Louisiana
Financial Incentives
Tax Benefits: Louisiana provides a tax credit for the purchase and installation of residential
solar and wind energy systems.1 This credit may be applied to personal, corporate or franchise
taxes, depending on the entity that purchases and installs the system. In Louisiana, any
equipment attached to an owner-occupied residential building or swimming pool as part of a
solar energy system is considered personal property that is exempt from ad valorem taxation.2
Loan Programs: The Home Energy Loan Program allows homeowners to get a five-year loan to
improve the energy efficiency of their existing home.3
Rebates: The Home Energy Rebate Option Program offered by the Louisiana Department of
Natural Resources provides a number of cash rebates to residents and businesses for energy
efficient improvements made to existing homes and buildings, as well as for new homes that
meet a certain energy efficiency rating.4 Rebates are also available for select Energy Star
appliances installed in households in Louisiana.5
Rules and Regulations
Facility Siting and Permitting: Louisiana’s solar access law prohibits unreasonable restrictions
on property owners from installing solar collectors.6
Building Codes, Appliance, and Equipment Standards: Louisiana’s building codes for
residential and commercial developments are based on the 2009 IRC and the 2009 IBC,
respectively.7 Louisiana has also adopted standards for public buildings, requiring energy
efficiency measures to be incorporated in the construction and renovation of major facility
projects funded by the state.8
Electricity Transmission, Interconnection and Storage: The Louisiana Public Service
Commission has established rules for net metering and interconnection. Louisiana’s rules, based
on those in place in Arkansas, require publicly-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives to
offer net metering to customers with systems that generate electricity using solar, wind,
hydropower, geothermal or biomass resources, or fuel cells or microturbines that generate
electricity entirely derived from renewable resources.9
Policies, Plans, and Governmental Affiliations
Government Entities: Division of Administration,10 Louisiana Department of Environmental
Quality,11 Louisiana Department of Natural Resources,12 Louisiana Department of Revenue,13
Louisiana Public Service Commission.14
Regional Memberships: Louisiana is a member of the SGA.
1
2
La. Rev. Stat. § 47:6030.
La. Rev. Stat. § 47:1706.
3
http://dnr.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&tmp=home&pid=40&pnid=103&nid=105.
http://www.empowerlouisiana.org/HeroProgram.aspx.
5
http://www.empowerlouisiana.org/EnergyStar.aspx.
6
La. Rev. Stat. § 9:1255.
7
http://lsuccc.dps.louisiana.gov/codes.html.
8
La. Rev. Stat. § 40:1730.49; Executive Order No. BJ 2008-8.
9
La. Rev. Stat. § 51:3061 et seq.; La. Pub. Service Comm’n Order, Docket No. R-27558.
10
http://doa.louisiana.gov/.
11
http://www.deq.state.la.us/.
12
http://dnr.louisiana.gov/.
13
http://rev.louisiana.gov/.
14
http://www.lpsc.org/.
4