Rebates list

Louisiana Rebates and Incentives Summary

LouisianaA decade ago, thousands of homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath, and Louisiana committed to rebuilding green. Since Hurricane Katrina, the state has supported pro-solar policies, offering significant incentives to individuals and businesses. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 reinforced the state’s desire to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. As a result, the amount of solar has significantly increased in the last five years.

However, as the aftermath of these two disasters have waned, political fighting has placed favorable solar policy in jeopardy. Concerns about the state’s budget and its reliance on the fossil fuel economy has caused some politicians, including Governor Bobby Jindal, to oppose solar incentives. As a result, popular programs, such as the residential tax rebates for solar installation, have been reduced or eliminated, and continue to face opposition. In 2013, the Louisiana Public Services Commission ended a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) pilot program that would have increased renewable energy capacity throughout the state, determining it to be unnecessary.

Given that most of the state gets more than 5 kilowatt hours of sunlight per square meter on a daily basis, Louisiana is well suited for solar power. Despite this advantage and the investments over the last decade, the state currently ranks 23rd in installed solar capacity. Louisiana’s electric supply remains dominated by natural gas power plants, and coal-fired power. Nuclear power provides most additional energy needs. Thanks to the oil refining industry, which relies heavily on fossil fuels, the per capita energy use is high, and renewable energy sources have remained comparatively negligible.

 

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AEP (SWEPCO) - Efficient Products Rebates Program

Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) as part of its Efficient Products Rebates Program offers various rebates and incentives for its residential customers to install energy saving measures. Incentives are available for clothes washers, air purifiers, heat pumps, LEDs, and more. See program website for more details.

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Alternative Fueling Infrastructure Tax Credit (Personal)

The State of Louisiana provides tax credits to persons or corporations within the state that invest in qualified clean-burning motor vehicle fuel property, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Any person or corporation that purchases such property is allowed a non-refundable credit against income tax liability.

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Building Energy Code

Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the DOE and BCAP websites.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is granted the authority to promulgate amendments, revisions, and alternative compliance methods for the code.

LA Energy Code Requirements and Links are available here.

On January 1, 2015, the effective Louisiana residential energy code became the 2009 IRC Chapter 11

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City of New Orleans - Net Metering

Origin 

In May 2007, the New Orleans City Council adopted net-metering rules that are similar to rules adopted by the Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) in November 2005. The City Council's rules require Entergy New Orleans, an investor-owned utility regulated by the city, to offer net metering to customers with systems that generate electricity using solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal or biomass resources. Fuel cells and microturbines that generate electricity entirely derived from eligible renewable resources are also eligible. 

System Size Limits

The City Council's rules apply to residential facilities with a maximum capacity of 25 kilowatts (kW)

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City of New Orleans - Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard

On April 15, 2020, the New Orleans City Council adopted a Renewable and Clean Portfolio Standard (RCPS) via Resolution R-20-104, with the goal to eliminate carbon emissions in 2050 and reach net-zero emissions in 2040. Entergy New Orleans must follow the standard.

Eligible Technologies and Resources

RCPS eligibility is broken down into three tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 resources.

Tier 1 resources are any renewable energy resources (solar thermal, PV, wind, geothermal, fuel cell using renewable, hydroelectric, ocean wave, ocean thermal, tidal current, any additions/enchantments to such facilities), certain energy storage resources (batteries, flow batteries, fuel

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City of Shreveport - Shreveport Energy Efficiency Program (SEED)

The Shreveport Energy Efficiency (SEED) program, offered by the City of Shreveport, is intended to complement and enhance the existing Louisiana Home Energy Rebate Option (HERO) program. SEED offers professional energy audit buy-downs and low-interest loans for qualifying retrofits of residential buildings. These incentives are intended to assist in raising program awareness, applicant participation, and diminish costs for improvements.

The SEED program decreases the major cost of the energy audit to Shreveport residents. Energy Audit procedures are performed by the HERO program. Measures which may be eligible for an incentive include air duct improvements, ceiling insulation, building envelope improvements and

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Cleco Power - Power Miser New Home Program

Customers who build Power Miser certified homes are eligible for a $1,500 rebate and a 10 percent discount on their electric utility bills from November through April for the first five years in the home.

To participate in the Power Miser program, your new home must receive service from Cleco, be heated by a central heat pump, and have all electric water heating.

After the home is complete, you must submit a Power Miser Verification Form and all required documentation to Cleco within 45 days of Certificate of Occupancy Issue Date.
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Cleco- Power Wise™ Residential Program

Cleco's Power Wise™ Residential Program provides a number of incentives to its residential customers for energy efficiency upgrades.

This program allows homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements tailored to each home's energy needs. In order to participate the homeowner must contact a contractor participating in the program. A list of participating contractors is available in the program website. The contractor will submit a bid proposal and a rebate application for the program. The rebates will be included as a discount on the invoice. 

Please visit the program website or contact the program administrator below for more information. 


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DEMCO - Touchstone Energy Home Program

DEMCO, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, provides residential customers who have a qualified Touchstone Energy Home, a rebate of up to $0.10 per square foot of living area for electric heat pumps and $125 for electric water heaters. The special one-time rebate is not a permanent offer.

The main Touchstone Energy Home features are:
• R-19 composite wall insulation
• R-30 ceiling insulation
• Attic ventilation
• R-19 floor insulation over crawl spaces
• Double pane windows or low-E windows
• Metal insulated door or solid core wood door
• Infiltration control to help prevent air from leaking into the home

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Entergy (Louisiana and Gulf States) - Residential Energy Efficiency Program

Residential customers of Entergy Louisiana, and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana can participate in energy efficiency programs designed to help offset cost of installing energy-efficient equipment and measures. Entergy Solutions offers programs for Entergy Louisiana residential customers to save energy and money by reducing the up-front cost of energy efficiency upgrades. The program partners with participating trade allies and retailers, who will help customers find new ways to save. Check here for a list of trade allies.

