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The government is making a concerted effort to encourage folks to go green, and this includes special financing incentives for green home construction.

There are several types of these financial incentives:
1. PACE Financing
2. Sales Tax Incentive
3. State Grant Program
4. State Loan Program
5. Utility Loan Program
6. Utility Rebate Program

Now, all of these programs and incentives are dependent upon financing from the Federal government, and we all know how strapped for money they are these days. So all of these programs have a limited shelf-life. Congress will vote on extending the program each time it comes up for renewal, but there’s no guarantee that the programs will be extended.

So the time to start building green, and taking advantage of these financial incentives, is now.

What are these incentives? (Note that some of them are for retrofitting already existing houses, but many of them also are valid for new construction.)

PACE Financing
People who already own their homes, and who want to borrow money to pay for energy improvements, can do so through the Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. Every state has some form of this, and will in turn fund local communities to make the financing.

Sales Tax Incentive
Many states had a sales tax incentive…which in some states expired on December 31, 2011. They will doubtless be working to renew the incentive for another year, so check with your local equipment provider.

Basically, anyone who purchases wind turbines, solar panels and other generating equipment to set up a green energy provider for their house was exempt from paying sales tax on those items.

State Grant Program
This program is for businesses only. The state pays half the cost of an audit for a business to find out what it has to do to go green.

State Loan Program
This is another program for people who live in houses that have already been built. offers Qualified home owners can receive low-interest loans to retrofit their home for green energy.

Utility Loan Program
People can receive loans to purchase new and energy efficient washers and dryers, dishwashers, heat pumps, water heaters, windows and so on. There is no interest on the 3-year loan, but a 4 fee is charge.

Utility Rebate Program
Businesses and homes that generate their own electricity can receive rebates from their local utilities.