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Frequently Asked Questions

What does DSIRE offer?

The DSIRE web site provides information about renewable energy and energy efficiency incentives and policies in the United States. Relevant incentives and policies established by the federal government, state governments, local governments, utilities and non-profit organizations are included in DSIRE.

Incentives & Policies

The DSIRE home page features a U.S. map for easy access to incentives and policies available in each state. Clicking a state or territory yields a list of available incentives and policies in that state, organized into two categories: (1) Financial Incentives and (2) Rules, Regulations & Policies. (To find out what types of incentives and policies are included in each category, visit the DSIRE Glossary.)

The list of incentives and policies provides links to individual summaries with the following details:

The incentive or policy type (e.g., tax credit, rebate program, net metering)
The implementing sector (e.g., federal, state, utility)
Eligible sectors (e.g., residential, commercial, government)
Eligible technologies (e.g., solar water heating, wind energy, insulation)
Links to authorizing statutes, regulations and other relevant legal documents
A summary of the incentive or policy
A link to the incentive or policy web site
Contact information

To view or print all summaries, click "See All Summaries" at the top of the page.

DSIRE includes information on federal incentives and policies for renewables and energy efficiency technologies, with an emphasis on incentives for end-users. DSIRE does not include research & development incentives, outreach programs, or non-programmatic funding opportunities. Click "View Federal Incentives" on the DSIRE home page to see what's available.

National & Regional Policy Trends

DSIRE’s Summary Maps provide a geographical overview of certain financial incentives and regulatory policies that promote renewable energy. DSIRE’s Summary Tables provide an overview of renewable energy and energy efficiency incentives and policies available in each state.

DSIRE Searches

The Search DSIRE tool on the DSIRE home page allows users to search all incentives and policies by state, incentive type, technology type, implementing sector and/or eligible sector. Searching by any of these criteria provides a comprehensive list of applicable incentives and policies, with links to each program summary. To view or print all summaries, click "See All Summaries" at the top of the page.

Other DSIRE Resources

DSIRE also offers the following resources, accessible via the DSIRE home page:

Lists of new and updated incentives and policies (What’s New?)
A library of relevant DSIRE publications and presentations
Links to other organizations and useful resources
Solar-specific policy resources (DSIRE Solar)

What types of renewable energy incentives and policies are included in DSIRE?

DSIRE tracks renewable energy incentives and policies established by the federal government, state governments, U.S. territories, local governments, larger utilities and a few non-profit organizations. DSIRE categorizes these incentives and policies into two groups:

Financial Incentives include a variety of tax incentives, grants, loans, rebates, industry recruitment/support, green building incentives, performance-based incentives and other forms of incentives.
Rules, Regulations & Policies include public benefits funds, renewable portfolio standards, net metering, interconnection standards, line-extension analysis, contractor licensing, equipment certification, solar/wind access policies, solar/wind permitting standards, construction & design standards (including building energy codes and energy standards for public buildings), mandatory utility green power options, generation disclosure policies and green power purchasing policies.

The DSIRE Glossary provides a description of each incentive type.

DSIRE does not provide information related to alternative transportation fuels or alternative fuel vehicles. (The U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center provides this information.)

What types of energy efficiency incentives and policies are included in DSIRE?

DSIRE tracks energy efficiency incentives and policies established by the federal government, state governments, U.S. territories, larger local governments and larger utilities. DSIRE categorizes these incentives and policies into two groups:

Financial Incentives for energy efficiency include a variety of tax incentives, rebates, grants, loans, green building incentives and other incentives.
Rules, Regulations & Policies include energy efficiency resource standards, appliance/equipment efficiency standards, public benefits funds, and construction & design standards (including building energy codes and energy standards for public buildings).

What types of federal incentives and policies are included in DSIRE?

DSIRE tracks federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. The federal incentives included in DSIRE are generally limited to those available on an ongoing basis to residents, businesses and/or other end-users. DSIRE does not include federal funding opportunities for research & development, demonstration projects, outreach or inter-governmental programs.

For more information on federal funding opportunities for research & development and demonstration projects related to renewable energy or energy efficiency, visit the following web sites:

Does DSIRE distribute news?

Yes! DSIRE sends monthly e-news that includes descriptions of useful tools, policy udpates, staff activities and nerd trivia. Subscribe here.

DSIRE news summaries are also published on the Interstate Renewable Energy Council's (IREC) web site approximately every two weeks. And we distribute news through Twitter and Facebook, too. (Look for the logos near the top of this page.)

Does DSIRE include bills that have not been enacted or regulations that have not been fully approved?

No.

Does DSIRE track incentives and policies for all utilities?

DSIRE tracks relevant incentives and policies for all investor-owned utilities (electric and natural gas) in the United States. However, because there are thousands of electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across the country, DSIRE's scope is generally limited to incentives and policies established by electric cooperatives and municipal utilities with more than 30,000 customers. (If your utility is relatively small, contact the utility directly to find out if any incentives are available.)

Does DSIRE track incentives and policies for all cities and counties?

