Maryland State Solar Power Rebates, Tax Credits, and Incentives

Lena Gill

Why does Maryland not have solar power rebates, incentives or tax credits? Get with it.

Barry Midland

I am very “close”to actual energy happenings in Maryland. Incentives are very poor, although not non-existent. There’s no way I would give MD any more than a 3 sun rating. To put MD at a 4 sun rating and California ONLY at a 4 sun rating is ridiculous.

Big D

Wow, only 60K and you’ll get your money back maybe in 15 years. That is if you happen to stay in your house for that long. Also, buyers love to see all the solar equipment hanging off the house when you go to sell. Solar power is a steal.

Dan Hahn

Big D,

I understand your snap sentiments here, however please consider the following:

1. solar equipment can compliment the aesthetics of a home (flickr some solar installations. There are really pretty ones out there that don’t look like satellites have crashed into your roofline.)
2. financing is available which inevitably will amount to a lower monthly payment than your previous energy bill.
3. your property value increases significantly right when the system is operational.

Jerry

I am looking for financing for a system, any lenders deal exclusively with renewables?

David Llorens

Hi Jerry,

There are…. but typically it is just home-equity lending wearing green-colored hats… However, somethings they may be able to do is understand the value a solar energy system adds to a home, allowing you to qualify for a larger LTV ratio.

There are definitely some new creative financing ideas popping onto the scene. Most are not for small scale residential applications, but here in California we are starting to see some leased systems.

jim

The energy companies don’t give me free energy why should I give them free energy? If I have used less energy at the end of the year then I produced then the energy companies gets to keep the profits. How is that an incentive?

Carol

What has happened to H.R. 5351? Is it still in the senate finance committee?

Jerri

Jerri
To go off the Grid requires far more than Enron financing and wind supplementation.
In Maryland , like all States the pockets are deep and the memory is short.

Will

Considering that the Solar Energy Grant Program is already closed due to “too many applications,” I find your assement of Maryland as being clean energy friendly questionable. Looks like a money grab to me.

[...] Maryland [...]

G. Hilliard

This is my initial inquiry into the use of solar panel as a supplemental source of energy. Can anyone out there who has been using them give me some unbiased feed back?

S. Rowland

We have been waiting for at least 20 years for a chance to get solar energy. Just like electric vehicles it is still a dream for the average person. I’m 60 now and I’ll bet it will still be out of reach when I’m gone. Couldn’t renting the systems help those who need it?

Randi

Once again I am appalled to call myself a Marylander. We have one of the finest states in the nation with our historical entities, waters, mountains and forests. If the government does not step up and do something about it, we might as well fill it with sand and call it Iraq.

Terri

I live in FL, and they have a $15,000 tax incentive! I’m thinking of relocating to MD and was appalled, when I saw their little rebate! I grew up in MD and this is so typical of that state! Greedy!

Kathy and Jim

We hooked up to the grid yesterday; we will pay $6650 out of pocket: here are the numbers
PV cost : $27, 530 (3.04kw)
Federal Tax credit: $8,250 (30%, no max after 1/12009
MD grant $7,600 ($2,500/kW, max 10K)
H0ward country $5,000 (50%, max 5K)

Kathy and Jim

And my I add, it is exciting (especially when the net meter is running backwards). We are currently installing a hot water heater system, which is much more affordable for most people

Wendy

Wow, Kathy and Jim,
Seems like the incentives have really changed in Maryland. We are in Maryland and considering solar, among other things. Have to do something – our BGE bill was over $800 last month! Who did you work with?

Ryan

Kathy and Jim,

We live in Howard County as well. Who did you guys contact to do solar panels? $6k out of pocket seems like a bargain!

Lisa

Kathy and Jim,

I live in Frederick County, fairly close to Howard County. Would love to know who you used as your contractor?

Varney Smith

Kathy & Jim, I live in Howard County and would very much like to discuss solar with you. Items such as who installed your system, cost, ect.

Thank you,

kevin

Did anyone hear back from Kathy and Jim regarding contractor? I am in the market as it were for installing a new system at my residence in Howard County.

Dan Hahn

Wow,

Everybody seems very interested to speak with Kathy and Jim! I’ll see if I can’t track them down and get a post up shortly.

Cheers,
- Dan

Andres

Howard County is the bright spot for solar in Maryland, no doubt. The property Tax credit is very significant and we install many units there because of this….

