Cocktails and carols. Holly and hoopla. Giving and getting. All this and more came with Christmas. With the festivities in the rear-view mirror, we gaze into the crystal ball of 2024, and perhaps we ponder New Year’s resolutions. If you’re short on inspiration, I have an idea for you!
Investigate how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the catalyst we need to embrace energy freedom, a clean energy economy, and save us all some money along the way. Understand its incentives to use them for your own benefit and the good of our planet.
The IRA is offering tax credits and rebates to ease the upfront costs of your household’s energy improvements. Think: electrifying appliances, energy-efficiency retrofits for your home, and incorporating a source of cheaper, greener energy into your property, such as solar panels and geothermal heating.
The incentives are nothing to scoff at – Flathead County households can receive an average of $11,953 in IRA benefits to fully electrify their home. Every household in Flathead County is eligible for some amount of money to make energy-efficiency changes, with an average of $6,549 in tax credits and an extra $337 in performance rebates. Electrifying space and water heating can save the average household in Flathead County $259 a year on their energy bills.
The Montana State Constitution requires us to maintain a clean and healthful environment for current and future generations of Montanans. The IRA takes a practical step in the right direction by making substantial investments in clean energy, addressing the burden of rising energy costs, and empowering communities with a bottoms-up approach that allows this change to start with you. Consider exploring how you can use the IRA to save money and participate in this movement to better care for our natural world.
Angie Winter
Kila