The FAQ sheet from SEIA covers most of
it. [ See the link below to view file ]
For systems put "into service" between
2009 and 2016, the federal tax credit is
30%. That means that for solar electric
systems put into service between Jan 1
2009 and Dec 31 2016, you will be able
to get back 30% of the total cost of the
system, with no cap for residential
systems.
In most of Arizona, you can also get a
$2.70 to $3.00 per watt rebate from APS
or SRP. The federal 30% tax credit is
total cost
AFTER the
rebate. Just for example, for a 5000
watt system where the total installed
cost is $35,000, you would get (for
example) $13,500 back from APS, so your
cost for the system would be $21,500.
You would get a 30% Federal tax rebate
on that, so your total cost would be
($21.500 x .70) $15,050.
What "put into service" means is
basically when the system goes live, or
operational, not when it was purchased.
From IRS Form 5695: Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit
You may be able to take a credit of 30%
of your costs of qualified solar
electric property, solar water heating
property, fuel cell property, small wind
energy property, and geothermal heat
pump property.
This includes
labor costs properly allocable to the
onsite preparation, assembly, or
original installation of the property
and for piping or wiring to interconnect
such property to the home.
For more information on nationwide local
and state incentives, see the
Dsireusa.org site:
Database of State Incentives for
Renewables & Efficiency
As of June 1 2009, Arizona SRP has cut
its rebate to residential customers who
install solar photovoltaic systems to
$2.70 per watt from $3 per watt. The
utility company, which serves more than
905,000 customers in the Phoenix area,
is also capping the size of
solar-electric systems at 5-kilowatts so
it can spread its rebate money to more
customers. The APS rebate for AZ
customers remains at $3 per for now.
For information on various Arizona
rebates, tax incentives, and other solar
credits etc see the
Arizona Solar Center website. SRP
and APS also offer some additional solar
incentives, see the same link for more
information on those.
