By Lisa Ward
Thinking of making your home more energy efficient? You may want to act fast. Big incentives for homeowners to get greener are about to go away.
Under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, many federal home-energy tax credits will expire at the end of the year—so people will lose the current tax breaks for adding eco-friendlier appliances or systems like heat pumps and solar panels.
Here is a look at some big improvements that consumers might want to consider before the chance for savings runs out.
How to set priorities
If you’re not sure which improvements—if any—to focus on, a home energy audit can help you identify which upgrades to give priority to and which tax credits to claim, says Kim Wolske, a research associate professor at the University of Chicago.
With a home audit, a certified contractor or auditor assesses your appliances, heating and cooling systems, insulation, lighting and writes up recommendations. The audits—which typically cost between $300 and $500—are themselves eligible for a tax credit of $150 via the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit.