Despite holdups from the federal government, our  local county officials here in Santa Barbara, CA., are implementing a plan to allow private property owners  to get affordable loans for green building upgrades. 

This instrumental program also known as emPowerSBC, will all allow the county to loan money to property owners for sustainable upgrades including solar projects and residents will repay the loans via their property tax bill. 

Designing “green” can reduce operating costs and can help differentiate you from the competition, but many architects who design schools and other public buildings are not aware that they may be eligible for a significant tax deduction. The architecture firm in charge of a building’s design can claim federal tax deductions for certain energy-efficient features in public schools and universities as well as other public buildings.

EPAct §179D provides up to $1.80 per square foot for the installation of systems that reduce the total energy and power costs by 50 percent or more as compared to ASHRAE 90.1-2001 baseline standards.