If a solar, battery, geothermal or small-wind quote still shows a 30% federal homeowner credit for a new 2026 installation, stop and ask for a revised cash-flow page. The IRS says the Residential Clean Energy Credit applied to qualified property installed through December 31, 2025 and is not available for property placed in service after that date.
Why the date matters
Paying a deposit in 2025 did not automatically preserve the credit for a later project. IRS guidance explains that the expenditure is generally treated as made when the original installation is completed. For construction or reconstruction, timing follows when the homeowner’s original use begins.
Rebuild the quote without wishful math
Ask for the gross equipment and installation price, financing fees, expected annual production, utility-rate assumption, maintenance and replacement allowances. Then calculate the payback with no federal homeowner credit before adding only incentives you can independently verify.
Local help may still be real
A federal cutoff does not erase every state rebate, utility program, renewable-energy certificate or property-tax rule. Eligibility may depend on your ZIP code, utility territory, income, system ownership and interconnection approval—not just the product on the proposal.
The HomeCostGrid view
A good project should survive a conservative estimate. Get multiple bids, compare cash and financed totals, confirm roof life and insurance implications, and keep a screenshot or PDF of each incentive’s official terms before the installation contract is signed.
