Congress ended the old homeowner solar tax credit in 2025. What replaced it is better for you — and most homeowners don't know it yet.
President Trump signed H.R.1 — the One Big Beautiful Bill — ending the old 30% residential solar tax credit. But here's what most homeowners don't know: the law kept a commercial version of the credit that SunForce Energy passes directly back to you as a guaranteed discount on your system price.
The old homeowner tax credit. If you bought solar, you could claim 30% on your taxes — if you had enough tax liability to use it. It's now permanently gone.
The commercial ITC. A third-party owner claims 30% of the system cost from their taxes, then passes that value back as a discounted price — day one, guaranteed.
Rocky Mountain Power rates have risen an average of 3–5% per year. AI data centers are accelerating that. Your solar payment never changes. The gap between what your neighbors pay and what you pay grows every single year.
The One Big Beautiful Bill didn't just change the tax credit. It required programs like SunForce's to use premium, compliant equipment. And Utah's HB57 gave customers legal protections no solar buyer has ever had before.
Starting 2026, any system claiming the 48E credit must use equipment NOT made by companies tied to China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran. Cheap Chinese panels are out. The equipment on your roof must be premium.
This isn't a prediction. It's a documented pattern — confirmed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Rocky Mountain Power's own filings, and Utah's Public Service Commission records.
Meta, Google, Microsoft, QTS, and others are actively building hyperscale data centers in Eagle Mountain, Millard County, and along Utah's tech corridor. Google delayed a campus only due to power constraints — not lack of interest.
Source: Grist / Salt Lake Tribune · 2025 →Utah data centers alone could demand up to four times what all Utah residents and businesses currently consume. This isn't speculative — it's based on the actual capacity of facilities already permitted and under construction.
Source: Utah Clean Energy · Logan Mitchell, Climate Scientist →70% of last year's increased electricity costs nationally were the result of data center demand, per Monitoring Analytics — the independent watchdog for the mid-Atlantic grid. Utah is not immune. Grid upgrades get billed to all ratepayers.
Source: KUTV / AP · Utah Data Center Power Impact →Utah passed SB 132 specifically to let data centers build their own power plants off the public grid — an acknowledgment that the utility cannot absorb this demand without impacting all other customers. Lawmakers are explicitly worried about your bill.
Source: Utah News Dispatch · April 2025 →The proposed rate increase from Rocky Mountain Power would be laughable if it wasn't so dangerous. The proposal is completely unacceptable.
A federally compliant tax equity investor purchases the solar system on your behalf. They own it legally for approximately 6 years. Their ownership is what allows the 48E credit to be claimed. Corporations can use 100% of this credit — most homeowners could not.
26 U.S.C. § 48E — Clean Electricity Investment CreditThe 30% ITC plus MACRS accelerated depreciation is worth 30–50% of the system cost. The investor passes approximately 30% back to you as a reduced system price. That's not a rebate or a check in the mail — it's taken off the financed amount before a single payment is made.
Typically: ~70% of system cost is what the customer financesBecause the starting loan amount is 30% lower, your monthly payment is meaningfully lower than a traditional purchase. Your day-one savings vs. your utility bill are larger, and your payoff is faster — and you never needed to qualify for or claim any tax credit yourself.
Day-one savings — no waiting until tax seasonAfter the IRS-required hold period, ownership transfers to you for a pre-agreed nominal amount. At that point it's your system outright — no monthly payment, no ongoing obligation, 100% of the remaining production value is yours to keep.
IRS recapture period complete — full ownership transferThis isn't a SunForce-only program. Prepaid third-party ownership has been the dominant solar finance structure nationally for over a decade. With the old homeowner credit gone, it's now the only way for homeowners to access a federal tax incentive — and every major player in the industry is using it.
From the day you sign to the day your system goes live — here's exactly what happens, step by step.
You review and sign your solar agreement. Credit approval is processed — this is a soft pull and typically completes same day. Once approved, your project is officially in motion and submitted to the install team.
A certified technician visits your home to inspect your roof, electrical panel, attic space, and utility meter. They take measurements and photos so the engineering team can design a system perfectly matched to your home.
Licensed engineers use the site survey data to create a custom system layout — panel placement, inverter location, wiring diagram, and structural load calculations. You'll see exactly how your system will look on your home.
Your engineering package is submitted to your local municipality for permit approval. This step is handled entirely by SunForce Energy — you don't need to visit any office or fill out any forms. Permit timelines vary by city but typically take 1–3 weeks.
Your certified install crew arrives and gets to work. A typical residential installation takes one to two days. They mount your FEOC-compliant panels, install the inverter, run all wiring, and leave your home clean and ready for inspection. This is the day you've been waiting for.
A city inspector visits to verify your system meets all local building and electrical codes. This is required before your system can be turned on. SunForce Energy coordinates the inspection scheduling — you just need to be available for a brief visit.
Rocky Mountain Power issues your Permission to Operate (PTO) — the final green light. Your system is switched on, starts generating clean energy, and your net metering agreement activates. From this moment, your locked-in solar rate replaces your utility bill. Welcome to energy independence.