No. DSIRE provides information on approximately 250 incentives and policies established by local governments (excluding municipal utility incentives and policies). However, because there are tens of thousands of municipalities and counties in the United States, DSIRE's scope is generally limited to local incentives and policies that are especially innovative, and to those established by municipalities and counties with the largest populations.

Does DSIRE include incentives and policies that promote alternative transportation fuels and vehicles?

No. For information on incentives and policies that encourage these technologies, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center.

Does DSIRE include incentives and policies that promote water efficiency?

No, but this U.S. EPA web site provides a list of incentives for WaterSense products and services.

How can I find out about financial incentives for residential energy projects in a certain state?

The DSIRE home page features a U.S. map for quick access to incentives available in each state. Clicking any state will provide a list of incentives and policies that promote renewables and energy efficiency in that state. Likewise, clicking View Federal Incentives provides a list of relevant federal financial incentives and policies. To view only the incentives applicable for residential energy projects, click "See Residential Incentives Only" at the top of the page.

How can I search DSIRE for incentives and policies that encourage a specific type of technology or project, such as photovoltaics (PV) or insulation?

To view summaries of all incentives and policies relevant to a particular type of technology or project, click the Search DSIRE tool on the DSIRE home page. Then, select "Technology" from the drop-down menu of search options, and select a specific technology from the next drop-down menu. Click "See All Summaries" to view all the summaries on the same page.

The search function allows users to search the incentives and policies included in DSIRE by the following criteria:

State
Incentive type
Technology type
Implementing sector (e.g., federal, state, utility)
Eligible sector (e.g., commercial, industrial, residential)

How can I find out which states have established a certain type of incentive or policy, such as a tax credit, a rebate program or a renewable portfolio standard (RPS)?

For a quick overview of the availability of a particular incentive type around the United States, see DSIRE’s Summary Tables. Color-coded buttons indicate the number of incentives or policies by implementing sector (e.g., state government, local government, utility) available in each state. Clicking a color-coded button provides a corresponding list of relevant incentives and policies, including links to summaries.

Or, to view summaries of all incentives and policies relevant to a particular type of incentive, use the Search DSIRE tool on the DSIRE home page. Then, select "Incentive/Policy Type" from the drop-down menu, and select a specific incentive type from the next drop-down menu. Click "See All Summaries" to view all the summaries on the same page.

The search function allows users to search the incentives and policies included in DSIRE by one of the following criteria:

State
Incentive type
Technology type
Implementing sector (e.g., federal, state, utility)
Eligible sector (e.g., commercial, industrial, residential)

How often is DSIRE updated?

New program summaries are added and existing summaries are updated as the project staff become aware of new information. Government incentives and policies that are created or modified through the legislative process, such as tax incentives, are reviewed and updated as necessary -- at least once per year. Other types of incentives and policies that are typically created or modified by other means, such as rebate programs and grant programs, are reviewed several times per year. Each program summary included in DSIRE indicates the date on which the program was last updated or verified.

To find out which incentives and policies have been added or updated during the past two months, click What's New? on the DSIRE home page.

Whom should I contact about updating, correcting or adding information to DSIRE?

Please contact the DSIRE staff.

Where does all this information come from?

The information on the DSIRE web site is based on the DSIRE staff's analysis of statutes, enacted legislation, administrative rules, public utilities commission orders, executive orders, program guidelines, program web sites, and scores of newsletters and news articles. In addition, the DSIRE staff receives new information and updates from contacts at state energy offices, public utilities commissions and other government agencies; utilities; non-profit organizations; businesses; and the general public. The DSIRE staff proactively communicates with program administrators to verify or update incentives and policies, and to obtain details and clarification of new incentives and policies.

Is there an international version of DSIRE?

The DSIRE staff is currently working with the U.S. federal government and the Indian government to create an Indian version of DSIRE. In addition, these sites could be useful:

How you do pronounce "DSIRE?"

We say "desire." (Others have pronounced it much more creatively.)

Disclaimer: The information presented on the DSIRE web site provides an unofficial overview of financial incentives and other policies. It does not constitute professional tax advice or other professional financial guidance, and it should not be used as the only source of information when making purchasing decisions, investment decisions or tax decisions, or when executing other binding agreements. Please refer to the individual contact provided below each summary to verify that a specific financial incentive or other policy applies to your project.

While the DSIRE staff strives to provide the best information possible, the DSIRE staff, the N.C. Solar Center, N.C. State University and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council make no representations or warranties, either express or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of the information. The DSIRE staff, the N.C. Solar Center, N.C. State University and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council disclaim all liability of any kind arising out of your use or misuse of the information contained or referenced on DSIRE Web pages.

Copyright 2011 - 2012 North Carolina State University, under NREL Subcontract No. XEU-0-99515-01. Permission granted only for personal or educational use, or for use by or on behalf of the U.S. government. North Carolina State University prohibits the unauthorized display, reproduction, sale, and/or distribution of all or portions of the content of the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) without prior, written consent.