Please contact the program manager or visit the program website for additional information about the program. 


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Entergy New Orleans - Residential Energy Efficiency Program

Entergy New Orleans has designed an incentive program to help residential customers understand and make energy efficiency improvements in eligible homes. Incentives are geared towards both individual measures and whole home upgrades. Individual equipment incentives include central AC systems, heat pumps, HVAC system tune-ups, and other comprehensive measures. 

The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program provides ENO residential customers with home energy assessments, recommendations for energy savings and incentives towards the cost of those upgrades. A range of insulation, air sealing, ductwork, solar window screens and radiant barriers are eligible for incentives through this program. Residents may qualify for a $150

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Home Energy Loan Program (HELP)

Loan Option Through the HELP program, a homeowner can obtain a five year loan to improve the energy efficiency of their existing home. “HELP loans function as standard unsecured underwritten residential loans. The lender makes and services HELP energy efficiency improvement loans of up to a maximum of $12,000.00 to participants who go through the normal underwriting process. Qualifying loan improvement measures are provided on a "Prescriptive List of Improvements", from which the borrower selects approved items. The LDNR loans one half (½) of the loan amount, through the lender to the borrower, for up to a maximum

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Interconnection Guidelines

The Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted rules for net metering and interconnection in November 2005. Louisiana's rules, based on those in place in Arkansas, require publicly-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives to offer net metering to customers with systems that generate electricity using solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal or biomass resources.* Fuel cells and microturbines that generate electricity entirely derived from renewable resources are also eligible. The rules apply to residential facilities with a maximum capacity of 25 kilowatts (kW) and commercial systems with a maximum capacity of 300 kW.

Utilities must provide customers with a meter capable of measuring

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Louisiana Solar Rights

In June 2010, Louisiana enacted solar rights legislation (HB 751) that prohibits certain entities from unreasonably restricting a property owner from installing a solar collector. Solar collectors are generally defined to include photovoltaics (PV), solar water heating, and any other system or device that uses sunlight as an energy source. While this law generally guarantees a property owner's right to install solar collectors, there are some exceptions to the law. For example, historic districts, historical preservation areas, and landmarks designated by a local governing authority are excluded from this solar rights law.

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Net Metering

NOTE: The PSC adopted additional changes in September 2019 through a rulemaking proceeding (Docket R-33929), which include: removing the 0.5% cap on solar users; customers that submit a completed interconnection request and have completed installation by December 31, 2019 are grandfathered for 15 years, and will receive credit at full retail rates; those that do the same but after 2019 will be credited at avoided cost; and any RECs owned by the customer will be retained, and can be transferred upon selling the associated property.
Louisiana enacted legislation in June 2003 establishing net metering.
  Eligibility and Availability
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New Orleans City - Energy Smart Program

Energy Smart offers home energy assessments and instant rebates to residential Entergy New Orleans electric customers. The program uses a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency, and comfort through home improvements.

Contact Entergy to schedule a home energy assessment and see how the energy efficiency of your home can be improved.

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Renewable Energy Pilot Program

In June 2010, the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) unanimously approved a Renewable Energy Pilot Program to determine whether a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) is suitable for Louisiana. The program was concluded in August of 2013 with the determination that, while utilities, staff, and regulators learned a great deal, a mandatory RPS was not needed in Louisianna. Three major reasons given not to pursue an RPS were 1) that renewable energy generation is more expensive than conventional energy generation, 2) that rising natural gas prices have put renewables at a cost disadvantage, and 3) that federal interest in mandatory RPS

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Solar and Wind Contractor Licensing

NOTE: SB 447 requires that by February 1, 2015 licensed contractors must be in compliance with the Louisiana State Board of Licensing to legally install solar panels. Contractors without solar PV Installer or Solar Heating Installer certifications issued the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) will at a minimum be required to take a written exam to demonstrate competency.

In June of 2014, SB 447 mandated that the Louisiana State Licencing Board for Contractors develop new rules for solar contractors no later than January 1, 2015. Licensed contractors must be in compliance with the new rules no later than

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Solar Energy System Exemption

In Louisiana, any equipment attached to an owner-occupied residential building or swimming pool as part of a solar energy system is considered personal property that is exempt from ad valorem taxation. The value of a solar energy system will not be included in the assessment of such buildings or swimming pools.

A solar energy system is defined as "any device that uses the heat of the sun as its primary energy source and is used to heat or cool the interior of a structure or swimming pool, or to heat water for use within a structure or swimming pool." Solar

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Tax Credit for Solar Energy Systems on Residential Property (Corporate)

 NOTE: On July 2016, the Louisiana Department of Revenue issued a notice stating that all the tax credit allocated for the program has been fully claimed until December 31, 2017 (the entirety of the program). The tax credits were allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. The State is no longer accepting any new applications. 

Louisiana provides a tax credit for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems purchased and installed on or after January 1, 2008 and before January 1, 2018. The credit may be applied to personal, corporate or franchise taxes, depending on the entity which purchases and installs the system, but

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Tax Credit for Solar Energy Systems on Residential Property (Personal)

NOTE: On July 2016, the Louisiana Department of Revenue issued a notice stating that all the tax credit allocated for the program has been fully claimed until December 31, 2017 (the entirety of the program). The tax credits were allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. The State is no longer accepting any new applications. 

Louisiana provides a tax credit for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems purchased and installed on or after January 1, 2008 and before January 1, 2018. The credit may be applied to personal, corporate or franchise taxes, depending on the entity which purchases and installs the system, but
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