who wants a system. But hey, can't hurt to try.
posted by alms at 8:01 PM on February 23, 2007