The Internal Revenue Service’s Energy Efficient Commercial Building Property Deduction- Section 179D, allows eligible owners and tenants to deduct up to $1.80 per square foot from their taxable income.
The tax deduction may be claimed by:
- Owners or Tenants of commercial buildings of any height
- Owners of multifamily buildings over 4 stories
- Designer / Engineer may claim tax credit on Government-owned buildings
The deduction is available in the year the building is placed in service. Recent legislation now extends the tax deduction to buildings placed in service through 12-31-2020.
Qualifying Buildings
- Retail
- Office
- Senior Centers
- Industrial
- Commercial
- Warehouses
- Multifamily (minimum 4 stories)
What Systems Qualify?
- Building Envelope
- HVAC & Hot Water Heating
- Interior Lighting
To qualify, the total building energy and power costs must be at least 50% below a comparable building that meets ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standards.
Energy modeling is required to justify the deduction. Improvements must be inspected and tested by a qualified engineer. Partner Energy engineers use IRS-approved software to model the energy consumption of your building to determine whether the completed improvements meet the minimum requirements to qualify.
How Much is My Tax Deduction?
Maximum | $1.80 per square foot
The maximum tax deduction may be claimed if the whole building meets the 50% below ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standard.
Partial | $0.30 to $0.60 per square foot
A partial tax deduction of up to $0.60 per square foot may be claimed when systems meet these target savings compared to the ASHRAE standard:
- Building envelope at least 10% below
- HVAC & hot water heating at least 15% below
- Interior lighting at least 25% below