Americans may soon have less financial incentive to improve their homes’ energy efficiency. Thursday morning, the House of Representatives passed a policy package that, among other things, will eliminate residential tax credits for home energy efficiency, potentially increasing costs in some of the most expensive states for homes and home insurance.
The end of the credits could take billions of dollars in tax breaks away from homeowners, starting with the 2026 tax year. In 2024, more than 3.4 million American households claimed over $8 billion in residential clean energy and energy efficiency credits toward their 2023 federal income taxes, according to IRS data.
If passed, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” would terminate the Residential Clean Energy Credit and the New Energy Efficient Home Credit at the end of this year.
The bill narrowly passed in the House and now goes to the Senate for review.
Tax credits and tax deductions have long been a tool to help Americans defray the costs of homeownership.
Most homeowner tax breaks are in the form of deductions that reduce taxable income. Tax credits, however, are direct, dollar-for-dollar reductions to a person’s tax obligation.
Residential energy credits were among the 10 most-claimed tax credits for the 2020 tax year, according to a Tax Policy Center analysis of IRS data. The credits have steadily gained in popularity since.
The number of returns claiming the residential energy credit increased more than 23% from 2021 to 2022, IRS data shows. And the total credit amount it returned to taxpayers grew nearly 55% during the same time frame.
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Residential clean energy credits apply to home improvements like solar electricity panels, solar water heating, and battery storage. Energy-efficient home credits are for upgrades such as heat pumps, energy-efficient air conditioning units, improved insulation, and energy-efficient windows and doors.
The credits allow homeowners who make qualifying improvements to recoup a percentage of the upgrade’s cost. For example, under the residential clean energy credit, homeowners can get a credit of up to 30% of the cost to install rooftop solar panels. Under the energy-efficient home improvement credit, installing a heat pump could allow the homeowner to recoup 30% of the cost to a maximum of $2,000.
The average credit for taxpayers claiming the residential clean energy credit is $5,000. For the energy-efficient home improvement credit, the average is $880, IRS data shows.
The national average cost of homeowners insurance has steadily risen since 2021, according to Insurify data. At the end of 2024, the national average was $3,259 per year, and Insurify data scientists predict it will increase another 8% to $3,520 by the end of 2025.
Some states with a higher percentage of homeowners claiming energy tax credits also have high average homeowners insurance costs. For example, Florida, which ranks third for residential tax credits, has the highest home insurance costs in the country, averaging $14,140 per year.
In addition to reducing a homeowner’s tax bill, energy-efficient home improvements could also lead to lower home insurance costs. Many home insurance companies offer discounts to homeowners who make energy-efficient home improvements. For example, Travelers offers a discount of up to 5% for certified “green homes.”
If the Senate passes the bill without changes, tax credits for energy-efficient improvements will end in 2025. A recent Consumer Reports survey sheds some light on how homeowners view tax breaks for energy-efficient improvements.
The March 2025 survey found 81% of Americans — 89% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans — are in favor of government rebates and tax incentives for energy-efficient home improvements. And saving money on energy bills would motivate 63% to buy an energy-efficient large home appliance, the survey found.
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