ICF Incentives Abound
Federal, state, and municipal governments currently offer a number of temporary programs beneficial to ICFs. The incentives are designed to jumpstart the sluggish construction market, which is a major factor in the current economic slowdown.
DJ Ketelhut, sales director for the Eastern U.S. for Quad-Lock Building Systems, summarized many of the incentives in a recent company newsletter saying, “Whether you are an end-user, builder, contractor, or a salesperson, you will gain a competitive advantage by understanding these plans and communicating them with your clients or customers.”
In addition to the first-time homebuyer credit offered by state and national government, there are a host of energy credits that ICF buildings can easily qualify for.
These include:
United States
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Energy Policy Act
Homeowner/Residential
- Home Tax Credit, 30% tax credit up to $1500
- $500 tax credit for energy efficient home improvements
- Residential Builder tax credit of $2000 for building more energy efficient homes
Commercial
- $1.80 sq/ft tax deduction for buildings that achieve 50% reduction in energy consumption
- Partial credits of up to $.60 sq/ft are available for† upgrades to the building envelope
- 10 billion allocated for “greening” schools through Collaborative High Performance Schools (CHPS) program
Canada
Home Renovation Tax Credit
- 1 Up to $1350 on eligible expenditures
EcoEnergy Retrofit Grant
- 1 Grants up to $5000
EcoEnergy Retrofit Incentive for Buildings
- Up to 25% of eligible project costs or $50,000 (up to $250,000 per organization)
Additional details on these programs can be found online at: www.doe.gov, www.energystar.com, www.cra-arc.gc.ca/hrtc, www.ecoaction.gc.ca/ECOENERGY-ECOENERGIE/index-eng.cfm.
