Lighten'the Load: Investments in. New Lighting Using Tax Incentives

摘要

Federal .tax incentives for implementing energy conservation measures in commercial buildings have been extended to include equipment placed into service by the end of 2013.. This four-year window provides the opportunity to take advantage of significant tax deductions that can easily be attained through energy-saving lighting retrofits. This paper explores how the installation of new lighting technologies advanced by the Department of Energy, coupled with energy conservation standards for buildings and these limited-time tax deductions can have immediate paybacks – in some cases, .the deduction pays for the entire lighting project and the building saves as much as 50% of the lighting energy for the foreseeable future. Specific focus will be on the how to move investment decisions toward implementing energy-saving lighting technologies using the tax deductions included in the Energy Conservation and Efficiency Provisions of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008. The emphasis on lighting is warranted due to its ease of installation, rapid deployment, and high rate of return on the investment. The paper will discussnew lighting approaches advocated by the US Department of Energy that can achieve significant energy savings and attain- the maximum tax benefits allowable under the new legislation in common building installations. The paper furthermore reviews how the widespread implementation of these technologies and methods have the potential to dramatically and permanently reduce demand load and energy use. As a result, the need for new power plants can be eliminated, and the load on the national grid greenhouse emissions will be reduced.