Solar Guide

Arizona’s Credit for Solar Energy Devices is a state tax credit that helps homeowners save money when they install solar panels on their Arizona residence. This nonrefundable tax credit reduces the amount of state income tax you owe, dollar-for-dollar, making solar energy more affordable for Arizona families.

To qualify for this credit, you must be an individual taxpayer who installs a solar energy device at your primary or secondary residence located in Arizona. The credit is nonrefundable, which means it can reduce your Arizona state tax liability to zero, but any unused credit amount cannot be refunded to you as cash. You’ll need to file Form 310 with your Arizona state tax return to claim this benefit.

While the official source doesn’t specify the exact credit amount or percentage, this incentive has been available for many years and continues to be offered for recent tax years through 2024. The credit applies to solar energy devices installed at your Arizona home, helping offset the upfront costs of going solar while supporting the state’s clean energy goals.

Arizona’s Property Tax Exemption for renewable energy equipment allows homeowners to exclude the added value of their solar panel system from their property tax assessment. This means that while your solar installation may increase your home’s overall value, you won’t pay additional property taxes on that increased value. The exemption applies to the full value of qualifying renewable energy equipment, including solar panels, inverters, and related components.

To qualify for this exemption, homeowners must file the appropriate property tax form (Form 82054REE) with the Arizona Department of Revenue. The exemption is available for various types of renewable energy systems installed on residential properties. Property owners need to provide detailed information about their renewable energy equipment to help assessors determine the full cash value for property tax purposes. This incentive helps make solar installations more affordable by ensuring homeowners don’t face higher property tax bills simply for choosing clean energy.

Arizona’s Solar and Wind Sales Tax Exemption removes state sales tax from the purchase and installation of solar and wind energy systems for your home. This means you won’t pay the standard Arizona sales tax (which varies by location but is typically around 5-10%) on your solar panels, inverters, batteries, and other system components, as well as the contractor’s installation services.

This exemption applies automatically at the point of sale when you purchase qualifying solar or wind equipment and installation services from contractors in Arizona. There are no income limits, application deadlines, or special forms to fill out – the tax exemption is built into Arizona state law and available to all homeowners who install these renewable energy systems. The savings can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on your system size, making clean energy more affordable for Arizona families.

Net Billing in Arizona is a compensation system where solar homeowners receive credits for excess electricity their panels send to the grid. Unlike traditional net metering where you get full retail credit, net billing pays you a lower wholesale rate for your excess solar power. Each major utility in Arizona has its own net billing program with different credit rates and rules.

The financial benefits vary significantly by utility company. Arizona Public Service (APS) pays $0.06857 per kWh for excess power, Tucson Electric Power (TEP) pays $0.0633 per kWh, and UNS Electric pays $0.0755 per kWh – all with 10-year rate locks. Salt River Project offers seasonal rates between $0.02-$0.06 per kWh, while cooperative utilities like Mohave Electric pay around $0.0353 per kWh with annual rate adjustments. Most utilities require solar customers to switch to time-of-use rate plans, and some charge additional monthly fees ranging from $2.23 to $6.45.

Important considerations include annual credit true-ups where excess credits over $10-$25 are typically paid out and your account resets to zero. APS charges a monthly Grid Access Charge of $0.242 per kW of your system’s DC capacity. Rate locks vary – some utilities guarantee your export rate for 10 years while others adjust annually. The specific terms depend entirely on which utility serves your home, so understanding your utility’s particular net billing structure is crucial for calculating your solar savings accurately.