Renewable energy systems are on everyone's mind these days. With the government getting involved with offering substantial reasons to buy one of these systems, wind turbine incentives in particular have become a very hot topic.
Wind turbine incentives come in many forms. These are the top four:
* Federal - there is an IRS incentive available now that offers 30% of the cost of install wind turbine back to you in the form of a federal residential tax credit. That means that 30% of the total cost you document will do rebated to you in the form of a credit on your next tax bill to the government. This is huge, because it is not a deduction, instead it is a credit. A credit means that it is a dollar for dollar swap. When you get it deduction, it means the amount is taken off the total adjusted gross income only. This can be a huge difference.
* State and local credits -some states that are trying to encourage wind energy and other renewable projects are offering programs that mimic what the federal government has done with the 30% tax credit. You just need to check out and see what your state is offering at the moment. States that tend to be the most aggressive in the communities are the ones that are located in the middle the country where wind and solar are very hot issues right now.
* Electric utility rebates and incentives. Believe it or not, your local utility will also offer you an incentive to buy less energy from them. That seems a little crazy at first. But, when you realize they have jointly been charged with reducing the amount of new power facilities that they bill, it becomes clear why there incentivizing you to make your own power at home.
* Rebates from the maker of the device. Many companies that make wind turbines also offer rebates to incentivize you to buy their product instead of someone else's.
With all the wind turbine incentives out there these days, it is very difficult to buy a windmill and not have at least the majority of the cost covered by someone else in many places. However, this is not a substitute for making sure you get the best price on the turbine you by. You have also got to make sure that you optimize where you locate your turbine to get the most wind energy that you possibly can.
It doesn't matter if you buy a turbine and have someone else pay for it if you put in the wrong spot though. Because, your ultimate goal is to reduce your energy costs at home - not just to acquire a wind device. And, the only way you will do that is if you put the turbine in the place that will expose it to the most wind energy over time. Remember, your system will last 20 to 30 years and most of the benefit of having a wind turbine will be from those reduced utility costs over that time.
