State law grants municipalities the option to exempt certain renewable energy installations from property taxation. RSA 72:61-72 are the relevant sections. A number of municipalities have elected to exempt at least one type of renewable installation; check with your local tax collector or assessor.
If your city or town has adopted the exemption, the added value of the equipment and installation to your property may be exempt from taxation. If the option is not offered, see the sections in the statute for "adoption procedure." (Note: RSA 72:63, 72:67 and 72:71 addressing the adoption procedure for solar, wind and wood renewable energy tax exemptions have been repealed and replaced by RSA 72:27-a.)
The form to use to apply for an exemption - assuming the town does elect to offer them - is Form PA-29, to be found on the NH Department of Revenue Administration’s Property Tax Fill-In Forms web site.
NH Public Utilities Commission code also provides for net metering, which permits homeowners to receive credit for excess electricity generated from solar cells or wind turbines, by running the home’s electric meter backward when on-site generation exceeds consumption.
There are currently no other state-funded incentives for residential renewable energy installations; however New Hampshire has a streamlined siting approval process for electric generation facilities over 30 MW capacity, as described in Chapter 4 of the New Hampshire Energy Plan. While this process is required for facilities over 30MW capacity, developers of smaller facilities can petition to use the process as well, which may help expedite local permitting.
The Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 offers federal tax credits and rebates for the purchase of renewable energy equipment, building energy efficiency improvements, energy-efficient vehicles and appliances. A summary of the major incentive provisions may be found on the Department of Energy web site.
For other renewable energy information sources, contact:
American Solar Energy Society
2400 Central Avenue, Ste. G-1
Boulder, CO 80301
phone: (303) 443-3130; fax: 303-443-3212
ases@ases.org
American Wind Energy Association
122 C Street, NW, Suite 380
Washington, DC 20001
phone: (202) 383-2500; fax (202) 383-2505
windmail@awea.org
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network
US Department of Energy
Boston Regional Office
JFK Federal Building, Suite 675
Boston, MA 02203
phone: (617) 565-9700; fax: (617) 565-9723
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
50 Miles Street
Greenfield, MA 01301
phone: (413) 774-6051
nesea@nesea.org
NH Affiliate: NH Sustainable Energy Association
Solar Works, Inc.
64 Main Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
phone: (802) 223-7804; fax: (802) 223-8980
info@solar-works.com
also 28 Howard Street
Wilton, NH 03086
phone: (603) 654-6619 (M-W-F)
Real Goods’ Solar Living Source Book
9th edition, 1996, by John Schaeffer & the Real Goods Staff, distributed by Chelsea Green Publishing Company in White River Junction VT. ISBN: 0-930031-82-2. This book contains a wealth of product information and conceptual background on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
54 Portsmouth Street
Concord NH 03301-5400
(603) 224-9945
info@forestsociety.org
Their Conservation Center hosts several environmental organizations in two buildings, the newest completed in 2001, which showcase a variety of state of- the-art energy conservation and renewable energy design features and installations.
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