The unprecedented Inflation Reduction Act was approved by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden on August 16, 2022. This comprehensive law will allot more than $370 billion for climate and energy transformation, making it the greatest federal investment in clean energy in American history and a massive step forward for America’s carbon-neutral future. The goal of the bill is to put the country on a path to reduce greenhouse gasses by 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

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As a signatory of AIA 2030 challenge and a multidisciplinary architect and engineer firm, DES possesses unique capabilities to lead and create a resilient and carbon free future. This article highlights a few aspects of the act that can help us make sustainable choices at home and at work, while providing us the tools to become sustainability advocates for our projects.

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Looking for a home upgrade to all electric and/or purchasing an Electric car? Here are the some incentives that you can use:

• New tax credit of $4,000 for the sale of used electric cars and expanded tax credits of up to $7,500 for purchasers of certain new EVs.
• $2,500 to $5,000 tax credits for buying Energy Star single-family homes and Net Zero Energy ready homes.
• Up to $840 to offset the cost of heat-pump clothes dryers and electric stoves; up to $4,000 for electrical panel upgrades to support new appliances; up to $1,600 for insulation and sealing costs.

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The Act provides tremendous opportunities for landscape architects to work with all communities to plan and design a more resilient and low-carbon future.

• Resiliency-related grants for assisting drought-impacted states (e.g. Colorado River basin), national parks, providing water supply to under-served communities, and coastal areas impacted by changing climate conditions.

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The enhancements to energy-related tax incentives are expected to create opportunities for innovation and funding streams for businesses and local communities to embed climate strategies and green technologies. Here are some incentives that you can talk to your clients about to help support their sustainability goals.

Several tax incentives geared towards improving energy efficiency of residential and commercial developments:

• Research & development of clean technologies.
• Renewable energy facilities like solar PVs, battery storage and carbon capture and storage, purchasing electric vehicles etc. e.g. Investment Tax Credit for Solar PV and Energy Storage projects will be increased to 30%.

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We will also see more and more investments for low carbon technologies in the market, so stay tuned to see how this act shapes the sustainability technology and products market.

• $975 million for General Services Administration (GSA) to invest in emerging and sustainable technologies.
• Approximately $15 billion incentives and funds on low-carbon and greenhouse gas reduction technologies.

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Have you started talking to your clients about healthy materials? The following grants will create a more robust market for low carbon materials and push the transparency movement forward. By providing the manufacturers with the tools they need to decarbonize, more and more manufacturer will declare and assess the environmental impacts of their products:

• $250 million for Environmental Product Declarations Assistance to support the development and standardization of EPDs for construction materials.

• $2.15 billion for GSA to acquire and install low-carbon materials and products for the use of construction or alteration of federal buildings.

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Interested in learning more about the act? Check out the links below from AIA, ASLA, USGBC and other websites regarding the Inflation Reduction Act.