The Virginia Resources Authority (VRA) was created in 1984 and provides financial assistance to local governments in Virginia for a variety of projects, including energy and energy conservation projects. In March 2011, H.B. 2389 added "renewable energy" to the list of eligible projects (though it may have already been technically eligible under the "energy" category). VRA offers a couple financing options, including the Virginia Pooled Financing Program and Revolving Loan Funds. Interested entities can use the contact form available on the VRA web site in order to discuss financing options with VRA staff.

New York exempts retail sales of wood used for residential heating purposes from the state sales tax. The law also permits local governments (municipalities and counties) to grant an exemption from local sales taxes. If a city with a population of 1 million or more chooses to grant the local exemption, it must enact a specific resolution that appears in the state law. Local sales tax rates in New York range from 1.5% to more than 4% in addition to the general state sales tax rate of 4%. For buildings with both residential and non-residential units where more than 25%

In January 2007, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted rules to require that all new county buildings greater than 10,000 square feet be LEED Silver certified. All buildings authorized and fully funded on or after February 15, 2007 must achieve the certification. Certain buildings may be exempt from the requirement at the recommendation of the Chief Administrative Officer.

Note: The Regional Planning Commission is considering amendments to the requirements outlined here. See the website above for the most recent information related to this process.

In November 2008, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted a series of ordinances which created the Green Building Program. The ordinances included the Green Building Ordinance (2008-0065), the Drought Tolerant Ordinance (2008-0064), and the Low Impact Development Ordinance (2008-0063). These standards are updated periodically, and apply to new buildings constructed in Los Angeles County. If a reconstruction of a building exceeds 50% of its market value, it is subject to green building

The Zoning Code (Chapter 25-2) of the Austin City Code provides a height limitation exemption for solar installations. Solar installations may exceed the zoning district height limit by 15% or the amount necessary to comply with a federal or state regulation, whichever is greater.

The Zoning Code also allows for preservation plans in historic districts to incorporate sustainability measures such as solar technologies and other energy generation and efficiency measures.

In June 2011, the City of Indianapolis announced the availability of the EcoHouse Project, an energy-efficiency loan program for medium and low-income homeowners in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Office of Sustainability selected the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership to administer the program.

In order to qualify, homeowners must have lived in the same home for the past 12 months and have a credit score of at least 580. In addition, homeowners must have an income at or below 120% of the HUD's published area median income. Loans are available for a variety of energy-efficiency upgrades and are capped at $8,000. Apply online

The Indianapolis Office of Sustainability and the Department of Code Enforcement offer reduction in permit fees for projects achieving certain green building criteria. Property owners and developers constructing new buildings or completing major renovations on existing buildings are eligible to receive the incentive. Projects located within Indianapolis or Marion County are eligible.

There are six green building categories. Meeting the minimum criteria for three categories qualifies the project for a 30% rebate on permit fees.  For each additional category that the project meets, it will receive an additional 10% off permit fees. The maximum rebate amount is 50%. The six

Clean Energy Works began in 2009 as a pilot program run by the City of Portland. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $20 million to create a statewide nonprofit to expand the program beyond Portland and serve thousands of homeowners in urban, suburban and rural Oregon. Clean Energy Works Oregon also has funding from the State of Oregon, local governments, workforce investment boards and national foundations to support its efforts. The goal of Clean Energy Works Oregon is to finance energy efficiency retrofits for approximately 6,000 homes throughout Oregon, by offering a one-stop program for whole-home energy upgrades

New York enacted legislation in July 2005 exempting the sale and installation of residential solar-energy systems from the state's sales and compensating use taxes. The exemption applies to solar-energy systems that utilize solar radiation to produce energy designed to provide heating, cooling, hot water and/or electricity. In 2012 the exemption was also extended to commercial solar energy systems, effective January 1, 2013. In 2015 the exemption was extended to solar systems that are owned by third party owners, who provide solar electricity to residential and commercial users. Both solar lease payments and the receipts of the sale of electricity by

LADWP allows its customers to net meter their photovoltaic (PV), wind, and hybrid systems with a capacity of not more than one megawatt. LADWP will provide the necessary metering equipment unless an installation requires atypical metering equipment. In these cases the customer must cover the additional metering expenses. The customer must also pay any related interconnection fees.  

Excess kilowatt-hours (kWh) generated by the customer's system will be credited toward their future bills.  Excess bill credits, however, may not be used to offset taxes, minimum charges, or other charges which are not based on energy.  If a bill credit still