RHODE ISLAND
SEPA
Rhode Island
Renewable Energy and
Energy Efficiency Incentives
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RENEWABLE ENERGY INCENTIVES RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives
Climate change and energy security are major challenges of our time and the
environmental implications are as much local as they are global. Reducing our use of
fossil fuel-based energy reduces greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate
change. EPA New England is providing this resource fact sheet as a starting point for
residential, municipal and commercial energy consumers. It outlines the federal, state
and utility incentives for energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy.
(left photo) 66QkW wind turbine, photo
courtesy of Portsmouth Abbey School
(center photo) Hudson in Rl focused on
energy management, photo courtesy of
Robert Cerio
(right photo) Sohr array, photo courtesy
of Roger Williams University
Federal
Energy Efficient &
Energy Improvement Mortgages
Credits a home's energy efficiency in the mortgage itself
Gives borrowers the opportunity to finance cost-effective,
energy-saving measures
Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEM) fund new homes that are
already energy efficient
Energy Improvement Mortgages (EIM) allow borrowers to
include the cost of energy-efficiency improvements in
existing homes without increasing the down payment
Sponsored by federally insured mortgage programs
Visit energystar.gov - enter "Mortgage" in the search box
Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credits
Credit available for systems placed in service by 12/31/2016:
Applies to qualified systems for photovoltaics, solar water heat, wind,
fuel cells, geothermal heat pumps, solar electric technologies.
Credit is up to 30% of the cost.
Credit limit:
No limit on solar photovoltaic electric systems
$2,000 for solar water heating
$500 per O.SkW for small wind (<100kW) up to $4,000
$500 per O.SkW for fuel cells
$2,000 for geothermal heat pumps
Visit dsireusa.org - click "Federal Incentives," then scroll
to "Personal Tax Credit" and click on "Residential Renewable
Energy Tax Credit"
Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credits
Credit available until 12/31/2009:
Applies to qualified water heaters, furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, air
conditioners, building insulation, windows, doors, roofs, circulating fans used
in qualifying furnaces, stoves that use biomass fuel to heat a home or to heat
water. Credit is up to 10% of cost of building envelope improvements, or up
to 100% for qualified energy property.
Credit limit:
No more than $500 for all improvements combined
$50 for advanced main air circulating fans
$150 for natural gas, propane or oil furnace or hot water boilers
$200 for windows
$300 for electric heat pump water heaters
$300 for electric heat pumps
$300 for central air conditioners
$300 for natural gas, propane or oil water heaters
$300 for biomass stoves
Visit energystar.gov - enter "Tax Credits" in the search box
Residential and Corporate Energy
Conservation Subsidy Exclusion
Electric utility customers joining an energy conservation
program may receive a:
. Reduction in the purchase price of electricity
. Non-refundable credit against the price of electricity
. Rate reduction that is not included in income and not taxable
Visit dsireusa.org - click "Federal Incentives," then scroll to
"Corporate Exemption" and click on "Residential Energy
Conservation Subsidy Exclusion (Corporate)" or scroll to
"Personal Exemption" and click on "Residential Energy
Conservation Subsidy Exclusion (Personal)"
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RHODE ISLAND
USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
Promotes energy efficiency/renewable energy for agricultural
producers and rural small business
Grant program open to commercial, schools, local, state and
tribal governments, rural electric cooperatives, agricultural,
public power sectors
Maximum limit of grant equals 25% of project cost with various caps
Visit www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/farmbill
Tribal Energy Program
Federal grant program to promote tribal energy efficiency with
eligible systems, including passive solar space heat, solar
space and water heat, photovoltaics
Visit eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy
State
Property Tax Exemption
for Renewable Energy Systems
Solar water heat, solar space heat, photovoltaics, wind,
biomass, small hydroelectric
Open to residential, commercial, industrial and
agricultural sectors
Cities and towns can exempt property tax on renewable
energy systems
Visit dsireusa.org -click on "Rl," then scroll to "Property
Tax Exemption" and select "Local Option - Property Tax
Exemption for Renewable Energy Systems"
Residential Solar Property Tax Exemption
Solar water heat, solar space heat, photovoltaics
Open to residential sector
Systems cannot be assessed more than conventional systems
Visit dsireusa.org -click on "Rl," then scroll to "Property
