2009 Rhode Island Green Home Incentives

Many features that make a home green have been around for many years and while most were scarce or expensive to install, the federal and state governments are now attemting to make it an easier decision to install such products and systems. Many programs are in place to receive incentive rebates up to 30% of the cost of the materials, labor not included, of new heating systems including solar hot-water systems, active solar-heating systems, wind-energy systems, and geo-thermal heating systems.

Many of these systems will allow for lower utility costs and depending on the size of your home and family can pay for themselves in 3 to 7 years. I recently went to the Home Show at the Ryan Center and met with several vendors offering green features for homes including a passive solar tubing heating system. It would replace between 60 and 70 percent of my heating costs including hot water. My present system uses oil, thus not allowing me the National Grid rebate for gas and electrical systems, but I would still be eligible for a 30% rebate from the federal government. Afterexplaining our current status and home size, the system was estimated to cost $10,000 or $7000 after incentives and the life-cycle cost was about 5 to 7 years for repayment.

In short, this system would pay for itself in as little as five years and it would add value to my home if and when I decide to sell. Instead of filling my oil tank every six to nine months I would likely to have to fill the tank with oil every two to three years. With oil prices skyrocketing last year and uncertainty of the future, now seems an ideal time to take advantage of such systems.



If I can be of service to you or attempt to answer any questions you may have about different systems availale to your home please feel free to contact me at 401-339-4401.





These are some Rhode Island offered rebates and incentives:



The Energy Consumers Alliance of New England (ECANE), which operates as Mass Energy Consumers Alliance in Massachusetts and as People’s Power & Light in Rhode Island, is a non-profit organization that buys renewable energy credits (RECs) from photovoltaic (PV) systems and small wind-energy systems. The RECs from PV systems and small wind-energy systems are packaged together with low-impact hydro and biomass RECs and sold as New England GreenStart, a renewable energy-based electricity product marketed through GreenUp. GreenUp is a green power program offered by National Grid, an investor-owned electric utility serving customers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. ECANE offers to purchase RECs from PV systems and small wind-energy systems installed in Rhode Island after 1998 at $30 per megawatt-hour ($0.03 per kilowatt-hour) for a period of three years. After the three-year contract, owners can consider other opportunities for selling RECs in the green power market; these options include extending the purchase agreement with ECANE. PV system owners and small wind-energy system owners may also choose to donate their RECs as a contribution to green power market development. Income from the sale of RECs will not reduce the benefits of net metering.
Rhode Island offers a personal tax credit for photovoltaic systems (on-grid and off-grid), solar hot-water systems, active solar-heating systems, wind-energy systems and geothermal-energy systems. The tax credit is equal to 25% of the system cost and applies only to residential installations. The credit is available to the resident or business that pays for the system. Photovoltaic (PV) systems must have a minimum module size of 24 square feet, and must either be connected to the grid or to a battery-storage system. PV systems up to $15,000 are eligible for the full 25% credit. (A resident or business that pays for a PV system that exceeds $15,000 in cost will receive a credit based on a $15,000 system cost.)

Solar hot-water systems must have a minimum collector area of 60 square feet and must include a storage tank that holds at least 80 gallons. Solar hot-water systems up to $7,000 are eligible for the full 25% credit. (A resident or business that pays for a solar hot-water system that exceeds $7,000 in cost will receive a credit based on a $7,000 system cost.) Active solar-heating systems must have a minimum collector area of 125 square feet, and must include a system for storing and/or distributing heat to the living area of a house. Active solar-heating systems up to $15,000 are eligible for the full 25% credit. (A resident or business that pays for an active solar-heating systems that exceeds $15,000 in cost will receive a credit based on a $15,000 system cost.)