News Brief
Inflation Reduction Act Collection: Guidance & Case Studies
Uncle Sam wants you to electrify your buildings!
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is helping project teams replay that old scene with a new character: Uncle Sam, proffering his open wallet.
By incentivizing technologies that slash emissions and processes that include the voices of the most vulnerable, the law, passed in August 2022, has the potential to transform the sustainability landscape for designers, construction firms, and product manufacturers.
It’s not as though every client will suddenly start writing RFPs that say “net-zero carbon or bust!” And there are strings attached and hoops to jump through to get at that open wallet. But as AEC practitioners start to comprehend the scale and scope of what’s available, and in turn help their clients comprehend that scale and scope, they’re finding it easier to have productive conversations about specific social and environmental targets. And as more and more funding programs start breaking the financial dam, those conversations are only going to get easier.
BuildingGreen’s IRA collection—which we are building over time as news breaks of new windfalls—explains eligibility requirements, explores grant opportunities, analyzes the impact of specific programs, and captures lessons learned from real-world project teams.
Eventually, our collection will include in-depth guidance and tips on every IRA provision and program that’s relevant to the green building community. As we produce more content, we will be breaking down our guidance and case studies into the following categories, some of which we’ve already started to build out.
Watch this space as the cascading benefits unfold over time.
- IRA info roundups
- Strategies and technologies funded
- Building typology
- Benefit recipient
- Program name
- Type of guidance (analysis, case study, etc.)
- Justice40 (within IRA and beyond)
- Benefits for building product manufacturers
- Other federal programs
- Other resources
General IRA Information and Guidance
Here we round up the details of several opportunities in one place.
- IRA Nuts & Bolts with an Energy Tax Expert—recorded webinar
- Funds Begin to Flow from Inflation Reduction Act (free)
- A Boatload of Building-Related Incentives in Inflation Reduction Act (free for basic subscribers)
IRA Guidance and Case Studies on Specific Strategies & Technologies
It’s not just for solar anymore! IRA expands its reach into many different technologies and even design processes.
Bio-gas systems
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Combined heat & power systems
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Dynamic glazing
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Energy audits (single-family homes)
- IRA’s 25C Energy-Efficient Home-Improvement Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Energy retrofits
- The IRA’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s 179D Tax Deduction for Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- Affordable Housing Gets Billions for Resilience Retrofits (free)
- IRA’s 25C Energy-Efficient Home-Improvement Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
HVAC systems—commercial & multifamily buildings
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- Experts Disagree on IRA Tax Credit for Ground-Source Heat Pumps (free for basic subscribers)
- How IRA Can Take Ground-Source Heat Pumps Mainstream
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- Thermal Energy Storage Increases Heat-Pump Effectiveness
HVAC systems—single-family homes
- IRA’s 25C Energy-Efficient Home-Improvement Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Microgrid controllers
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
New commercial buildings
- IRA’s 179D Tax Deduction for Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
New homes
- IRA’s 45L New Energy-Efficient Homes Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Renewable energy production and storage
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- Inflation Reduction Act Pays Nonprofits to Build Green (free for basic subscribers)
Resilience measures
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- The IRA’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- Affordable Housing Gets Billions for Resilience Retrofits (free)
IRA Guidance and Case Studies by Building Typology
Benefits differ for commercial, multifamily, and single-family projects.
Non-residential
- IRA Nuts & Bolts with an Energy Tax Expert Video—recorded webinar
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- Experts Disagree on IRA Tax Credit for Ground-Source Heat Pumps (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s 179D Tax Deduction for Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Healthcare
- Inflation Reduction Act Pays Nonprofits to Build Green (free for basic subscribers)
Multifamily residential
- IRA’s 45L New Energy-Efficient Homes Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- Affordable Housing Gets Billions for Resilience Retrofits (free)
- IRA Tax Breaks May Reinforce Inequities, So We Need to Help
Single-family residential
- IRA’s 25C Energy-Efficient Home-Improvement Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s 45L New Energy-Efficient Homes Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
IRA Guidance and Case Studies by Recipient
Sometimes who you are is more important than what you do—at least when it comes to the IRA. There are special funding streams associated with affordable housing, tax-exempt organizations, and the federal government’s own building projects.
AEC firms
- How IRA Can Take Ground-Source Heat Pumps Mainstream
- Thermal Energy Storage Increases Heat-Pump Effectiveness
- IRA’s 179D Tax Deduction for Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Affordable housing owners and developers
- IRA’s 45L New Energy-Efficient Homes Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- The IRA’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- Affordable Housing Gets Billions for Resilience Retrofits (free)
- IRA Tax Breaks May Reinforce Inequities, So We Need to Help
Commercial building owners
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- Experts Disagree on IRA Tax Credit for Ground-Source Heat Pumps (free for basic subscribers)
- How IRA Can Take Ground-Source Heat Pumps Mainstream
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- The IRA’s 48(e), 48(h) Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s 179D Tax Deduction for Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Commercial building tenants
- IRA’s 179D Tax Deduction for Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Federal agencies
- GSA Drafts Carbon Limits for Select Building Materials (free)
- Biden Calls for Electrification to Decarbonize Federal Buildings (free)
- Buy Clean: Federal Funds to Have Low-carbon Strings Attached (free)
- Biden Orders Carbon-Neutral Federal Government by 2050 (free for basic subscribers)
Homebuilders
- IRA’s 45L New Energy-Efficient Homes Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Homeowners
- IRA’s 25C Energy-Efficient Home-Improvement Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Home renters
- IRA’s 25C Energy-Efficient Home-Improvement Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Local governments, Tribal governments, and states
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- The IRA’s 48(e), 48(h) Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA to Fund the Creation of EPDs, but Note the January Deadline (free)
Nonprofits and other tax-exempt organizations
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA to Fund the Creation of EPDs, but Note the January Deadline (free)
- Experts Disagree on IRA Tax Credit for Ground-Source Heat Pumps (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- The IRA’s 48(e), 48(h) Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- How IRA Can Take Ground-Source Heat Pumps Mainstream
- Inflation Reduction Act Pays Nonprofits to Build Green (free for basic subscribers)
Nonprofit financial institutions
- IRA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Product manufacturers & trade associations
IRA Guidance and Case Studies by Program Name
IRA is a huge, complex bill chock full of opportunities that have obscure names and section numbers. Here you’ll find details about all the different programs based on their official names or numbers.
