Commission warns deadline-driven rush as federal incentives change

Commission members reviewed several federal incentive deadlines and state implementation tasks and said some incentives’ impending cutoffs could prompt a rush to start projects. Energy Commission member James Dumont summarized pending deadlines: he said the EV purchase credit was “going away at the September,” and described a $7,500 credit for new vehicles and “four thousand for old or used” vehicles as part of that discussion. Dumont also said the residential solar tax credit “expires on December 31 of this year” and urged residents to act quickly. On home charging, Dumont told the commission “the tax credit for that will disappear next summer. July 1 is the cutoff for the home tax credit for installing a charging station. And that tax credit is valued up to $1,000 or 30% of the cost of buying your charging station and having installed and permitted.” Members also discussed larger federal grant programs. Dumont and other members reviewed the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants and said states are preparing implementation plans; he said the state’s draft climate action plan and related documents should start circulating in August and September on the NHDES website. On regional funding, Dumont said he believed “there was $700,000,000 awarded or maybe 900,000,000 awarded to incentivize heat pump deployments” for New England states and said states must set up regrant programs before funds flow to communities. Commission members noted implementation bottlenecks: installers, permitting, and utility interconnection could create backlogs. Dumont and others warned that a short-term surge of projects could stress the workforce and supply chains and raised concern about long-term service for residential installations if firms downsize after an incentive cliff. Why it matters: Deadlines for tax credits and the timing of federal grants shape residents’ decisions and municipal and commercial project schedules. The commission advised residents and property owners to verify program dates and act if they want to claim credits. What the meeting did not do: The commission did not adopt new policy or formally allocate funds related to these programs; the discussion was an informational update.