Q: How much longer can I expect the government to continue their rebates and incentives?

A: The incentives both federal and state do have expiration dates.  The state incentive is a rebate that steps down in value every time we hit a set trigger amount.  We are currently at step 6 on the rebate which means the state is paying $1.10/AC watt installed. This is really one of the last ‘steps’ that shows significant return from the state to the customer.  The federal government, on the other hand, stepped up to the challenge at the end of 2008 and is offering a 30% tax credit.  This is a huge benefit to utilize because the Federal government is literally paying for 30% of your system since it is a tax credit not a tax write off.  Unfortunately the Federal Government incentive does have an expiration date as well, it is set to expire in 2017.  Currently we are in the best solar market we have seen.  Panel prices have dropped significantly, due to the world economic slow down, and the incentives are still in tact which means our systems have never been more affordable to invest in.