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Tax credit on insulated garage door for new construction?

13 years ago

Do we qualify for the tax credit for an energy efficient garage door if we are doing new construction? The list of qualifications do not seem to specify. Has anyone tried to claim this credit on new construction?

"The tax credits are available for garage door purchases "placed in service" from Jan. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2010.

Your tax credit is based on the total material cost of the purchase (the cost of installation does not qualify). The tax credit is equal to the sum of 30 percent of all qualified energy-saving improvements installed in an existing home in the calendar years of 2009 and 2010.

The maximum amount a taxpayer may claim is $1500 over the lifetime of the tax credit.

The door must have a U-factor equal to or less than 0.30. If the door contains windows, the door must offer a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) equal to or less than 0.30. Ask your professional dealer/installer if your door qualifies.

The door must be an insulated residential garage door.

It must be installed on an insulated garage.

The door perimeter must have a means to control air infiltration.

The door must be expected to remain in service for at least five years.

The garage must be part of the taxpayer's principal U.S. residence."

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Comments (2)

chad_m
13 years ago
No, all of the energy star tax credits do not apply to new home construction EXCEPT for the geothermal HVAC and the solar hot water credits. I highly recommend taking advantage of the geothermal credit. It is 30% of the total cost including all duct work and equipment. There is also no $1500 cap. For example, the quote for a high efficiency heat pump and all ducting installed for my house was $9000. The quote for a top of the line geo unit installed with ducting and vertical geo loop was $16000. I got back $4500 in tax credits on that $16000. The net difference was only $1500.
weiyan8
Original Author
13 years ago
Yeah, I kind of figured that. I did look into the other credits but decided against them for cost reasons. Thanks for the reply.
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We received several rebates which were paid out upon request. I think they included hot water heater, appliances, a couple from the utility and cooperatives. Chad, even hate to mention this since your geothermal sounds so much less than ours. Ours was $42,000, with almost $13,000 in tax credt ... which we can't claim until next year. We also got $1000 on the dual fuel heat pump from the energy cooperative. Our geothermal cost included 5 ton vertical loop system (five- 200 foot shafts), heat pump, back up furnace, programmable thermostats, radiant floor heating (I think 6 zones), humidifier, hot water heater, air filter, all ducting, labor etc, etc. Without looking at the bid, I can't remember all it included. I guess it's hard to compare if you're not comparing apples to apples. I'm estimating out total rebate/tax credits were between $17,000 and $20,000. Our builder and several of the subs were the ones who told us about the rebates we weren't aware of. They even gave us the forms.
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