Florida homeowners rush to make improvements to bag tax credit
Now, homeowners who want to conserve energy and earn a 30 percent tax credit must have their solar panels installed by the end of the year. US Representative Kathy Castor told Floridians at a press conference this week: 'Our message today is if you are interested in lower–cost solar for your home or for your business, for your church, synagogue or mosque — you have to act now.' And act they have, but the rush is overwhelming local solar panel companies and creating a dismal future for the industry in Florida as a whole.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association , the appropriately named Sunshine State ranked third in the solar industry. Over 20,000 solar panel systems have been installed, employing 14,000 Floridians. The often sweltering heat and sunny conditions makes low–coast solar a good way to decrease electric bills and promote environmentally-friendly living.
Bill Johnson, who runs Brilliant Harvest in Sarasota, Florida told the Tampa Bay Times : 'Within 48 hours of the bill being signed, we had enough contracts to complete the year.' It could take weeks for companies like Johnson's to obtain the proper permits and contracts to even begin installing solar panels. So to get that tax credit homeowners must start immediately.
Steve Rutherford, the CEO of Tampa Bay Solar said he can't train enough installers to fulfill every request by the December 31 deadline. But after that deadline has come and gone, solar industry professionals worry what a drastic decline in demand will do to their business.
Without the government incentive to install green energy, Tampa businesses could see job losses. Rutherford said that these realizations are 'a bit of a funeral in the industry'. Johnson was a little more optimistic and noted that he'd already had clients create contracts for next year, despite losing out on the tax credit.
'This is a body blow,' he said. Officials worried that losing federal support for solar programs could cause electric bills everywhere to rise, especially amidst the heat waves Tampa had seen this summer. 'As TECO, Duke and FP&L ask for higher rate increases and your electric bills go up, part of the reason is because of the big ugly bill, and taking away the tax credits you were enjoying for cleaner, cheaper energy,' said Castor.
According to the United States Department of Energy , solar panels may still be a good thing for your wallet with or without a 30 percent tax cut. Installation can increase the value of a home by an average of $15,000. Depending on a home's location, sunlight exposure, and climate, owners could still save hundreds of dollars a year, per the US Department of Energy .
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