Tax Exemption" and select "Residential Solar Property Tax
Exemption"
Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit
(Corporate and Personal)
Solar water heat, solar space heat, photovoltaics, wind,
geothermal heat pumps
Open to residential sector
Credit is 25% of the cost of qualified on-or-off-grid systems
$15,000 max for photovoltaics, active solar space heating and wind
$7,000 max for solar hot water and geothermal
Visit dsireusa.org -click on "Rl," then scroll to
"Corporate Tax Credit" or "Personal Tax Credit"
Renewable Energy Sales Tax Exemption
Solar water heat, solar space heat, solar thermal electric,
photovoltaics, wind, geothermal heat pumps, solar pool heating
Open to residential, commercial, general public/consumer sectors
100% exemption of qualified energy systems and equipment
Visit dsireusa.org -click on "Rl," then scroll to "Sales
Tax Exemption"
RIEDC - Renewable Energy Fund Grants/Loans
Solar water heat, solar space heat, solar thermal electric,
photovoltaics, landfill gas, wind, biomass, hydroelectric,
geothermal electric, anaerobic digestion, tidal energy,
wave energy, ocean thermal, fuel cells using renewable fuels
Open to multi-family residential/low-income, commercial,
industrial, non-profit, school, local government, agricultural,
institutional sectors
Submission deadlines apply, see website
Funding amounts vary
Visit riedc.com/business-services/renewable-energy
Utility
National GridEnergy Wise Program
Refrigerators/freezers, lighting, air conditioners, duct/air
sealing, building insulation, pool pump timers
Open to multi-family sectors and landlords
Free audits, incentives and low-interest loans available to help
pay for improved insulation and installation of ENERGY STAR-
qualified products
Visit thinksmartthinkgreen.com
Multiple Energy Efficiency Products/Incentives
from National Grid
National Grid offers Rl residents, local government and
businesses rebates and other incentives on energy efficient
appliances and products such as water heaters, lighting, boilers, etc.
Open to residential and commercial sectors
Visit thinksmartthinkgreen.com
National GridSolar Thermal Rebate Program
Solar water heat, solar space heat, solar thermal process heat
Open to residential/multi-family, commercial, industrial sectors
Residential customers receive 15% off project costs, with a
cap of $1,500
Non-residential customers receive up to 50% of project costs,
with a cap of $100,000
Must be National Grid customer
Visitthinksmartthinkgreen.com continued >
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RENEWABLE ENERGY INCENTIVES RHODE ISLAND
Utility, cont'd
People's Power & Light - Renewable Energy
Certificate Incentive (Production)
Photovoltaics, wind
Open to residential, commercial, industrial, non-profit,
school, federal, state and local government, institutional
sectors
Producers receive $0.03 per kWh through a 3-year contract
Sold as New England GreenStart product through
National Grid's GreenUp program
Income from the sale of Renewable Energy Credits will not
reduce the benefits of net metering
Visit massenergy.com/Solar.REC.Sale.html
Success Stories
Secondary SchoolPortsmouth Abbey School in
Portsmouth, RI built the first large wind turbine in Rhode Island in
2006. In its first year, the 660kW turbine produced nearly 1.3 million
State Contacts:
Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources
Charles Hawkins
(401) 574-9124
chawkins@energy.ri.gov
Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation
(401) 278-9100
Federal Contacts
US Department of Agriculture
REAP Grant
(800) 670-6553
US Environmental Protection Agency
EPA New England
Cynthia Veil
(617) 918-1666
veit.cynthia@epa.gov
John Moskal
(617) 918-1826
moskal.john@epa.gov
kilowatt hours of wind-generated electricity and saved the school more
than $100,000 in electricity costs. In 2007 Portsmouth Abbey School
received an Environmental Merit Award from EPA New England for its
environmental contributions. The turbine also is used to teach students
about energy as part of their science curriculum.
BusinessThe Hudson Companies' facility in Providence, RI, lowered
its utility bills considerably when it began to focus on energy efficiency
and created a corporate-wide energy management plan. The company
approached the goal of reducing energy consumption from two angles:
pro-active changes and using financial incentives. It started with lighting
retrofits and other efficiency measures, and followed with adding biomass
as an alternative fueling resource. Coupled with refunds on efficiency
products and utility rebates, this helped the Providence facility save over
10% on its annual energy budget.
UniversityRoger Williams University in Bristol had a 2000-watt solar
photovoltaic array installed that was partially funded by a grant from the
Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund. The Fund, originally run by the state,
is now run by the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
EPA901-F-09-010
April 2009
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