25C: Energy-Efficiency Home-Improvement Credit
- IRA’s 25C Energy-Efficient Home-Improvement Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA Tax Breaks May Reinforce Inequities, So We Need to Help
45L: New Energy-Efficient Homes Credit
- IRA Tax Breaks May Reinforce Inequities, So We Need to Help
- IRA’s 45L New Energy-Efficient Homes Credit: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
Section 48: Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property
- IRA Nuts & Bolts with an Energy Tax Expert Video—recorded webinar
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- Experts Disagree on IRA Tax Credit for Ground-Source Heat Pumps (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- How IRA Can Take Ground-Source Heat Pumps Mainstream
- Thermal Energy Storage Increases Heat-Pump Effectiveness
48(e) and 48(h): Low-Income-Communities Bonus Credit Program
- The IRA’s 48(e), 48(h) Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA Tax Breaks May Reinforce Inequities, So We Need to Help
179D: Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction
- IRA’s 179D Tax Deduction for Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- How IRA Can Take Ground-Source Heat Pumps Mainstream
Green and Resilient Retrofit Program
- The IRA’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- Affordable Housing Gets Billions for Resilience Retrofits (free)
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
- The IRA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
All BuildingGreen’s IRA Content by Type of Guidance
Analysis
- Be Prepared: The IRA Eliminates the Tech-Based ITC in Just Over a Year (free for basic subscribers)
- Experts Disagree on IRA Tax Credit for Ground-Source Heat Pumps (free for basic subscribers)
- How IRA Can Take Ground-Source Heat Pumps Mainstream
- Inflation Reduction Act Pays Nonprofits to Build Green (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA Tax Breaks May Reinforce Inequities, So We Need to Help
Case studies
“Just the basics,” program by program
- 25C Energy-Efficient Home-Improvement Credit
- 45L New Energy-Efficient Homes Credit
- Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property
- 179D Tax Deduction for Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings
- Green and Resilient Retrofit Program
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
News & new opportunities
- IRA to Fund the Creation of EPDs, but Note the January Deadline (free)
- Affordable Housing Gets Billions for Resilience Retrofits (free)
- $100 Million Available from EPA for Environmental Justice Work (free for basic subscribers)
- “Tree Equity” Fund Brings Green to Urban Streetscapes (free)
- EPA’s New Environmental Justice Arm to Disburse $3 Billion (free)
Product reviews
Roundups
- IRA Nuts & Bolts with an Energy Tax Expert Video—recorded webinar
- Funds Begin to Flow from Inflation Reduction Act (free)
- A Boatload of Building-Related Incentives in Inflation Reduction Act (free for basic subscribers)
Justice40 Funding: IRA and Other Federal Opportunities
The Justice40 initiative is part of an executive order by the Biden Administration. It commits at least 40% of certain types of federal funding to “disadvantaged communities,” a term the administration has been defining and refining over time.
- The IRA’s Green and Resilient Retrofit Program: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- IRA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund: Just the Basics (free for basic subscribers)
- Affordable Housing Gets Billions for Resilience Retrofits (free)
- Biden Firms Up His Environmental Justice Agenda (free)
- IRA Tax Breaks May Reinforce Inequities, So We Need to Help
- $100 Million Available from EPA for Environmental Justice Work (free for basic subscribers)
- “Tree Equity” Fund Brings Green to Urban Streetscapes (free)
- EPA’s New Environmental Justice Arm to Disburse $3 Billion (free)
<Benefits for Building Project Manufacturers
Guidance and Case Studies on Other Federal Programs
The Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA), pandemic funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and other programs include several building-related provisions as well.
- Feds Increase Scrutiny of Racism and Sexism in Construction Workplaces (free for basic subscribers)
- Land Use Is Step One for Decarbonizing Transportation (free)
- Are You Ready to Buy American-Made Solar Panels? (free)
- A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to Green Public Schools (free for basic subscribers)
- Building Carbon Caps to Scale Up with New Coalition (free for basic subscribers)
- Weakened Infrastructure Bill Still Has Sustainability Spending (free for basic subscribers)
Originally published August 7, 2023 Reviewed November 4, 2023 Permalink Citation
editors, t. (2023, November 4). Inflation Reduction Act Collection: Guidance & Case Studies. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/newsbrief/inflation-reduction-act-collection-guidance-case-studies
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