Drew Drew
New Member
Energy rebates and incentives are out there. Intelligent people who apply themselves to finding and applying for them can save themselves a lot of money — but it often seems like the only way to stumble across them is by meeting someone who already knows where to look. That’s because they come from a wide variety of disparate places:
Energy incentives can also come in a lot of different forms, including:
Government Incentives
The USDOE, in conjunction with the North Carolina Solar Center, runs the website DSIRE — a fairly comprehensive list of federal, state, and large-city energy incentives that has a focus on ‘green’ energy. On the homepage, you can choose a state and immediately see a list of incentives available for businesses in that state. Many of them won’t apply to a property management business, but some will; you’ll have to read each one to learn who can apply and how.
Personal Initiative Is Important
DSIRE only gives you the information on about 250 local initiatives — and there are thousands across the country. Don’t make the mistake of using it and then deciding that you’ve done your job; instead, get on the phone. Call the local government’s directory and ask for energy initiatives, sustainability initiatives, green tax credits, and so on. Also, ask your local general contractors — the guys who do decently-sized business projects often have personal experience with energy incentives and can give you the low-down if you buy them lunch.
However you go about it, don’t underestimate the potential business impact of this decision. It might take a significant investment to get this information organized, but if you could save %-8% off of your total bottom line — and that’s not unrealistic — would it be worth your time and energy?
- Utility companies offer their own incentives.
- Municipalities offer their own unique energy incentives.
- States offer a variety of incentives.
- The federal government offers energy incentives.
- And occasionally private NGOs will offer energy incentives as well.
Energy incentives can also come in a lot of different forms, including:
- Grants
- Loans
- Tax credits
- Rebates
- Green building incentives
- Performance-based incentives
- And several others
Government Incentives
The USDOE, in conjunction with the North Carolina Solar Center, runs the website DSIRE — a fairly comprehensive list of federal, state, and large-city energy incentives that has a focus on ‘green’ energy. On the homepage, you can choose a state and immediately see a list of incentives available for businesses in that state. Many of them won’t apply to a property management business, but some will; you’ll have to read each one to learn who can apply and how.
Personal Initiative Is Important
DSIRE only gives you the information on about 250 local initiatives — and there are thousands across the country. Don’t make the mistake of using it and then deciding that you’ve done your job; instead, get on the phone. Call the local government’s directory and ask for energy initiatives, sustainability initiatives, green tax credits, and so on. Also, ask your local general contractors — the guys who do decently-sized business projects often have personal experience with energy incentives and can give you the low-down if you buy them lunch.
However you go about it, don’t underestimate the potential business impact of this decision. It might take a significant investment to get this information organized, but if you could save %-8% off of your total bottom line — and that’s not unrealistic — would it be worth your time and energy?