Millions of Americans are going solar to free themselves from utility bills and live more sustainably. People are also taking advantage of new efficient technology like heat pumps and electric vehicles to save on gas.
These choices make a lot of sense. The less energy you use, the more you save. And, power from the sun and wind doesn’t pollute, never runs out and shows up for free, so why not use it?
Although clean technologies can pay for themselves over time through utility bill savings, upfront costs remain a barrier to choosing clean energy. Rooftop solar can cost upwards of $20,000, a battery runs between $8,500 and $10,000, and highly efficient electric appliances such as heat pumps can be a few thousand dollars more than less efficient gas models.
Good for you, good for your neighbors
Tax incentives and rebates help lower the costs of going solar, getting an electric vehicle, installing charging or making your home or business more energy-efficient. The credits cover up to 30% of the cost of many clean energy upgrades, and rebates provide additional assistance for middle class and low-income families. In 2023, 3.4 million Americans used these tax credits for clean energy or energy efficiency home improvements, saving more than $8 billion.
It’s good policy, given how much we all benefit from people choosing clean energy.
How choosing clean energy benefits Americans
- Health: Pollution from burning fossil fuels used to be responsible for more than 1 in 10 deaths in the United States each year — more than 350,000 total deaths in 2018. As more people switch to clean energy and EVs, we gain healthier air, which means fewer asthma attacks, heart disease and premature deaths.
- Freedom: When you produce your own power on your roof, you’re freed from high utility bills. Adding a battery keeps the lights on in a storm, and whether or not you have solar, an EV saves you trips to the gas station.
- Savings: Early adopters of clean energy technologies have to pay a lot upfront, which is why tax credits are critical. The more people who choose clean energy, the cheaper it gets for everyone. The per-watt cost of residential solar panels has fallen by about 70% in the last 20 years.
It could get harder to choose clean energy
To help America reap the benefits of cleaner energy, we need to make it easier for those who want to, to choose the cleaner, healthier more efficient option. Unfortunately, some members of Congress want to do exactly the opposite and repeal tax incentives that enable homeowners, businesses and houses of worship to choose clean energy.
Nathan Willcox of Maine installed a heat pump in 2022 after getting a whopping $1,320 bill for home heating oil. Heat pumps both heat and cool your home, can run on clean electricity and are more efficient than gas furnaces, electric resistance heaters or traditional air conditioners, but they can cost a few thousand dollars more. Making the switch, especially after getting a bill as large as Nathan’s, can be a challenge without some help. The Willcox family received a rebate from the state of Maine for their heat pump.
Federal incentives also help nonprofits choose clean energy in alignment with their faith or mission. The Department of Energy found that houses of worship were three times more likely to go solar than other non-residential buildings.
Let there be light: Hesston Mennonite Church flips the switch on solar
Solar power
Let there be light: Hesston Mennonite Church flips the switch on solar
Tell Congress: Let Americans choose clean energy
We need to maintain tax credits that are helping families, places of worship and businesses save energy and choose clean technologies – but many members of Congress are working to repeal them. That’s especially absurd given the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars used to subsidize fossil fuels and other pollution.
To keep our clean energy choices, we need to show members of Congress how renewable energy helps their community and how much support there is from their constituents. The good news: most Americans want to keep these programs, which helps explain why more than a dozen House Republicans have opposed repealing clean energy incentives.
Environment America is ready to defend your ability to choose clean energy. Together with our research and education partner Environment America Research & Policy Center, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people learn how to make their home a clean energy home. We track and share renewable energy progress in all 50 states through our interactive Renewables on the Rise dashboard. And, our advocates are on the ground in states all across the country and in Washington, D.C. making the case to lawmakers to let people choose clean energy.
But leaders in Congress are still working to take away tax credits for solar panels, energy-efficient appliances and more this spring. Your representative needs to hear from you today.
Tell Congress: Let Americans choose clean energy
Clean energy
Tell Congress: Let Americans choose clean energy
Congress shouldn’t make it harder to choose clean energy.
If we win, millions of Americans (maybe including you!), businesses and houses of worship will have the freedom to choose clean energy for the rest of the decade. That means we’ll all enjoy a future powered by more clean energy with a lot less pollution.
Heat pumps: how federal tax credits can help you get one
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Lisa leads Environment America’s work for a greener, healthier world. She also directs The Public Interest Network’s Washington, D.C., office and operations. A pragmatic idealist, Lisa has helped win billions of dollars in investments in clean energy and transportation and developed strategic campaigns to protect America’s oceans, forests and public lands. Lisa is an Oregonian transplant to the Capital region, where she loves hiking, running, biking, and cooking for friends and family.