Maxine

Used Standard Solar in Montgomery County. Love the system. Installed in Jan. You almost forget it’s there, however, I’m addicted to seeing how much we’ve generated each day. 4kw system. 14% ROI, payback was 6.8yrs (although I think both will improve as Pepco raises rates in June again). First bill after install for 100% elec single family house – $7!!! Still new, but love it so far. Question, how do you get a breakdown of each item on Pepco bill? We dropped 500kwh from 2008 to 2009 (Jan-Apr) and paid only a few dollars less in 2009 (solar installed in Jan but Pepco took two months to install net meter, so most of this is not solar related), rate supposedly stayed the same. What are these other charges that must’ve increased from Pepco? MD PSC site not helpful. Pepco site also not helpful.

Marty Gabler

Just finished a 4 KW system in Chase, Md to complement a solar water heating syatem installed last year. Work done by Power Up of Chase, MD. The lowest installed cost by far. Check out the latest State and Federal incentives and don’t forget solar renewable energy credits which you can sell to offset installed costs.

Brad

Standard Solar in Gaithesburg did my system. They did all the paperwork for the Grants and even were able to finance the system for 1 year same as cash. That way we were able to get all the grants due to us before we even had to come out of pocket. Anyone serious about Solar Should call them.

Mike

I live in Howard County. We are considering an addition in the next year, and I am just starting to investigate the possibility of going solar. Anyone have any suggestions on where to start, as far as collecting information goes?

A couple folks mentioend that Howard County is the place to be as far as incentives/rebates go. Is that correct?

Murray

With clarification Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties are on the same level with Howard County. Their Property Tax Credit laws were written in a very strange manner but recent clarification has made it clear that they will issue the same $5000 credit. We have processed a number of our clients for this credit in the past month in both counties.

Obviously nothing wrong with Howard county as their statute was straight forward easy to read. Kudos to them.

Teris

I install systems in Maryland however to not be spammy- I’ll leave my name out. I just wanted to write that some systems we are putting in place could have a payback in as little as 4.5 years. It depends on a number of factors but a good solar professional should be able to help you with this.

Howard county is great. We are pricing out a small residential system and due to a number of these circumstances it is only like $1,000 out of pocket for a 4kw system. Take note however this is only AFTER all the incentives as well as REC sales.

Heather

I am in the process of working with Seven Seas Energy here in Annapolis and so far everything seems to be going well. I was told we are not as good as Howard county but I am hoping to have the system pay for itself within 5 years.

By the way- what are your thoughts on selling the RECS off? Are they counter to my good intentions?

Ginnie

We live in Howard Co and just had our solar evaluation today. We were shocked at how quick the payback will be. Definitely under 5 years. After that we’ll “get back” close to $20,000 a year between the savings in electricity and the REC credits. And the company we’re using (GroSolar) also does the 1 yr 0% financing. The fed, state and county incentives are incredible. It’s a no-brainer. Feel free to contact me if you want more details.

Frank

Ginnie
thanks for the info
how do we contact you?
Fank
paco57@hotmail.com

Ronner Bufford

I’m a homeowner in PG County and now looking into the solar energy medium to see if it’s possible to receive the true benefits of solar energy in the Washington D.C. region. I’ve been told that the sun power is not that strong when it comes to using it for energy in this area of the country, could this be true? This is when compared with other states like Arizona and also the cost you incur for the performance you receive.

Thanks for all information that’s received

RB

Tor a.k.a. "Solar Fred"

Ronner,

This is true, compared to Arizona, and other Western and Southern States, Maryland does not get as much insolation (technial term for sunlight) on the panels. But that really doesn’t matter because, if Maryland solar rebates continue (they’re temporarily on hold right now, I believe) you’re going to see a good return on your investment when combined with other federal incentives. How much sunlight you get does affect your system size and payback period. The same exact house with the same exact energy needs in Arizona and Baltimore are going have different solar systems. Your system may need more panels to offset the same amount of energy, but you’ll also receive proportionally more tax incentives and rebates.

My point is to just get two or three quotes and see the real numbers for you and your house and your energy needs. It’s free, so will only cost you a bit of time. Then you can make an accurate decision about whether solar is right for you. …or not. Either way, why guess?

Hope that helps.

Matt

Maryland solar incentives are no longer on hold. Visit the Maryland Energy Administration website.

Neil

Can anyone to direct me to a website listing current tax incentives available in the state of Maryland.

Tor a.k.a. "Solar Fred"

We will be doing an update on Maryland shortly. But you can always see the raw updates at http://www.dsireusa.org/solar. Click on MD. They do a great job keeping up, but sometimes their explanations can be too complicated for some. We try to keep it simple but accurate….when we have time.

Hope that helps, Neil!