Act Now to Protect Energy Incentives That Help Americans Save

Since its inception in 2006, millions of Americans have installed solar panels, many with the help of the investment tax credit. It has helped lower energy bills and expand energy reliability while supporting well-paying jobs for local businesses. 

But the investment tax credit and related incentives are at risk this summer, and losing them would make energy more expensive and remove options Americans have to lower their bills.

Now is the time to let your legislators know that preserving the investment tax credits for solar panels and storage is important to you.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Consider why preserving the solar tax credit and related incentives is important to you. Whether it’s lower energy bills, cleaner air and water, or backup power during an outage, the most compelling reason to protect the investment tax credits is a personal one.
2. Find your members of Congress and their contact info here.
3. Call or email your representatives to share your support for the solar tax credit and incentives.

(You can make advocating for solar even easier by submitting comments with a group like Solar United Neighbors.)

Scripts for Contacting Your Representatives

If you’re not sure what to say, here’s a phone script you can adapt to be your own.

Hello, my name is [your name]. I’m a constituent from [your town] and am calling to express my strong support for the solar investment tax credit and related incentives. Solar panels and battery storage have helped me and my neighbors lower our electricity bills and carbon emissions and preserving the tax credit will help more people like me in your [district/state] save for decades to come.

The loss of the solar investment tax credit would put options for saving money out of reach for more of your constituents at a time when everything is getting more expensive. Please work to preserve these policies, which save money, increase choice, and provide resilience in your [district/state].

Thank you.

If you’d rather write, here's an email script you can copy and paste after you fill in the blanks. Remember that a personalized message goes the farthest.

Subject: Please protect the solar tax credit

Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name],

I’m a constituent writing to urge you to preserve the federal tax credit for residential solar.

Nearly 5 million Americans have installed rooftop solar, saving money and gaining energy independence—myself included. This tax credit has been essential in making those installations possible.

Eliminating it would hurt homeowners, small businesses, and local jobs, while increasing costs for families like mine. Please stand with us and support efforts to preserve the solar tax credit in the upcoming budget bill.

Sincerely,  

[Your Full Name]  

[Your Address]  

[City, State, ZIP]  

[Your Phone Number]  

[Your Email Address]

Reasons to Keep the Clean Investment Tax Credit

The value of solar energy is clear, but if you’re looking for a few talking points, here are some quick hitting facts from the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Solar incentives are popular: Nearly 9 in 10 Americans voiced support for clean energy incentives that support solar. Further, 75% of people said solar is good for the American economy and 74% said solar saves Americans money, according to a poll conducted before the 2024 election.

Solar supports America’s grid: Solar and battery storage is expected to make up 81% of new generation on the grid in 2025, according to the US Energy Information Administration. This is at a time when demand for electricity is expected to increase rapidly.

Solar is widespread: There are more than 5 million solar installations in the US. Most of them are on homes.

Solar supports jobs: More than 275,000 Americans work in the solar industry.

Solar is growing: By 2030, 15% of US homes could have solar panels.

Solar is clean: Solar has reduced emissions by millions of tons of carbon each year, resulting in cleaner air for everyone.

About the AuthorAndrew BlokWriter and Editor

Andrew has worked as a journalist and writer for four years, over half of those dedicated to covering solar. He currently lives in Tucson, AZ, where you might run into him walking his dog and birding while dodging the heat. He has degrees in English education and journalism.