Rebates

The Farm Opportunity Loan Program (formerly known as the Sustainable Agriculture Loan Program) is designed to finance the purchase of equipment to add value to crops or livestock and increase on-farm energy production. Eligible loan uses do not include expenses related to seed, fertilizer, fuel, or other operating expenses. Refinancing of existing debt is not an eligible expense.

This is a loan participation program available through the Rural Finance Authority (RFA). Farmers will work through their local lender. Upon completion of an application, the lender will apply for RFA participation. The RFA must have a completed Master Participation Agreement with

SomerCor administers the Small Business Improvement Fund for the City of Chicago. The fund utilizes revenue from Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and supports commercial and industrial properties.

SBIF provides grants to commercial businesses for 30%, 60%, or 90% of the costs of permanent building improvements such as storefront renovation building systems, interior remodeling, and roof replacement. Industrial businesses with 200 or fewer employees are eligible for grants covering 50 of the project cost.

Steps to apply

1. Confirm your business is in a SBIF district
2. Check which districts are open
3. Review SBIF Eligibility requirements
4. Review SBIF program rules
5. Fill out an application and submit it to SBIF@somercor.com
   

Solar Readiness

Tucson adopted an ordinance in June 2008 that requires all new single-family homes and duplexes in Tucson to be "solar-ready." The ordinance requires all new homes either to have a photovoltaic (PV) and solar water heating system installed, or to have all the necessary hardware installed so that a system can easily be installed at a later date.

To comply with this requirement, new homes must either have a complete solar water heating system installed or comply with one of two solar stub-out options. Option One requires the installation of two insulated pipes and a suitably sized conduit

In July 2008, Pennsylvania enacted a broad $650 million alternative energy bill designed to provide support for a variety of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Included in this legislation was a provision authorizing the creation of a $25 million grant and loan program for high performance buildings. The program is jointly administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), under the direction of Commonwealth Finance Authority (CFA). Program guidelines were issued in April 2009 and revised in November 2009. Incentives are available to both in-state small businesses (100 or fewer

South River Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is providing rebates to encourage their customers to install solar water heating systems. To be eligible for the rebate solar collectors must have OG-100 certification by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation. (SRCC), and solar water heating systems must have SRCC OG-300 certification. Systems must also incorporate adequate freeze and over heat protection controls that do not require manual operations on the part of the residence occupant. System owners will have 90 days to apply for a rebate after their system has been installed. South River EMC will also inspect all systems before rewarding

With funding from The Sierra Club, Green Energy Ohio (GEO) is offering rebates on residential properties in Ohio for solar water heating systems purchased after April 1, 2009. The rebates are based on the projected energy output from the solar collectors and are calculated at $30 per kBtu/day (based on SRCC rating for "Clear Day/C Interval"). The maximum amount is 20% of the contracted solar thermal project cost .

There are two parts to the application. PART I of the application collects information on the applicant, the installer (which must be from a list of GEO-approved installers), proposed equipment and system

The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) offers loans to small and mid-sized businesses, non-profits, schools and municipalities to improve energy efficiency through its Energy Efficient Enterprises program. Commercial loans can be used to purchase a wide-variety of equipment and to pay for energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy installations. The micro-loans (up to $50,000) may be used for lighting upgrades and the purchase of energy efficient appliances. The program is flexible; the loans are designed to finance energy efficiency projects that maintain a positive cash flow due to the resulting energy savings. MACED has an energy specialist on

Note:  In 2010, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which has authority over mortgage underwriters Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, directed these enterprises against purchasing mortgages of homes with a PACE lien due to its senior status above a mortgage. Most residential PACE activity subsided following this directive; however, some residential PACE programs are now operating with loan loss reserve funds, appropriate disclosures, or other protections meant to address FHFA's concerns. Commercial PACE programs were not directly affected by FHFA’s actions, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not underwrite commercial mortgages. Visit PACENation for more information about PACE financing

In March 2009, Snohomish County PUD introduced the Solar Express Program. This program provides rebates to support residential and commercial installations of solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar water heating (SWH). 

This rebate program provides $300 per kilowatt (kW) of installed PV, up to a cap of $2,000 for residential premises and $8,000 for commercial premises (as determined by the PUD rate class). A flat rebate of $500 per system is provided for solar water heating. 

Interested customers must get a site assessment and bid from an approved installer, and get PUD approval prior to installation.The PUD will conduct a pre-

Dominion Energy provides incentives for residential customers to purchase and install solar water heating systems (both for domestic and pool heating uses) in their newly-constructed homes. Rebates of $750 per system are provided to customers of Dominion Energy who install solar panels backed up by gas water heaters. 

To be eligible, customer must include with their applications an invoice or receipt that shows purchase date, price, and a description of the equipment, and submit that application within six (6) months of installation. The six (6) month requirement is retroactive for all systems prior to the rule change, which took effect