Your 2013 Tax Credits Will Expire in less than 6 months: Make Use of Them

You’re probably aware that Congress in January restored the 25C tax credits for energy-efficient home-comfort systems including air conditioners. If you’ve been tempted to take advantage of them, now’s the time to go ahead and make that purchase. The credits will expire in less than six months, and if you delay much longer, you stand to lose that very nice incentive. Besides, why sweat summer and fall temperatures with an ailing system, when you could be nice and cool with a new energy-efficient system.

Today’s cooling systems offer much better energy efficiency than you may be used to, especially if your current system is 10 years or older. The minimum seasonal energy efficiency ratio for all new air conditioners sold in the United States today is 13. Older air conditioners in many American homes have SEER ratings of 10 and lower. By converting to a high-efficiency system, you can realize significant energy savings starting from day one. The savings could be even higher if your old system hasn’t been carefully maintained.

To qualify for the 25C credit, your new split-system air conditioner must have a seasonal energy efficiency ratio of 16. An air-source heat pump must have a SEER of 15 and a heating season performance factor of 8.5.

The 25C program lets you deduct 10 percent of the cost of the equipment. There’s a cap of $300 for cooling systems. Although the credit was approved in January, it’s retroactive to January 1, 2012. So if you purchased a system last year, contact your HVAC-system contractor to see what you need to do to claim the credits.

Any new high-efficiency system will lower your energy bills for years to come. And the tax credit might be just the incentive you need to go ahead with that purchase. For more information on the tax credits on air conditioners and air-source heat pumps, as well as credits you can take advantage of through 2016, contact the energy experts at Mathews CCAC Inc. We’ve provided trusted HVAC services to homeowners in the Corpus Christi area since 1979.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about tax credits and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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