Homeowners in the Valley-Metro area in need of air conditioning repair or installation could benefit from the passage of the proposed “Cut Energy Bills at Home Act.” This bill, if passed, will provide tax credit to any homeowners that reduce the energy consumption of their principle residence through the retrofitting of their current systems. The claimable tax credit could be as high as 30 percent–or up to $5,000–of the cost of the installed improvements, which includes the diagnostics, labor and remodeling costs.

Air conditioning and heating repair or installation retrofits serve as a primary candidate for energy saving. In most homes, the HVAC unit expends more energy than any other single system, but in recent years, technological strides for heat pumps and central air conditions have produced home comfort alternatives that greatly lessen this energy usage. In addition to air conditioning repair or installation, retrofits may also be made to water heaters and permanent lighting sources.

To qualify, modeling software would need to predict at least a 20 percent reduction in energy usage caused by the retrofits. Heating repair or installation retrofits, as well as other retrofits, would need to be documented with before and after photographs, and contractors would have to hold on to all relevant information for five years. Valley-Metro area residents interested in taking advantage of the tax credit would have until December 31, 2016, when it will expire.

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