Greener Living

The US Climate Bill Could Make Now the Best Time to Go Solar

Generous incentives mean you can replace fossil fuel home appliances and cars with electric versions — and power them with clean energy.

U.S. Senate Passes Democrats’ Landmark Tax, Climate, Drugs Bill
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

If signed into law as written, the climate bill before the US Congress would change the calculus for American households thinking about going solar. The legislation stands to make that transition more affordable while also subsidizing purchases of electric cars, heat pumps, high-tech water heaters and battery-storage systems — clean-energy upgrades that will spur more household demand for electricity. There are so many incentives to install solar that the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 might be more aptly titled the “Electrify Your Life Act.”

“As your costs for electricity go up, the reason to go solar will become even stronger,” said Vikram Aggarwal, founder and chief executive of EnergySage, a Boston-based company that operates an online solar marketplace for consumers.