Steamboat Springs lowers cost of going solar with tax and fee waiver

Steamboat Springs is taking a smart step forward to encourage more residents to go solar. Starting November 8, the city will no longer charge a fee to install solar energy. The fee was $500 for residential systems. It was $1,000 for commercial systems. Additionally, solar installations are now exempt from the city’s 1.2% excise tax on construction.

This great news is the result of a team effort. It is thanks to the advocacy of solar advocates as well as the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and the Colorado Solar and Storage Association.

Interest in solar energy in Steamboat Springs is growing. More than 70 Steamboat Springs homeowners joined the Yampa Valley Solar Co-op earlier this year. Through the co-op, they learned about solar and having a system installed on their homes. The city’s decision to lower barriers to solar installation will encourage more people to go solar.

Steamboat Springs’ local decision to support solar is a model to follow at all levels of government. Now is the time to ask our congressional representatives to follow suit by supporting an extension of the solar investment tax credit (ITC).

The ITC is set to lower at the end of this year. This law helps Americans generate their own power and lower their energy bills, while creating economic opportunity and local clean energy jobs. Click here to send your Congressional representatives a postcard and urge them to extend the solar ITC.