Rebates

In March 2011, the Virginia legislature enacted broad guidelines for local ordinances for solar and wind. The law states that any local ordinance related to the siting of solar or wind energy facilities must:

• Be consistent with the Commonwealth Energy Policy (§ 67-102)
• Provide reasonable criteria for wind and solar energy siting, protecting the locality while promoting wind and solar development
• Establish reasonable requirements for noise limitations, buffer areas, set backs, and facility decommissioning

In April 2011, the Virginia legislature created the Voluntary Solar Resource Development Fund. The fund is administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME). All utilities are required to provide a link on their web site to the DMME web site, where customers can make contributions to the fund. Utilities must also provide opportunities for customers to donate through their paper newsletters, emails or bills.

The fund will be used to provide loans for residential, commercial, or nonprofit solar energy projects. Qualifying solar energy projects cannot be acquired, installed or operating before July 1, 2012.

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%

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

First Energy Utilities (MetEd, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn Power) in Pennsylvania provide rebates to residential customers for purchasing and installing qualifying solar water heating systems. Eligible systems may receive a rebate of up to $500.  Applications must include a dated sales receipt from the contractor and a copy of the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) certificate indicating SRCC certification. Application forms, terms and conditions, and a list of eligible systems are available on the program website.

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