Sustainable Energy Grants for Your Home

If you can use wind energy in your home, you might qualify for federal or state grant programs.

Perhaps you are considering installing a solar water heater or maybe you are planning to retrofit your energy infrastructure so that you can make use of sources of sustainable energy. Some sources of sustainable energy include solar energy, wind energy and hydropower; however, not all communities will have energy from all of these sources available, and not all states will have the same kinds of grant programs available to help you offset the cost of converting to green power where it is available. As the United States strives to become less dependent for energy from outside sources, the number of grants available to homeowners has been steadily on the rise.

Solar System Grants

Some grants are available at the city level to support installation of photovoltaic systems on homes or businesses; a photovoltaic system converts solar energy to electricity and uses this electricity to provide power. For example, in the city and county of San Francisco, residents can earn an incentive of $2,000 for installing a photovoltaic system of at least one kilowatt in capacity. In addition, those who live in certain neighborhoods or who qualify for low-income support programs are eligible for an even higher incentive of $3,000. Those who use local installers can qualify for an extra incentive of $750, while those applicants whose incomes are below the median can receive a bonus incentive of $7,000, as of 2011.

Permit Fee Grants

Grants in the form of permit fee waivers are another approach some counties and municipal areas take to encourage homeowners to adopt more sustainable practices. For example, California's San Bernardino County offers these waivers to any resident in the unincorporated areas of the county who install solar energy systems and wind-generated electrical systems. The program called Green County San Bernardino was launched in 2007, and also has a public awareness component you can access to learn about steps you can take on an everyday basis to help conserve resources and protect the environment.

New Homes

Some programs also provide incentives to those building new homes. For example, in the state of Wisconsin, a program called Focus on Energy provides eligible customers with cash-back rewards when they install small- or medium-sized renewable energy systems in their homes. Customers are required to get approval before buying, ordering or installing equipment or services. You can get extra money if you consume less energy than the average home in Wisconsin. If you're not working on a new home, you can also qualify for the program, too. In addition, you can get enhanced incentives if you work on maximizing your home's energy efficiency.

Green Towns

Some smaller communities have their own excellent programs running to help homeowners, too. The state of Massachusetts has a Green Communities Act where 35 municipalities were selected. To qualify the communities had to commit to reducing energy use by 20 percent throughout five years. If you suspect your community is a municipality included in this group, as of 2011, grants of up to $2,000 might be available to help you install solar on your home; solar hot water heater, as well as photovoltaic systems are covered with the system. The town of Lenox, Massachusetts, was one of the communities included; the town received $180,000 from the state in late 2010.

References

• DSIRE: California: San Francisco Solar Energy Incentive Program
• Green County San Bernardino: About Green County
• Focus On Energy: Renewable Energy Financial Incentives for Your Residential Property
• "CleanEnergyAuthority.com"; Lenox, Mass., Offers $2,000 Grants to Homeowners Installing PV; Chris Meehan; December 2010