The City of Fort Collins has committed to having a neutral carbon footprint by 2050, which essentially means that the city has pledged to pollute no more than it contributes in terms of greenhouse gases. This bold statement is going to involve a number of renewable resources, which circumvent the consumption by-product of fossil fuels; at the forefront of this commitment is solar panels on the city’s homes and businesses, which are incentivized by tax and bill credits.
Why Go Solar?
Moral & Ethical Concern
If you’ve seen Before the Flood, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, you know how dire the global energy conservation crisis is believed to be by leading experts in climatology. Simply by installing solar panels on your home, you can make a considerable impact on the local demand for fossil fuel consumption. One major component of the film was to push the responsibility of the United States to act as world leaders in the conversion from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources, and the City of Fort Collins has pledged support to this cause in a bold and exciting way.
Doing Our Part
As part of the city’s plan for carbon emission neutrality, renewable resources, especially solar, play a huge part on behalf of the city itself, businesses, and even homes. By taking advantage of the tax incentives and reduced energy costs, you are helping to contribute a nearly 10 percent cut in emissions that is expected to come directly from citizens. As the major energy distributor for the region, the City of Fort Collins is also committing to solar and wind power to knock off a further 11 percent from city-wide emission inefficiency.
Get Paid Twice
When you install solar panels onto your home, in addition to the value that they add, you’ll receive an expected 10 percent regular rate of return on the investment for installation and potential panel maintenance costs in reduced energy costs. In addition to the obvious energy savings that you’ll enjoy year round, there are local and federal energy and tax incentives that subsidize the cost of your solar panels even more. This reduced price doesn’t reduce the value or rate of return; instead, you essentially get a double return on your investment that begins immediately.
Energy Tax Credits & Incentives
As we look to the new year, many are wondering if the current solar energy panel incentives will be reinstated in their current form or with an even stronger incentive. While there is no way to know for sure, both the federal and local incentives are tentatively set to run through December 31, 2016. It is extremely unlikely that no incentive will be left in place, as both the federal and, especially, local governments have made commitments to strengthening residential solar energy access for its many benefits. Interested in learning the specifics? Check out the City of Fort Collins’ energy tax credits and the federal government’s Tax Incentives Assistance Project (TIAP).
Let Us Help
At Power Down, LLC, we are committed to helping Fort Collins home and business owners navigate the solar panel installation process. We’ll happily walk you through the projected return on investment based upon the roof or surface housing the panels, take over applying for city and federal energy tax credits, and, of course, fully install your new solar energy panels. Now is the time to invest in solar energy nationwide, but nowhere is that more true than right here in Fort Collins!