The Montgomery County Council plans to suspend its Renewable Energy Tax Credit program since residents who have already applied for the credit could be waiting as long as six years for payment.
On Tuesday Councilman Roger Berliner, D-Bethesda, introduced a bill — co-sponsored by a majority of the council — that would reject all applications for the tax credit received after Sept. 20, 2011.
The program gave any homeowner who installs a solar, wind or geothermal energy device the opportunity to receive half the cost of buying or installing the unit or a credit of $5,000 for a heating system or $1,500 for a hot water supply system, whatever cost the county less.
However, the program had a cap of $500,000 per year, which generated a backlog of residents waiting for payments. As of June 30, the county owed residents $2.5 million in unpaid tax credits.
“When we resume this program, if we decide to do so, we will also revise the level of support,” Berliner said. “We quite frankly don’t need to be this generous.”
