Beginning in March, 2010, the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) will offer rebates to Colorado residents who install energy efficiency and renewable energy measures. Please note that the GEO rebates will not be retroactive. This means that measures purchased or installed before the GEO launches the program will be ineligible for rebates.

• For Colorado Residents and Businesses: click here if you are a homeowner, landlord or business owner interested in receiving a rebate.
• For Contractors: click here if you provide customers with energy efficiency or renewable energy services and want to know how this program affects you.
• For Program Partners: click here if you are a local government or utility interested in partnering with the GEO to offer rebates in your territory.

The rebates will be offered statewide on a first-come, first-serve basis through 2012 or until funds are exhausted, whichever occurs first. All energy efficiency and renewable energy rebates are designed to complement existing local incentives and create partnership opportunities when possible. The GEO has developed this program based on stringent criteria from the U.S. Department of Energy and the needs of Coloradans. For general appliance and technology categories offered in March of 2010, please follow the link to “Colorado consumer residents” above. Funding for these rebates is provided by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

You are thinking about putting solar on your house.  At an average price around $8 per watt installed, that is a lot of money.

But wait, if you have a big utility company like XCEL or Black Hills they will give you $2 per watt towards equipment, and another $1.50 - $2.00 per watt for your green tags, so now the price is getting to be around $5.00 a watt, which is a fairly decent price.

Of course, the banks got into trouble, and congress and the new president decided to bail them out, to the tune of TRILLIONS of dollars, some of which can be had by YOU, as either a residence or business purchasing renewable energy, like solar.

So, what is the difference between the resident and the businessman when it comes to help? Both get a 30% tax reduction, but the individual gets it in the form of a credit (to be deducted from what you owe, so if you owe less, you get less of a write-off), whereas the commercial business entity gets it as a rebate: that is right - they get a check from Uncle Sam himself for 30% of the out of pocket price (after all other rebates, grants and credits).  Now we are talking about $3.5 a watt for a solar installation that will keep paying you in free electricity for life.