There are many reasons to adopt solar energy for your home or business. Considering that electricity costs will continue to rise due to increasingly long and hot summers, choosing to switch to solar becomes the best way to produce independent electricity and lock in decades of predictable energy costs. Additionally, the environmental impact of solar energy systems is another positive aspect to consider. Installing solar energy systems is, therefore, the smartest solution to contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable future while also gaining significant economic benefits. If you are considering installing a solar system for your home or business, it is important to consider four ecological advantages.

1. Solar Energy Will Reduce Greenhouse Gas and CO2 Emissions

A typical family home consumes just over 2,700 kWh per year. Even a modestly sized solar energy system can easily reduce this consumption by 80%, and it is quite possible to approach even 100%. Given these levels and consumption, the environmental impact of solar is significant: it is proven that in about twenty years, producing only 80% of the average annual energy needs of the house, a solar energy system will offset CO2 emissions equivalent to 70,000 kg of coal and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 45 tons.

2. Choose an Electric Vehicle for Your Next Car

It’s quite obvious that driving an electric car means less pollution. Opting for an electric vehicle also means offsetting 100% of the harmful CO2 emissions typical of a traditional car. However, what is still not well understood, and causes unnecessary inefficiencies, is that if you charge your electric vehicle from a non-solar home, all you are doing is shifting the energy expense from the gas station to your monthly electric bill. A properly designed solar energy system will power your home and your electric car, further offsetting the “dirty” electricity you would otherwise have to buy from the national grid.

3. Solar Also Reduces Water Pollution

This aspect is less obvious and widespread, but it is certainly one of the major environmental benefits associated with solar. While all production processes require a large amount of water to operate, the total amount of water needed to generate solar electricity is significantly lower than for more traditional sources of electricity. Older and more traditional technologies such as nuclear, natural gas, and oil extraction plants require huge amounts of water for cooling. With solar energy, this risk is avoided, thus preserving local water reserves for other purposes such as agriculture, drinking water systems, and other vital needs.

4. Solar Reduces the Burden on Limited Resources

The global population will continue to grow, but the Earth has only one reserve of non-renewable oil, coal, and natural gas. The sun is the Earth’s most abundant energy source, producing an incredible 173,000 Terawatts of solar energy every second! This is more than 10,000 times the world’s combined total energy consumption and is always available. In contrast, fuels will eventually simply disappear, or the cost required for their extraction and processing will become so excessive that it will no longer be manageable by the population. Therefore, if we do not decide to make a real change, the damage that not only our environment but also our financial structure will face could be irreparable. Solar energy is the best way to protect against the reality of dwindling resources. Choosing to switch to solar means saving the planet and being part of the change. In fact, it is practically the only home investment that will have an immediate and measurable impact on the environment, while also returning your investment from the first moment of operation. Contact our offices and our qualified technicians to bring your solar project to life today! Sources:

• www.arera.it
• US Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

This is the perfect time to make your home greener by fully leveraging the new tax breaks. If you’ve always wanted to install photovoltaic systems, improve energy efficiency, or install infrastructure for electric vehicles, the 110% Ecobonus provided by the Relaunch Decree allows you to do all this for free. Specifically, with a 110% deduction for all expenses incurred from July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, which can be enjoyed in five annual installments of equal amount, or converted into a tax credit or an immediate discount equivalent to the deduction.

What is the Ecobonus?

The Ecobonus has always existed: for some time, there have been deductions ranging from 50% to 65% for energy renovation projects, such as installing photovoltaic systems. For years, these deductions have been the only incentive tool supporting the construction of photovoltaic systems.
From a private individual’s perspective, the problem with these tax relief formulas was the need to advance the expenses out of pocket. With the new Relaunch Decree, approved to stimulate the national economy after the Coronavirus emergency, it is now possible to obtain a contribution equal to the planned expenses in the form of an upfront discount from the supplier or installer.

Requirements to Obtain the Ecobonus and Spending Limits

First and foremost, the interventions must be done correctly: from the beginning, it’s necessary to ensure, in addition to complying with the minimum technical requirements indicated by law, an improvement of at least two energy classes of the building, or achieving the highest energy class, “to be demonstrated by an Energy Performance Certificate (APE), before and after the intervention, issued by a qualified technician in the form of a sworn statement.” There are also eligible spending limits:

• €60,000 for the REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEMS with centralized systems for heating, cooling, or hot water supply with efficiency at least equal to class A. This intervention is also the minimum requirement for implementing other interventions and thus recognizing their economic value, namely:
  • PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR SYSTEMS: a maximum expenditure of €48,000 with a nominal power limit of €2,400/kWp for the photovoltaic solar system, a limit that drops to €1,600 in the case of building renovations or other maintenance works.
  • STORAGE SYSTEMS: if implemented together with or subsequent to the above photovoltaic systems, still within the same expenditure limit of €48,000, and with a nominal power limit of €1,000/kWh.
  • CAR CHARGING STATIONS: also if implemented together with or subsequent to the above photovoltaic systems, with a specific expenditure limit of €3,000.

Who Can Benefit from the Ecobonus?

The eligible beneficiaries of the 110% Super Bonus are well-defined:

1. Condominiums
2. Individuals, excluding those involved in business, arts, and professions, for single real estate units (but not for single-family buildings other than the main residence)
3. IACP – Independent Public Housing Institutes and entities for buildings used for public residential purposes
4. Housing cooperatives with indivisible ownership, for interventions on properties they own

However, the following groups cannot benefit from the increased deduction (but must settle for the “normal” deductions of 50% and 65%):

1. Individuals engaged in arts and professions
2. Entities earning business income (individuals, partnerships, corporations), with reference to “instrumental” properties
3. Associations of professionals
4. Public and private entities not engaged in commercial activities

How to Access the Ecobonus

Once the company to carry out the desired works is identified, to benefit from the 110% rate, the following requirements must be met:

• The interventions must ensure an improvement of at least two energy classes, demonstrated by the preparation of an Energy Performance Certificate (APE) before and after the intervention.
• It is necessary to prepare a sworn statement certifying the compliance of the works with the legal requirements and, above all, the appropriateness of the expenses incurred in relation to the subsidized interventions.
• The works must be carried out within the time frame from July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, so that every expense is recognized with a 110% deduction.
• The deductible interventions must be carried out on condominiums or single real estate units used as the main residence or on independent public housing institutes (IACP).

Request Assistance from SIC to Take Advantage of the Bonus

Navigating the legal intricacies of a Decree is not always simple, so if you want to receive more detailed advice based on your specific needs, contact our team. At SIC DIVISIONE ELETTRONICA, we are ready to provide commercial, technical, and bureaucratic support to help you fully benefit from the 110% Ecobonus, obtaining the best thermo-photovoltaic technology, made in Italy, turnkey, guaranteed, and at zero cost.